Tons of IPAs are a sign that the brewery doesn't really have their shit together from a cleanliness standpoint. Tons of hops has an antibacterial side effect.
Sanitation during the boil is a non-issue, and any added benefit from dry hop additions is negligible because there's already alcohol in the beer at that point anyway. Hops are not a substitute for clean fermentors.
> Hops are used extensively in brewing for their antibacterial effect that favors the activity of brewer's yeast over less desirable microorganisms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hops
> Hops have a long history of use as a natural preservative in beer. A little known benefit, however, is that hops also contain high concentrations of unique “alpha” and “beta” acids that can inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria at surprisingly low concentrations. To that end, Hopsteiner produces a variety of natural and modified food grade hop products which can very effectively and economically inhibit bacteria growth in a wide variety of applications including food, spirits, fuel ethanol, yeast and process streams (to name just a few).
http://www.hopsteiner.com/antibacterial/
And this rule of thumb was told to me by a brewer who just got a GABF medal. The guy knows what he's talking about.
What state are you in? And have you done any brewing at scale? A lot of times you can tell that a craft beer scene is new because of how much everyone is into IPAs.
Your second quote begins with "a long history". Historically this was more important, these days there are much better ways of controlling sanitation, and like I said almost all types of beer have hops in them anyway; IPAs don't see a significant advantage in sanitation.
I'm in NY and I've done brewing at scale. IPAs have been a popular style for quite a while now, I don't see what it says about one scene over another.
Lots of brewers add them for flavor, too...
IPAs have routinely been the most featured variety at all the pubs I've frequented over the last 15+ years.
Breweries make them because people want them.
People want them because they are delicious.
That takes things a bit far. It can easily be a sign that the brewery has hopped on the IPA bandwagon like everyone else.
There are more choices of highly hopped beers than ever.
Typically half the selection on the shelf is some kind of IPA.