Beer Style: The IPA

by **The Canadian** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 1:22 pm

India Pale Ale.

by **crustandcrumb** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 1:46 pm

Cut my beer teeth on IPA's when I was a young(er) man. Have since gravitated more toward other styles, but still have a soft spot for IPA's. Especially living in Michigan, where one of the finest examples of the style is brewed, and is available quite fresh, year round.

It's always a good idea to check dates, but especially with beers that showcase hops. Hop characteristics tend to degrade pretty rapidly, in my experience.

N/C

Cheers.

by **Tommy** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 1:53 pm

Not crap as a style, but there are way more misses than home runs.

I was anti-IPA for a loooong time. Turns out that I was just drinking the wrong ones for my palate. There are many varieties of hops and they don't all taste the same. For instance, I personally don't like centennial hops (Bells Two Hearted for example). Founders Red's Rye PA was the beer that got me trying IPAs again. Something about the rye aspect of it counter balances the overtly hopiness. There are others out there that use a lot of strong malt to balance it.

by **El Protoolio** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 1:56 pm

If it is well balanced against malt with the hop note mostly in the nose and not too overwhelming then it is NOT CRAP.

If it is fuck your face with hops as many American IPA's, particularly Pacific Northwest IPA's then it is CRAP.

Most of the ones I have tasted have been

CRAP

Also Pale Ales are a different style and usually pretty good.

by **matthew** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:03 pm

El Protoolio wrote:If it is fuck your face with hops as many American IPA's...

Exactly...that's why I have yet to have a domestic IPA I really care for.

by **154** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:07 pm

The backlash in the BBQ thread is kind of cute, because everyone was nuts for this shit a few BBQs ago.

I enjoy it occasionally, though get pretty sick of it by the end of the pack so I generally don't buy it. Still, it's beer, it's cold.. Not Crap.

by **tallchris** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:21 pm

Favorite beer. I'm probably used to it being pretty hoppy, as that's how a lot of PNW IPAs are made, and that's what I'm used to.

That said, this is my favorite current IPA:

The Jasmine really smooths out the bitter taste. My wife really dislikes IPAs and loves this beer as much as I do.

NC.

by **Pure L** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:28 pm

tallchris wrote:Favorite beer. I'm probably used to it being pretty hoppy, as that's how a lot of PNW IPAs are made, and that's what I'm used to.

That said, this is my favorite current IPA:

The Jasmine really smooths out the bitter taste. My wife really dislikes IPAs and loves this beer as much as I do.

NC.

That one IS good!

And, personally, I like a thorough face-fucking with hops.

_madraso makes a mean one o' these!

by **jimmy two hands** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:34 pm

I love a good IPA. I too grow weary of beer geeks flipping out over Microbrewer X releasing a new version of I-fuck-you-in-the-face-with-hops-cock IPA, but I will not dismiss the full range of this noble brewing tradition because of it. I felt the same way about stouts back in 2006 or so when every microbrewer was releasing a new I-fuck-you-in-the-face-with-high-alcohol-content-and-motor-oil-consistency imperial bourbon barrel quadruple large ball-sack stout.

by **cerebralheadtrip** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:39 pm

Easily my favorite beer style. I dont go for the "extreme" stuff either (Dogfish 120, etc), but I would say 90% of the beers I drink are IPAs.

by **1009** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:39 pm

I was listening to a story on Science Friday on NPR a week or so back, and they had a researcher in taste on the program. Apparently, the density of taste buds on folks' tongues varies widely from person to person: those with higher densities tend to experience taste with greater intensity, those with lower density experience lesser intensity. It's not a matter of different flavors, but of the strength of the flavor. What she called "hyper-tasters" would generally (I imagine) be unlikely to enjoy strongly-hopped IPAs (a little goes a long way). But those with sparse buds (myself, I think) love the fuck out of 'em.

So, YMMV. You don't like 'em, more for me.

by **whoisalhedges** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:46 pm

Pale ales of all stripes are among my favorite beers. A lot of US IPAs are overhopped (fine, if that's what I want; but I don't drink beer that often anymore, I usually want something balanced and, well, correct). You can't get Dogfish Head in WI any more, I think that's a drag -- they were seemingly the only major US brewer who knew to balance extra hops with extra malt. Their 90 minute is probably the best IPA I've ever had.

by **cerebralheadtrip** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:48 pm

whoisalhedges wrote:Their 90 minute is probably the best IPA I've ever had.

Thats a good one, but Im partial to this stuff. On tap? Wooo.

by **Tommy** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:08 pm

cerebralheadtrip wrote:
whoisalhedges wrote:Their 90 minute is probably the best IPA I've ever had.

Thats a good one, but Im partial to this stuff. On tap? Wooo.

Oddly enough, Double IPAs don't end up being as bitter. Hopslam is really great and actually kinda reminds me of a Belgian.

Here's a yummy IPA:

Somebody mentioned Dogfish 90 Min. I actually even prefer their 60 Min.

by **The Canadian** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:08 pm

New Zealand is producing some excellent IPAs as well:

by **Tommy** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:13 pm

1009 wrote:I was listening to a story on Science Friday on NPR a week or so back, and they had a researcher in taste on the program. Apparently, the density of taste buds on folks' tongues varies widely from person to person: those with higher densities tend to experience taste with greater intensity, those with lower density experience lesser intensity. It's not a matter of different flavors, but of the strength of the flavor. What she called "hyper-tasters" would generally (I imagine) be unlikely to enjoy strongly-hopped IPAs (a little goes a long way). But those with sparse buds (myself, I think) love the fuck out of 'em.

So, YMMV. You don't like 'em, more for me.

On that note, I was reading about "super-tasters" the other day. Here's something to try:

"To test your taste buds, you need some blue food colouring, a piece of paper with a 7mm (or .28")-wide hole punched through it, and a magnifying glass.

Swab some of the food colouring onto the tip of your tongue. The tongue will take up the dye, but the papillae, tiny structures that house the taste buds, will stay pink.

Put the piece of paper on the front part of the tongue and, using the magnifying glass, count how many pink dots are inside the hole.

Fewer than 15 papillae mean you are an insensitive "non-taster", between 15 and 35 indicates an average "taster" and over 35 papillae then you are a "super-taster". "

From: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cornucop/msg1119351016534.html

by **same** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:28 pm

I think a lot of US microbrews compensate for shoddy brewing techniques with over-hopping. Hence the ubiquity of IPAs.

I do like a good American IPA though. As mentioned Dogfish Head's IPAs are excellent. As is the Victory. Founders makes some good ones too (Centennial and Red Rye).

I also really loved the Oskar Blues Imperial Red Double IPA. Would have a hard time drinking more than one of them at a time though.

Wish you could get "real" IPA in the States, like Deuchars or something.

by **dvockins** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:36 pm

HOPFUCKER IPA

FIRST WE ADD 47x THE HOPS

THEN WE ADD A MONSANTO HOP THAT WEIGHS 450 LBS AND 2300x AS POWERFUL AS A TYPICAL BULLSHIT HOP

THEN WE FORCE FEED A HORSE HOPS, HORSE DIES, WE PUT THE BLOATED HORSE IN THE VAT TO ROT DEAD HORSE HOP JUICE AND EXCRETE HOP HORSE ESSENCE. NOT AFTER WE JERK THE HORSE OFF AND HARVEST ITS HOP HORSE JIZZ AND FUNK UP THE FLAVOR.

FUCKING HOPFUCKER MOTHER FUCKER

LOOK FOR THE LABEL THAT HAS TAYLOR RAIN GETTING 89 LBS OF HOPS SHOVED UP HER ASS VIA A 90 TON HYDRAULIC PRESS.

crap

by **The Canadian** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:37 pm

This was the beer that turned me on to IPAs:

by **1009** on Mon Mar 19, 2012 3:43 pm

Tommy wrote:
1009 wrote:I was listening to a story on Science Friday on NPR a week or so back, and they had a researcher in taste on the program. Apparently, the density of taste buds on folks' tongues varies widely from person to person: those with higher densities tend to experience taste with greater intensity, those with lower density experience lesser intensity. It's not a matter of different flavors, but of the strength of the flavor. What she called "hyper-tasters" would generally (I imagine) be unlikely to enjoy strongly-hopped IPAs (a little goes a long way). But those with sparse buds (myself, I think) love the fuck out of 'em.

So, YMMV. You don't like 'em, more for me.

On that note, I was reading about "super-tasters" the other day. Here's something to try:

"To test your taste buds, you need some blue food colouring, a piece of paper with a 7mm (or .28")-wide hole punched through it, and a magnifying glass.

Swab some of the food colouring onto the tip of your tongue. The tongue will take up the dye, but the papillae, tiny structures that house the taste buds, will stay pink.

Put the piece of paper on the front part of the tongue and, using the magnifying glass, count how many pink dots are inside the hole.

Fewer than 15 papillae mean you are an insensitive "non-taster", between 15 and 35 indicates an average "taster" and over 35 papillae then you are a "super-taster". "

From: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cornucop/msg1119351016534.html

The story is here, and the researcher's name is Barb Stuckey. She prefers "hyper-taster" because "it just sounds a little bit less caped crusader...than a super-taster."