What the hell's an IPA?

[LarryC]

I fell in love with IPA's when my brother-in-lay turned me on to a Pliney the Elder. Down here we have Green Flash Imperial IPA which is very close in flavor. Its' my home town favorite

 

[paradoc]

If you get Ninkasi try their double hopped IPA, not gonna lie, its amazing. Hit up Ninkasi's Red, their IPA, their Double IPA, they are all amazing. So I live in oregon, their brewery is a whopping 40 mins away from me. If you dont get their beer in your area I may be able to help you out, just PM me. Their BIC has filled a few cornies for me before, its a great company and even better beer!!!!!

I'll second the vote for Ninkasi. GREAT IPA's. Used to live in Portland and it was widely available on tap and in stores. Sadly... not distributed where I live now. I've taken to bribing friends to hand-carry cases back from Portland when they visit

Another vote for Deschutes too. Their Bond Stree Series seems to be pretty widely available (I can get it here in Wyoming!) and both the Hop Henge, and the Red Chair are great!

Just got my hops and grain to brew Pliny the Elder from the recipe in this months Zymurgy... can't wait to taste it!! (Note: The grain bill in the recipe is apparently scaled incorrectly for a 5 gallon batch, so make sure you increase the grains if you want a bigger batch. There is going to be a lot of hop loss on this HUGE beer!! 236 IBU's according to BeerAlchemy!)

 

[Heineken]

Your life may never be the same. I find that I am now increasing the amount of hops in each brew. I can't get enough hops these days and my wife is now the same way. Welcome to the hop head world.

 

[HOOTER]

I'll second the vote for Ninkasi. GREAT IPA's. Used to live in Portland and it was widely available on tap and in stores. Sadly... not distributed where I live now. I've taken to bribing friends to hand-carry cases back from Portland when they visit

Another vote for Deschutes too.

This Ninkasi stuff intrigues me. I wonder if I can find it anywhere in Spokane.

+1 on Deschutes. They make nothing but great beer.

 

[jblaven]

Heading back to the store... I got 1 Sweetwater IPA left. I made a grocery list (of beer) to see if any of your suggestions are available. My wife thinks I am crazy.

 

[jblaven]

I love a good IPA. Lagunitas is very good if you're drinking more than one. DFH 90 min is very nearly the epitome of the IPA art.QUOTE]


OK,

Just had a Longhammer. Good, but I like the bitterness of the Sweetwater.

I also bought a 6 pack of DFH 90 min. Will let you know what I think shortly.

 

[BrewBrain]

I fell in love with IPA's when my brother-in-lay turned me on to a Pliney the Elder. Down here we have Green Flash Imperial IPA which is very close in flavor. Its' my home town favorite

I finally tried the Green Flash IIPA last week. unfortunately, it may have ruined all other IPA's for me forever. It's quite possibly the best beer I've ever tasted. I still haven't tried Pliny though. As close as Russian River is, you'd think I could find it in my town, but no.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

I also bought a 6 pack of DFH 90 min. Will let you know what I think shortly.

Dude, 90min is going to rock your face off. I can't wait to hear how much you love it!

But where did you find a 6-pack? I can find 60min in a 6er, but 90min only comes in 4-packs here *pout*

 

[voegeli51]

Drinkin a Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA, it's freakin awesome. However, I hate it that we can't get DFH here in KS. Straight pisses me off!!

 

[paradoc]

This Ninkasi stuff intrigues me. I wonder if I can find it anywhere in Spokane.

Check Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck!) if you have one. In Portland and Seattle hey stocked both Ninkasi Total Domination (my personal favorite) and Tricerahops (an IIPA). Ninkasi Brewing Company

Cheers!

 

[IrishLass]

Gotta represent for the great beer state of Colorado this is a great IPA
India Pale Ale - Classic Odell Brewing Co Beers

 

[FailureDrill]

Deschutes Red Chair IPA is awesome, it just recently went to the top of my list.

 

[HOOTER]

Check Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck!) if you have one. In Portland and Seattle hey stocked both Ninkasi Total Domination (my personal favorite) and Tricerahops (an IIPA). Ninkasi Brewing Company

Cheers!

No Whole Foods in Spokane and the "find Ninkasi near you" option yielded nothing. Bummer 'cause it looks like they make some mighty tasty beer. Oh well, thanks a bunch for the info.

Edit: It just occurred to me that I can ask the manager at my LHBS to bring some in. Their always really good when it comes to making special orders for customers.

 

[HOOTER]

Deschutes Red Chair IPA is awesome, it just recently went to the top of my list.

+1. The first time I had it was out of a 22 from the grocery store and it was really good. The second time I had it was from the tap at a local bar and holy cow was it awesome! Definitely one of my new favorites.

 

[SumnerH]

Shout-out for Meantime IPA. British hops at American IPA bittering levels = Awesome.

 

[LarryC]

I finally tried the Green Flash IIPA last week. unfortunately, it may have ruined all other IPA's for me forever. It's quite possibly the best beer I've ever tasted. I still haven't tried Pliny though. As close as Russian River is, you'd think I could find it in my town, but no.

My brother-in-law lives in Fremont and I guess it is relatively easy to find Pliny there. Pretty much non-existent here in San Diego.

Glad you like the GF IIPA, it is my favorite (just finished a 22!)

 

[arturo7]

Man, I am soooo disappointed. I expected this thread to be be filled with wise-assed interpretations of the IPA acronym. Just like one of those SWMBO threads.

 

[jblaven]

Dude, 90min is going to rock your face off. I can't wait to hear how much you love it!

But where did you find a 6-pack? I can find 60min in a 6er, but 90min only comes in 4-packs here *pout*

Don't feel bad, I didn't realize that I bought the 60 min.

Not sure if they sell the 90 min... I will have to look next time.

 

[BrewBrain]

My brother-in-law lives in Fremont and I guess it is relatively easy to find Pliny there. Pretty much non-existent here in San Diego.

Glad you like the GF IIPA, it is my favorite (just finished a 22!)

I've known there is a Fremont store listed on their distribution page. I've just not popped over there yet. I will though I need to do the comparison of course.

 

[RootsUltimate]

They don't distribute very far, but next time you are visiting Penn State head to Otto's and hope that they have their Triple D IPA on tap.

"Triple D IPA

Our biggest IPA ever! 75 pounds of hops and 1800 pounds of barley went into making this colossal beer. The hop varieties included Columbus, Amarillo, Centenial, Cascade, and Palisade. ABV 12%"

Amazingly well balanced.

 

[HOOTER]

If you get Ninkasi try their double hopped IPA, not gonna lie, its amazing. Hit up Ninkasi's Red, their IPA, their Double IPA, they are all amazing. So I live in oregon, their brewery is a whopping 40 mins away from me. If you dont get their beer in your area I may be able to help you out, just PM me. Their BIC has filled a few cornies for me before, its a great company and even better beer!!!!!

Check out what I just happened to find at Yokes.:rockin:

 

[hal2814]

Sweetwater IPA is the one to get me to really appreciate the style. As an aside, I used to be able to culture Sweetwater IPA yeast from the bottle but lately it hasn't worked. I wonder if it's them or me? I'd love to know what they're using for hops. I can't get that grapefruity taste myself.

As far as other IPAs, I personally love Longhammer and Samuel Smith's India Ale. I like a strong hop flavor but don't really consider myself a hophead. I kind of see it like I see hot sauce. I like hot sauce that is actually hot and has some flavor but I don't go around rubbing it in my eyeballs or anything. That jar of Superhot Death to Ming Kill Yo'self hot sauce with the pictures of flaming skulls and J Edgar Hoover on the bottle is not for me. Neither are some of the mega-hopped IPAs. But they're worth a try

Congratulations on finding a new style you like! It's always fun to discover something like that.

 

[metaltim]

I don't think I've come across an IPA I didn't like! I've had so many, can't count. Still working on my taste for double IPA's. Flying dog double pale.. whew, that is a great beer to end the night one.

 

[jaynik]

Hal, according to Mark at Sweetwater, the hop that gives it that flavor is Simcoe.

 

[jblaven]

OK,

Just got home from the store. Finishing my first DFH 90min. Very sweet and smooth... To me the taste stays the same with no varying after taste. It sure has a kick! I also bought some more Sweetwater IPA, wanted to compare the two since Sweetwater seems to be staying on top.

So far, the IPAs I've tried are below. I've ranked them.

Sweetwater IPA
DFH 90min IPA
Longhammer IPA
DFH 60min IPA

I think the reason I like the Sweetwater is because it has a "tingle" that hits the taste buds and stays there. Then you have the after taste of grapefruit. I was unsure of the taste until someone here in this thread called it out.

The DFH 90min is just dang smooth... I could see this beer getting me in trouble! :rockin:

 

[Halaster]

Once you get started on IPA's it's hard to drink another beer. A few of my favorites:

Double Dog
Hop Wallop
Flosmore Stations on Tap IPA
Three Floyds Beers

 

[jblaven]

D A M N

That DFH 90min has kicked me hard! Now I know why they sell it in a 4 pack.

 

[Drummin101]

 

[Trubadour]

I can't keep IPA's on tap long enough at my house to even let them mellow properly - They taste great after a few days on tap and they're gone before I know it. So if you're like me, get to brewing more IPA than anything else you brew, and get started now. I've decided that I always need at least one on tap, one backup keg, and one fermenting to keep up with my demand.

 

[SumnerH]

D A M N

That DFH 90min has kicked me hard! Now I know why they sell it in a 4 pack.

At the Dogfish brew pub, they serve the 75 minute blend. It's just a 50/50 mix from the 60-minute and 90-minute taps. It's a nice change and worth trying at home.

I'll still take Stone IPA over any of the Dogfish offerings, but they're an okay change of pace (the 120 minute is too sweet and not at all worth it, IMO).