# resolved: IPA is a waste of what could be good beer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [December 20, 2012, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602 "2012-12-20T04:44:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/41 "2012-12-21T01:00:10Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Wrong, Mr. Wrongy-Wrongerson from Wrongville of an OP. IPAs are proof of a benevolent diety, and his center of worship is [here.](http://www.stonebrewing.com/home.asp?cmbmonth=1&cmbyear=1934&x=69&y=24) High Five, you Double Arrogant Bastard!!! ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/42 "2012-12-21T02:09:45Z")
You gotta be dry hoppin’ me. 😉 I’ve made some extremely dry hopped batches that I loved (albeit one bottle at a time). Sheesh, don’t get me wrong. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is my benchmark. But IMHO the IPA’s I’ve had in the past year don’t make the grade. But, obviously from the variety out there and the defense on this board, that at least some of you like that stuff. Then again, I kinda like fermented mares milk so no accounting for taste. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/43 "2012-12-21T02:44:14Z")
I think the problem is exacerbated by being in the PNW. They really love them hoppy here. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/44 "2012-12-21T02:54:08Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I do wish styles like Vienna lager would attract more attention from the boutique breweries than this endless procession of mouth-puckerers. I love a good lager, but lager is never going to be cool. Lawnmower beer is lager; therefore, by the reflexive property, lager is lawnmower beer. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/45 "2012-12-21T02:59:49Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Lawnmower beer is lager; therefore, by the reflexive property, lager is lawnmower beer. I was thinking more along [these lines](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_dunkel_lager) ( I like Dopplebocks as well, but they’re a tad heavy ), as opposed to [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_lager). ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/46 "2012-12-21T03:09:35Z")
> [@cckerberos](#): > > I think the problem is exacerbated by being in the PNW. They really love them hoppy here. My thought exactly. I seriously miss the Thomas Kemper brewery of the early 90’s. They had a German style lager that tasted so much like fresh bread you almost had to chew it. Good Pilsner as well. Sold out to Red Hook…and became a Root Beer company. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/47 "2012-12-21T03:36:11Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I was thinking more along [these lines](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_dunkel_lager) ( I like Dopplebocks as well, but they’re a tad heavy ), as opposed to [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_lager). Looks yumptious. Hope I get to try some one day. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/48 "2012-12-21T03:45:21Z")
Attention. Attention. Rauschbier. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/49 "2012-12-21T03:46:21Z")
> [@cckerberos](#): > > I think the problem is exacerbated by being in the PNW. They really love them hoppy here. And that’s understandable, given the prevalence of awesome hops there. Might as well showcase them. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/50 "2012-12-21T13:16:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I lived a few months in the UK, and I remember the local pubs usually have a few beers in the 4% and under category, including something they called an India Pale Ale, but is unlike what we know as an IPA here in the US right now. If it was [Greene King IPA](http://www.greeneking.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=69) then it’s not IPA as we know it here either. A reasonable enough session beer, but no IPA. > [@NitroPress](#): > > ``` > Attention. Attention. Rauschbier. That is all. > > ``` Bacon sarnie in a glass, yum! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/51 "2012-12-21T16:31:17Z")
> [@kferr](#): > > If it was [Greene King IPA](http://www.greeneking.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=69) then it’s not IPA as we know it here either. A reasonable enough session beer, but no IPA. I do remember Greene King IPA, and that was one of them, but I thought there were a few other IPAs I had in my times there that were similar low-alcohol beers. Wikipedia seems to agree that the nomenclature in the UK can be a bit odd about this: > [@](#): > > The term IPA is common in the United Kingdom for low-gravity beers, for example Greene King IPA and Charles Wells Eagle IPA. IPAs with an abv of 4% or lower have been brewed in Britain since at least the 1920s. [Link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_pale_ale). That said, I’ve also had the more normal English IPAs, like Samuel Smith and Fullers, which are more around the 5% mark. I do quite like the English style IPAs, as their hop profile and malt base are quite different than the US ones, which are based mainly on hops like Centennial, Cacscade, Amarillo, etc., which tend to be very citrussy and fruity. Amarillo, in particular, is distinctly grapefruit-y. The English hops (like Fuggles and Kent Goldings) tend to be very “spicy” and earthy, and don’t have quite as sharp an attack. And I usually taste a lot more malt/grain in the English IPAs than I do the American ones. I don’t know if it’s because Maris Otter malt is being used, or something else, but the flavors of comparable ABV and IBU IPAs are quite distinct on each side of the pond. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/52 "2012-12-21T16:34:53Z")
Thank you, thank you, thank you to the OP for saying this… I love me an Ale, Lager, Stout, Pilsner, etc, but not a hoppy (pale) ale… it seems like when I go to a bar that has a wide selection on tap, I feel like I need to put on beer training wheels and order a “Yuengling Lager” (in the Philly area) since everything else is an over-hopped bitter mess. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/53 "2012-12-21T17:42:37Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > On a lower abv level, I love me my New Belgium Ranger IPA. And many others, don’t get me started… No, please go on … Ranger is my go-to beer these days, with a Flying Dog Raging Bitch from time to time for the extra alcohol and hop punch. I get that a lot of people don’t like IPAs but they do usually label them (look for the letters I.P. and A.) so the unweary aren’t taken in. Every now and then I’ll try a pale ale that should have been labeled IPA. That would piss me off if it wasn’t what I was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/54 "2012-12-21T17:44:47Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > No, please go on … Ranger is my go-to beer these days, with a Flying Dog Raging Bitch from time to time for the extra alcohol and hop punch. > > I get that a lot of people don’t like IPAs but they do usually label them (look for the letters I.P. and A.) so the unweary aren’t taken in. Every now and then I’ll try a pale ale that should have been labeled IPA. That would piss me off if it wasn’t what I was looking for. A lot of American Pale Ales get into IPA territory. Like Sierra Nevada’s flagship pale ale pretty much straddles the line for me. Someone who doesn’t like IPAs is probably not going to like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/55 "2012-12-21T17:52:03Z")
I say Sierra Nevada straddles the line at 5% ABV and 38 IBUs, but it is pretty much the archetypal American Pale Ale. Does that particular beer remind you more of an IPA? If so, then your conception of what an American Pale Ale is needs to be recalibrated a bit. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/56 "2012-12-21T17:52:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > A lot of American Pale Ales get into IPA territory. Like Sierra Nevada’s flagship pale ale pretty much straddles the line for me. Someone who doesn’t like IPAs is probably not going to like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I have always felt the same. I used to like it just fine, but the older I get, the tougher the hops are on my stomach. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/57 "2012-12-21T18:15:39Z")
So if you don’t like hoppy, what about a nice sour beer? Like Russian River Consecration (or any of ther vairety of sours) or New Belgium La Folie. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Niply\_Elder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/58 "2012-12-25T07:32:29Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I would say IPA trand is giving way to the trend these day is barrel aging, especially bourbon barrel aging. The thing about IPAs is they can be all over the place in terms of what you get. I personally try to avoid beers that taste to bitter, but there are still some IPAs that I love. And in fact my favorite beer of them all is Pliny the Elder, a double IPA from Russian River Brewing. It is bitter but it is balanced very well and finishes smooth. Werd 🆒 > [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > So if you don’t like hoppy, what about a nice sour beer? Like Russian River Consecration (or any of ther vairety of sours) or New Belgium La Folie. You surely must be thinking of Supplication. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602/59 "2012-12-25T18:03:32Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Someone who doesn’t like IPAs is probably not going to like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I don’t care for most IPAs - but I like Sierra Nevada just fine. Not a favorite, but very drinkable. So I guess that pegs my tolerance meter. I can waltz right up to the IPA line, but I really don’t care for much over it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-ipa-is-a-waste-of-what-could-be-good-beer/644602.md?page=2)