Even the "best" IPAs taste like crap.

[Throd]

Some are worse than others, but they all suck. I just wish I had the balls to float a few bars of Irish Spring in a tub of shitty malt liquor and then bottle it with some jivey name for six bucks a pop.

[vanlassie]

1. As my mother used to say: "That's what makes horse races."

[Trajan]

2. How pleasant ...

Um ... yeah .... right ...

[Tom Kitten]

3. I don't care much for hoppy and/or bitter beers

I used to but my tastes have changed, I guess. I like pilsner type beers. Is that like someone who says they love wine saying white zinfadel is their favorite?

In the cold weather I like dark beers and ales too. Porters, stout...sticks to your ribs!

[cali]

4. the only hoppy beer I really like is Edward from Hill Farmstead

I really don't get the fuss over Heady Topper.

[T_i_B]

5. Well if you don't like hoppy beer....

...and plenty don't, then it's a fair bet that you won't like IPA's.

Happily, there are plenty of beers out there that aren't all about the hops. Porters, stouts, bitters and mild for starters.

Most beer drinkers have certain styles of beer they dislike. For me it's helles lagers, chilli beers, and anything made with peat smoked malt.

[hifiguy]

6. Smoked beers are bad,

but I once had a sour ale - brewed that way on purpose - that tasted the way I would imagine the floor in the cow barn to taste if one licked it.

IPA =

[T_i_B]

7. One of the big things in Belgian beer....

...is sour "Lambic" beers such as Cantillion Gueuze. Some people love the stuff, other people find it undrinkable.

It's become a trend in UK and US craft beer as well recently.

[geardaddy]

27. I love my IPAs and other hopped beers best

but I do like some sour beers as well.

[kwassa]

8. I love IPAs, my favorite type of beer. I like hops.

now Hefeweizen tastes like beer gone spoiled .....

[Initech]

15. The hoppier the better, I always say!

[hifiguy]

19. This is a particularly yummy example of the breed

Deee-lish, an it kicks like a Missouri mule.

[geardaddy]

28. Yeah, I'm not a fan of Hefeweizen.

[progressoid]

9. Yeah, they're not working for me either

But if someone gives me one, I won't turn it down.

[NightWatcher]

10. If you see a Terrapin Brewing Co Hopsecutioner, try it

It's yummy

[Throd]

11. I'll have to check the IBU rating first.

[NightWatcher]

12. 71 IBU with Warrior, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo, and Cascade hops

[T_i_B]

18. I'm not keen on making a fuss over IBU's

IBU's are pretty theoretical, and I prefer to trust my own tastebuds.

I'm sure some brewers just make IBU figures up anyway.

[OriginalGeek]

23. that's very true

I've had terribly bitter beers in the 30 IBU range and wonderfully balanced and delicious beers in the 70 IBU range. IBU is one thing - what is in there with it is what makes it good or bad beer to me.

North Coast's Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout clocks in at 9% ABV and 75 IBU but is as easy to drink as a pint of Guinness. Love that stuff.

[KamaAina]

25. Oh, I've gotta find me some of that!

[hifiguy]

33. I have been meaning to check out that beer

for ages. Heard nothing but raves abut it. Sounds dee-lish.

[Throd]

35. If you're into that kind of thing it is definitely one of the best.

Comes in a 4-pack for a reason.

[Ryano42]

13. We will agree to disagree...and more for ME.

La Cumbre Elevated IPA:

100 IBU's, flowery and light for an IPA with 7.9% ABV. GABF Gold Medal Winner.



Viva la IPA!!!!

[Throd]

14. I'll buy a can, but 100 IBUs doesn't bode well for my tastes.

[Initech]

16. What's the brewery on this one? GABF gold medal winners always worth a try!

[Ryano42]

17. La Cumbre Brewing Albuquerque, NM

http://lacumbrebrewing.com/

[A Simple Game]

20. IBU's and IPA's? Never heard of either.

Glad I quit drinking in '98, sounds like it has gotten too complicated for me. I remember when you drank a beer because it tasted good, someone else bought it for you, or you wanted to get drunk, not because it had a good number.

[T_i_B]

21. IBU's are a (theoretical) measurement of bitterness

As to IPA? That is India Pale Ale. A beer style with a big story behind it. Originally a British style, brewed for export to India and heavily hopped to survive the long voyage.

IPA has been adapted by US brewers as a showcase for the newer hop varieties. People have written whole books about the history of IPA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Pale_Ale
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hops-Glory-search-British-Empire/dp/0330511866

[Throd]

22. Things have never been better for beer drinkers.

The variety is unprecedented. Domestically, there are people in every corner of the country producing some amazing, innovative stuff. Also, the amount of imported beer available has never been better.

I have been collecting beer cans since 1975 so I have a pretty good knowledge of marketing trends in the brewing industry.

[KamaAina]

24. Them's fightin' words 'round here, boy!!

"Here" being northern California. IPA is one of our dominant local styles, though you could always pop open an Anchor Steam or Porter if you find yourself out this way.

[Throd]

26. I'm AM in NorCal. Can't swing a dead cat without knockin' over a bottle of IPA.

It's like nobody around here is aware that there are other types of beer.

[KamaAina]

31. Yes there are. And quit swinging dead cats!

Lagunitas had a delightful (and big, around 9%! ) cappuccino stout as a seasonal a while ago, for instance. The aforementioned Anchor has several products. Down here in San Jose, Gordon Biersch has marzen and a couple of other German-style brews.

[marzipanni]

29. I want to do a taste poll: Enjoy flavors that others can't stand?

For instance, do you like both black licorice and cilantro?

[OriginalGeek]

36. learned to like cilantro

because it's used heavily in my favorite food - tex-mex - but it does have the soapy taste to me that a lot of people get. It's not my favorite thing but I don't mind it.

I do not like black licorice however there are some dark beers that have a hint of it in their flavor profile and that doesn't bother me. But I'd never just eat a piece of licorice.


Hoppy Citrusy IPA though, when well crafted, is yuuuuummmmmmmmmmy.

A new one I've tried recently that I like a lot is Cigar City's Jai Alai. It packs a wallop on first sip but by the time you get to sip three you are checking to make sure there's plenty in the keg.

[marzipanni]

38. It's interesting how we all perceive flavors differently.

I crave black licorice sometimes.
I thought the (in?)famous Sam Wo's restaurant (now closed) in San Francisco had made the soup broth out of dishwater the first time I tasted cilantro aka Chinese parsley, but now I eat the rest of the cilantro when some is left after making/eating Mexican food. I like regular parsley, too, especially sauteed in a bit of olive oil or butter.

I never really crave beer, though I do like a 4 oz. glass of pale ale or IPA poured from the bottle DH is about to drink on a hot summer evening.
I looked up Cigar City- as I guessed it's a Florida brewery ...the only place I've seen 'Jai Alai' was from a bus in Miami in 1985, on a sign above an arena, exploring for a few hours to kill time on a layover on our way to Jamaica. I don't suppose it's available in No. Cal, as has been discussed in this thread, we have an overflow of local breweries producing IPA!

[OriginalGeek]

42. My grandma and grandpa

used to split one can of Budweiser on the front porch every night after supper. This was when my mom and aunt were little girls so back in the 40s I reckon. They never ever drank anything more or anywhere else. 1 can at night watching the Florida sunset in Nokomis (gulf coast about an hour south of Sarasota).

Yep, I'm a native although I lived a lot of places before settling back here. Cigar City is in Tampa and obviously draws on Tampa's history of cigar manufacturing. My actual favorite beer they make is a brown ale called Maduro just like the wrapper on my favorite cigars to smoke with it. Convenient!


Dishwater! lol that's exactly what I thought when I first noticed it. I'm told it's genetic - some people have brains that give them soap and some just get a nice herb flavor. I say we win because we overcome much more to get to the favorite foods lol. ANYbody can eat nice herb flavors. We go out of our way to love the food.

There's still a Jai Alai fronton in Orlando - haven;'t been in a long time but if I thought they had CIgar City beer I might go more often.

[GoneOffShore]

30. Go drink your Coors Lite Canoe Beer then.

You know why it's called canoe beer don't you?

Because it's like making love in a boat.

Effing near water.

[lame54]

40. Gladly...

micro-brews suck

I know that's an unpopular stance to take
but I spent years trying many of them (many, many, many) looking for the next great beer - they all started to taste the same - yecch
What the fuck is with all the hops?

I now stick to CL and when I want to step it up I reach for a nice import

[GoneOffShore]

43. You need to try Yards Saison or their Benjamin Franklin Spruce Ale.

Hops - it's beer mate.

[AngryAmish]

32. I hate IPAs so much I limit my weekly intake of then to 40

[hifiguy]

34. That'll show the SOBs.

[Paladin]

37. Wrong. (nt)

[Populist_Prole]

39. With all due respect

If you dislike that beer style; how would you know if one is "the best" or not?

[Throd]

44. Some soapy beers taste better than others.

Some Norwegian Black Metal is better than others.

Not my thing either, but I can appreciate the varying qualities of that fine genre as well.

[Major Nikon]

41. Pabst Blue Ribbon!

[NRaleighLiberal]

45. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy! Yum!

[Enthusiast]

46. At first I didn't like IPA.

Second time I tried it I found it really appealing. Now I can't drink beer due to my extreme sensitivity to gluten.

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