IPAs are my favorite.
IPA are good, but any craft beer is.
Browns, reds, stouts and porters are all great tasting beers that don't give one indigestion.
Love the generally high alcohol content. If I’m home I can just drink one or two. I don’t drink them when I’m out for that reason. But the high hop content is an acquired taste.
Of course, it was on the internet :)
My first assignment to Germany changed my entire perspective on beer.
It's a whole different world today.
I’ve grown tired of IPAs. Not enough variation between the brands.
I listened to a radio interview in the early 80’s with the founder of Ballard Bitters (when it was the only beer they made). He pointed out that the thing most people looked for in a “cold beer” was “cold”. He also pointed out that you get more customers with a bland flavor than a strong flavor because a strong flavor will mean some people really don’t like it, while a bland flavor is not great, but at least it doesn’t offend anyone. And the goal of Bud, Miller, etc. was to sell lots of beer.
Now, no new brand is killing those behemoths, but they are dying from a thousand cuts. Roughly 2,500 cuts. Apparently.
call me old school….I’m a lager guy…..maybe amber ale…..just never really got into the IPAs…..(but I support the indy brewer industry in theory)
Not refreshing by any measure. Hard to pair with most foods.
A sales gimmick in the broad picture.
Haven’t had a Bud or Miller in years. I’m more into imperial stouts and doubblebocks but I love a good IPA with spicy food. And I’m Creole so I eat a lot of that. Dogfish Head and Flying Dog make some great ones.
IPAs are generally too alcoholic and overly hopped. IMHO, this is not for the same reason that IPAs were originally produced in the UK. These "craft" beers (didn't it used to be "micro-brews"?) are poorly made. The brewers hide the flaws in their technique by bumping up the alcohol and doubling or tripling the hop flavoring until these beers are so bitter that they leave a nasty aftertaste. They sometimes have a real "barnyard" note in their aroma that is downright sickening.
Try a real British ale like Fuller's or Marston's. These are truly pleasant to drink.
One last shot at the craft IPA brewers. They seem to spend more time coming up with idiotic names and labels for their beers than they spend actually making the beer. Some of the names and labels are truly pornographic or demonic. Yecch.
Don’t care for IPA, much prefer Belgian Wheat Beer.
IPAs are good with hot food, like Indian curry as you will. For just a drinking beer, I prefer a stout. Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, OR has an excellent oatmeal stout, Oatis and a good IPA Tricerahops.
The article completely disregards the effect of Prohibition on the US brewing industry. Only the very biggest brewers were able to weather the storm when alcohol was banned... the rest went under, quickly. This created what amounted to brewing cartels, and essentially short-circuited the capability of the market to respond to what consumers wanted.
Thanks for the post, Stonewall. Since the topic is IPA, I must chime in (OK, brag) about Cismontane’s Coulter IPA - brewed right here in my little town. Best part, the brewery is walking distance from my house. Give it a try, if you see it on your local shelf ! Thanks to all :)
The craft beer revolution was a reaction to the ubiquity of bland American pilsener.
The next beer revolution will be a reaction to ubiquity of overly hopped India Pale Ale.
The New Belgium Brewing Company's Imperial IPA is a monster, at almost 9% alcohol. Nice fruity character, but definitely packs a wallop.
hefeweizen