Ack, another beer thread (IPA)

Cafe Society
1

Talk about an acquired taste…

…but now that I’ve acquired it, I can’t drink anything else.

I live in the Northwest U.S. so I have access to the McMenamins brew pubs. Each pub rotates the IPAs around so it’s different at every pub almost every time…but they usually don’t filter it and I like that.

Another great one is Pelican IPA from Pacific City, Oregon.

There’s one called Paddle Me brewery…absolute swill.

Deschuttes’ Quail Springs is good, although for some reason the quail on the label is unappetizing. Maybe I’m just weird.

From California is Lagunitas. I really like their IPA.

Terminal Gravity is one I just tried…from Enterprise. Again, crappy label, but an okay IPA.

I personally do not care for Bridgeport ales, but their IPA is actually decent.

The Laurelwood (I know I’m really narrowing some of these down, so they aren’t widely available) makes a great one…and once in a while they trot out one that I can’t remember the name of…they describe it as insanely hoppy, but I just adore it.

Pike brewery’s IPA has incredible flavor besides just the IPA hoppiness.

So…what are your thoughts about IPAs? Like 'em? Hate 'em? What else should I try?

Overall, I find them hard to find in the stores around here, which seems odd. I have to go to specialty grocery stores, and even then there will be a small selection. I wonder why that is?

2

The best IPA I ever drank was…my own. But commercially, I like Drake’s. Pike’s is good, as is Stone Brewery’s. Bert Grant has a good one, too.

I drink Sierra Nevada all the time, but sometimes I like the English hoppiness as a contrast to the Cascades in SN.

3

Racer 5 and Hop Rod Rye (for a slight change of pace) from Bear Republic are excellent when they are fresh.

2005 SN Celebration Ale is out right now and I think it’s one of their best vintages.

You won’t be able to get it, but Hop Hearty IPA from New Glarus Brewing is just an incredible IPA. I always have some on hand.

One widely available IPA that I don’t care for is Hop Ottin’ from Anderson Valley. I’ve just never had a good one.

4

Love IPAs. Favorites are Harpoon IPA (local to Boston but slowly spreading to other areas, at least on the East Coast), Tremont IPA (also local to Boston), Old Willy at John Harvard’s brew pub. Here in the Boston area we have a large variety of east coast IPAs, primarily from New England, which are readily available at your average run-of-the-mill liquor stores. Don’t need to go to specialty stores.
silenus - I was under the impression that Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is actually an American style Pale Ale (occasionally classed as an English Pale Ale) not an IPA - or am I misunderstanding which Sierra Nevada you’re talking about?

However, IMO, SN Celebration is one of the all-time great IPAs made in North America - regardless of the vintage!

5

When I lived in the US ('97 - '98) I only ever drank Sierra Nevada IPA. Specifically India Pale Ale.

I just got back from Australia, and there are some stunning IPAs there, too. Little Creatures being the best I tasted.

In the UK, Greene King is doing a great advertising campaign for its IPA, featuring angry Indians who never got their beer when it was brewed (the story being that it tasted so good that it was never exported to India). Unfortunately the beer itself leaves a bit to be desired, IMO.

6

Odd. I’ve never seen a Sierra Nevada IPA. But I shouldn’t be too surprised, we don’t get a very big variety of west coast brews around here. I will keep my eyes peeled, though, and try it if I can find it.

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I was in Connecticut!

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Sierra Nevada is, correctly, an American Pale. But I’ve turned into a complete hop-head, and British IPAs don’t cut it for me any more. This year’s Celebration Ale, as others have noted, is marvelous. But there are so many American craft brewers who are turning out a superior product these days that no-one should have to go thirsty. For those who like to push the envelope, try Stone Ruination IPA.

9

Even odder. Just checked their website and it’s listed under their specialty brews, so it still exists. Maybe I’ve just been overlooking it in the stores. :confused:

10

I’ve only seen Sierra Nevada IPA as a draft. Try calling around to your local pubs.

11

Full Sail Brewing Company in Hood River, Oregon makes a pretty decent IPA.

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Good point. The SN website has it in a section called “Specialty Drafts” … and now that I read it, it does say “on tap at select location.” As we Librarians like to say: “Reading is FUN-damental.”

:smack:

Time to call Cambridge Common, Bukowski, & the Sunset.

13

IPAs are my favorite style of beer.

My favorite IPAs are a tie between Dogfish Head’s 90-minute IPA and Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught Ale. Both of these are Imperial IPAs, so they have a higher alcohol level (9 and 9.5% respectively) than normal IPAs. In fact, Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught Ale may be one of the best beers in the world, period. If you haven’t had a chance to try it, find a well-stocked beer store. It’s about $10 a bottle. If you can’t find it locally, email me and I can ship it to you. Also, I do enjoy Goose Island’s new Imperial IPA.

As far as regular IPAs go, I swear by Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. I also quite enjoy Goose Island’s India Pale Ale, as well as Bell’s Harvest Ale. It’s odd – I love the West Coast hops, but the breweries I tend to enjoy are predominantly Midwest. If I’m in the mood for a more British hop profile, I just go for Samuel Smith’s India Ale. To tell the truth, as much as I do enjoy British beers, American breweries have really revived the IPA style, and I have never found a British beer with the hoppiness and IBUs (bitterness) of American IPA styles.

14

Ah, I forgot one. Victory Hop Devil IPA. Fantastic. And Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

15

Just wanted to second the recomendation of Stone’s IPA. Around my neihborhood it is actually the easiest IPA to find, so when I am in the mood Stone is my go to IPA. Love it in the bottle, but if you can find it on tap you are really in for a treat.

16

My favorite beer is Speakeasy’s Big Daddy IPA. Very sharp and dry. Good stuff. I think Racer 5 tastes pretty similar.

Pyramid just (re-?)released an new IPA, ThunderHead- “Bursting with hops.” That stuff hits you like a brick.

17

No one has mentioned Fuller’s IPA yet, which makes me wonder if I have a weird palate or live in a strange place. It has a good, full, hoppy flavor with a strong finish. Some of the other mass-market IPAs mentioned in this thread disappoint me because they try SO HARD to be achieve that sharp note yet fall a little flat. I drink an IPA for the HOPS, dammit! Don’t skimp on that!

I haven’t had it for a long time, but I used to like Ballantines, with the lovely rebus puzzles on the caps (which, somewhat coincidentally, are increasingly difficult to complete the more you drink. Who’dathunk?), but as I haven’t had a Ballantines for some years I wonder if the flavor is nostalgia or true fact.

18

I think you do have an odd palate, as I don’t consider Fuller’s IPA very hoppy at all. In fact, it has more of an ESB hop profile to me than an IPA, but I find that to be the case with most British IPAs. Perhaps you just have a preference for spicy British hops (Kent Goldings, Fuggles, etc.)

None of the brews mentioned above really skimp on hops. OK, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale isn’t the hoppiest of brews (nor, as has been mentioned, is an AIP) , but I find it hoppier than Fuller’s.

If you can drink Victory Hop Devil, Dogfish Head 90-minute, Bell’s Two-Hearted, or Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught and not consider any of those extremely hoppy, then something’s amiss.