Why can't I find a good IPA?

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Dee74

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As a new home brewer I have been searching out new things to try. It seems like there is a lot of buzz about IPAs so I have been trying them. I have tried big commercial brands and microbrews and have not found one yet that I would like to drink. Everyone is just too bitter. Is it just me or are there some good ones out there I have not found yet?
 
I don't even bother trying IPAs anymore. That style is not for me. They're far too bitter, which is odd because I'm the person who will pass on desserts and other sweets yet I like a malty/sweeter beer.
 
I'd recommend starting out with some standard American Pale Ales. They generally have a fair amount of hoppiness to them but are not as bitter as an IPA.
From there you could try some of the North Eastern IPAs. They are excessively hopped, but with late additions. This leaves them with a bunch of hop flavor, but lower bitterness than other IPAs.

If that doesn't work for you, stick with Scotch Ales, Bitters and Stouts.
Nothing wrong with them! :mug:
 
Northeast IPA sounds like it may be up your alley, low bitterness IMO for an IPA but lots of hop flavor and aroma
 
Freshness matters A LOT with this style. If you can't find a packaged date, don't buy it. Don't buy anythign older than 6 weeks.

Cans are better than bottles.

Also if you are new to them it can take a few to acquire a taste for them. Maybe start with a pale ale and work up. First time i had a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale i was thinking how do people drink this crap. But by the end of the case i was hooked. Now it just tastes like water to me.
 
I'm pretty sure I have consumed more IPAs than water over the last couple of years and somehow I am just NOW (as I type) enjoying my first NEIPA! I would highly suggest going that route. SWMBO can not tolerate hop bitterness in the slightest and every time I look over at my glass it has less and less beer in it and she has the 'guilty dog trying to hide in plain sight' look on her face..pick up a 6er and give it a shot. Worst case scenario is you don't like it and have to drink em fast! :tank:
 
There are a lot of newer IPAs, beyond just NEIPAs, that are based more on hop aroma and flavor than just bitterness. Where are you located? If you provide that info, then people in your area can suggest good local IPAs to try.

I didn't really like IPAs when I started brewing several years ago for the same reason. I'm now an absolute hophead, but it's because I can brew the way I like them, with moderate bitterness (per West coast IPA standards), but huge aroma and flavor from late additions and dry-hopping. A lot more expensive, but well worth it!
day_trippr said:
You're clearly in the "pre-lupulin shift" state, so, yes, it's you ;)
Click to expand...
And as day_trippr says, the lupulin shift comes and your sensitivity to bitterness diminishes immensely.:D
 
whovous said:
There are lots of great IPAs out there. If you cannot find one, my guess is that the style isn't for you.
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Zimm9 said:
I don't even bother trying IPAs anymore. That style is not for me. They're far too bitter, which is odd because I'm the person who will pass on desserts and other sweets yet I like a malty/sweeter beer.
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I used to be in the "IPAs are not for me" camp, and there's nothing wrong with that. I dislike intensely bitter beers, the kind that threaten to peel the enamel off your teeth.

But it turns out that there are more fish in the IPA sea than just those intensely bitter beers. I've helped a friend start homebrewing--he just completed his 9th batch--and he loves IPAs. BUT--his are beers that have intense hop aroma and flavor, but not necessarily intense bitterness.

Naturally this was the style he wanted to brew, so we found a recipe for an IPA, tweaked it a bit, then set out to brew it. He is big on dry hopping and late additions, so that's what these brews have tended to feature. We did a Dogfish Head sort of clone, a Boston Lager sort of clone (with much more hoppiness), and some other variants he's played around with. There's a little bit of Yooperness in there as well as we took some ideas from some of her recipe postings.

They're very good, very good--and I'm not an IPA guy. But I like these. I was surprised. I don't like IPAs. But I like these.


And FWIW--and acknowledging Yooper's "ugly baby" syndrome or the tendency of people to believe their beer is better than it is--I have not found a commercial IPA that I find better than what my friend is brewing. They tend to be too bitter for the flavor and aroma they provide.

Finally: I have a saying about all this. "People like what they like." I'm not a Stout guy. I've tried hard to like Guinness, it just doesn't taste good to me. I have no idea what people see in it. But that's just my taste.
 
It appears that you don't like the style. I have always liked IPAs they have a lot of range. Some I like a lot and some others not so much. I find that recently I buy IPAs more than all other styles combined.
 
Personal tastes vary. I'm not an IPA guy. But I've said it elsewhere on this site: A lot of breweries are using hops to cover up bad brewing. And a lot of drinkers have grown to like hops in a similar fashion to people growing to like hot sauce. After a while, the lower levels just don't do it for you anymore. Every food gets more hot sauce, and the sauce keeps getting hotter. In the end, you're still eating a poorly balanced food covered in something you think you like. I would be easier to start with a more balanced flavor.

There are good IPA's. Sorting through the chaff to get there can be a pain.
 
+1 on the two hearted suggestion if you can get it. It is more balanced than in your face bitter. Also even more would +1 the Pale Ale suggestions.
Try Cigar City's "Invasion Pale Ale"
 
You can't find one because their are no good ones to find. OK that's not true, only to me personally. I have never enjoyed IPAs , some are just plain terrible.
Most of my beer drinking friends love them. Anymore, I will have a bottle of water if the only other choice is to gag down an IPA.
 
I love IPA! But most of what I can find is 4 months old, or older! So I don't buy much commercially.

Good IPA is hard to find. Good luck! Depending on what part of the country you are in will dictate a lot. Good luck!
 
I hated IPAs when I first tried them (does anyone like them at first?), but I forced myself to acquire a taste for them because I was tired of going to bars and only having half the beer selection available because half of the taps were IPAs. For me, I used Dogfish Head 61 as my gateway IPA. It's made with grape must and isn't too in your face hoppy. Something else that helped me was to drink grapefruit IPAs (Ballast Point's Grapefruit Sculpin is a good one) because the bitterness grapefruit helped me to like the bitterness of the hops. A couple of not-to-hoppy IPAs that I enjoy are Cigar City's Jai Alai and Firestone Walker's Union Jack IPA.
 
I'm gonna go the opposite direction from a lot of people and suggest that you try some of the more traditional English-style IPAs. They've still got a significant bitterness, but there's a backing maltiness that gives it a little more depth and can smooth it out. Some of the easier-to-find examples (depending on where you are) would include Rogue Brutal, Brooklyn East India, Long Trail IPA... I hear good things about 3 Floyds Blackheart, but have never tried it.
 
Dee74 said:
As a new home brewer I have been searching out new things to try. It seems like there is a lot of buzz about IPAs so I have been trying them. I have tried big commercial brands and microbrews and have not found one yet that I would like to drink. Everyone is just too bitter. Is it just me or are there some good ones out there I have not found yet?
Click to expand...

First - What have you tried specifically?
Second - Where are you located?

Look for IBUs on the label. Some list it, some don't. The lower the better for you it seems.
 
You may benefit from trying to pinpoint what exactly it is that you don't like about IPAs. A lot of commercial IPAs seem to have pretty high FGs and have a lot of residual sweetness to balance the hops. So you may not like that near-cloying mixed with the bitterness. It would definitely be understandable to not enjoy bitterness, but there may be something else at work here that you could try and cut out to find an IPA you would like.
 
I've tried many, and realize that IPA's are best drank by others

And that's ok, I'll stick to my bock, witbiers, and ambers

I just did a wheat beer and added .5 oz of Amarillo hops at 5 minutes and it gave my summer wheat a bit of a hoppy flavor and it's super drinkable

As time goes by you'll develop your own styles that match your taste preferences

Brew on
 
I'm not a big fan of West Coast IPA's. I do like Bells Two Hearted but I mainly stay with pale ales, such as SNPA or Dales. Those are hoppy but not as much as the West Coast IPA's.
I do like the NEIPA style but those are hard to find in my area. A couple of breweries just started making them but have yet to give them a try.
If you can find Bells Two Hearted try that or SNPA.
 
In addition to the above, and this sounds crazy, but you might also prefer a Double or Triple IPA.

IBUs have diminishing returns. The higher the ABV, the more malty it becomes so a 10% IIIPA is actually better balanced, even if it is advertised as 100+ IBUs.
 
Dee74 said:
As a new home brewer I have been searching out new things to try. It seems like there is a lot of buzz about IPAs so I have been trying them. I have tried big commercial brands and microbrews and have not found one yet that I would like to drink. Everyone is just too bitter. Is it just me or are there some good ones out there I have not found yet?
Click to expand...

The only IPA I would pay money for to get it is Merry Taj from Lost Abbey.
It's not just you - I feel the same way about most IPA's - interesting hop flavors but too much, too bitter for me.

Try the Merry Taj if you can find it. It is certainly one of the best beers I had.
 
I'm pretty sure hops are something you build tolerance to. My introduction to IPAs was about 15 years ago and I can tell you I had trouble finishing my first hoppy beer. But I'd go to parties or the local brew pub and they'd have IPAs available in spade so I gave them a second chance... and then a third and so on. Now I consider myself a hop head. And although I do like malty sweeter beers, I can't get enough IPAs. I think you just have to stick with em and be persistent. I've seen so many people go through the transformation of hating IPAs to loving them.
 
It's getting harder to find commercial craft beer that's not IPA. :( I went to the liquor store yesterday to get something interesting, and I couldn't find anything. I bought a 6-pack of Lagunitas Sucks on sale because I've never tried it -- and it's an IPA. It's pretty good for an IPA, but that's not really what I wanted. I don't know what I wanted; a strong malty beer that's bitter enough but not a hop bomb. Maybe I should have paid twice as much and tried the Brother Thelonious...

Guess I need to step up my brewing schedule.
 
I went to a restaurant the other day where they had 8 taps going... Allagash white and 7 IPAs. It's getting to the point here in New England where it's hard to find a tap that's not a glass-of-oj Northeast IPA.
 
Try some NE IPA's and if you do not like them..IPA's might not be your thing..People either love ipa's or hate them i have noticed
 
I like them sometimes, but I really wish I had other options. It was sort of a rainy, chilly day and they had one dark beer on the menu, a great local coconut porter, so I said, "I'll have that" and they were like, "Sorry, that just kicked. Now it's Bissell Brothers Substance." Which is a great beer and all, but sometimes you want something a little chewy.
 
Mainer said:
I went to a restaurant the other day where they had 8 taps going... Allagash white and 7 IPAs. It's getting to the point here in New England where it's hard to find a tap that's not a glass-of-oj Northeast IPA.
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I know that you aren't pleased with this turn of events you just described, but man, that sounds amazing. I could see the NEIPA appeal wearing off... nah, I really couldn't. :mug:
 
TheHopfather said:
I know that you aren't pleased with this turn of events you just described, but man, that sounds amazing. I could see the NEIPA appeal wearing off... nah, I really couldn't. :mug:
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Yeah, I know. Like, often when I go out that's exactly what I want, because as a bottler, it's one style I don't/can't make at home. But at the same time, it's nice to have an option.
 
bleme said:
In addition to the above, and this sounds crazy, but you might also prefer a Double or Triple IPA.

IBUs have diminishing returns. The higher the ABV, the more malty it becomes so a 10% IIIPA is actually better balanced, even if it is advertised as 100+ IBUs.
Click to expand...


+1.
My wife and I prefer IIPA's over IPA's. Some commercial varieties are terrible though! Too sweet and/or oxidized!!! Try Stone Ruination as an example of a very good, well balanced one.
These beers are EXTREMELY susceptible to oxidization so keep them cold and drink them fresh.
If brewing them at home, use every trick in the book to eliminate exposure to air after fermentation. Don't try to bottle from a carbonated keg and expect a good result after a week or more. Even pre purging the bottle doesn't seem to work.
 
If I goto a better liquor store and look for a good saison or something (that won't break the bank), and not too dark and roasty, what are some names to look for?

An example of something to try and brew myself soon. :)
 
z-bob said:
If I goto a better liquor store and look for a good saison or something (that won't break the bank), and not too dark and roasty, what are some names to look for?

An example of something to try and brew myself soon. :)
Click to expand...

Probably the easiest to find would be Ommegang Hennepin but I brewed 3 saisons before I ever tried a commercial example. I've only seen Hennepin once and it was $9.99/bottle.

BTW, trying a commercial example didn't make my saison better or worse. Personally, I love saisons and when I take one to a brew club meeting, it is always swarmed by the few brewers who aren't certified hop heads.
 
ericbw said:
Better question: what kind of beer do you like? Explore that style. IPAs aren't for everyone. I rarely like them.
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I *really* like a German festbier I tried for the first time about a month ago. (not a Marzen, this is almost as strong but much lighter) It's beyond my ability to make, but I think I could make an ale kinda like it. I also really like all the Belgian-ish beers on tap at one of the local brewpubs.
 
z-bob said:
I *really* like a German festbier I tried for the first time about a month ago. (not a Marzen, this is almost as strong but much lighter) It's beyond my ability to make, but I think I could make an ale kinda like it. I also really like all the Belgian-ish beers on tap at one of the local brewpubs.
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So stay away from IPAs. And don't let anyone start in on, "Have you tried a Belgian IPA?" You don't like bitter, and you might not like hops all that much.

But from what you just said, you like malt and you like something about Belgian styles. (The yeast is usually the most distinctive thing about Belgians.)

And there is nothing wrong with liking light styles. Kolsch is great. Hefeweizens are great. Belgian dubbels might be more to your liking. Even better would be a patersbier, which is a Belgian abbey style that's equal to a "single" rather than a dubbel or trippel. You don't see many of those around, though.
 
z-bob said:
If I goto a better liquor store and look for a good saison or something (that won't break the bank), and not too dark and roasty, what are some names to look for?

An example of something to try and brew myself soon. :)
Click to expand...

A saison usually isn't dark and roasty. They're often light and can be dry. They might have spices.

Someone said Hennepin, which is good. You could give any of Ommegang's beers a try. They tend to be a little high in alcohol (over 6%) but very good.

Brooklyn Brewery's Sorachi Ace is good. It's a saison that's hopped with Sorachi Ace, but that's mostly aroma, which is sort of fruity/citrus/lemon.

Green Flash Saison Diego is really good. I've only had it in bars, and it's a little pricier than other beers. Don't know if it's available where you are.

Hennepin is very "farmhouse" and rustic, while the other two are more clean and refined. (It's hard to talk about it without sounding *****y.)

BUT... if you like malty, then Belgian monks got your back. Try Westmalle Dubbel.
 

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