Stop pretending to like IPAs

I know the author’s being a little tongue in cheek, but you could say this about anything that is an acquired taste: “stop pretending to like coffee.” “Stop pretending to like tea.”

I personally think it’s amazing they can make beer that tastes like a juice blend with alcohol using only hops; and yes, it tastes delicious.

The same thing happens with coffee, where people will indicate on surveys that they like black coffee, but most people prefer something with milk and creme.

That said, the smaller breweries have to make a product that's somehow different. It's not surprising they're trying that route. Orchestras have been trying to one-up each other by making their music a bit sharper to get a "distinctive sound" for hundreds of years.

The latest trends in Oregon have gone to breweries that aren't inherently IPA specialists. It's a niché but there's plenty of action but rough financially since Commons recently had to scale back. Right though there's more than a few: Cascade, De Garde, Upright, Ale Apothecary, Wolves and People, Logdans, Occidental, Yachats, Alesong, Viking Braggot, Monkless to name a few.

There's also a few breweries really upping their barrel aged game and pushing more less-common styles like Crux, Pfriem and Fort George. Honestly, it's better than it's ever been to be an non-IPA drinker. I'm a stouts / sours and Belgians guy and what's happening here is great.

Even San Diego, the one city that embraces IPAs more than Portland or Bend has a few like Lost Abbey that aren't IPA specialists.

We're starting to see a new wave of beer and it's becoming wonderfully diverse. The craft beer scene in Oregon tends to be a bit more forward but its spreading and with breweries like Brewery Vivant in Michigan or Black Project in Colorado, or older ones like Trinity in Colorado.

I have been dry for almost 8 years but have memories of how delicious Dogfish Head 120 minute and stone ipa were. I can't remember what other beer tastes like anymore but the ipa memory lives on

False. IPAs are fantastic. One complicating factor is the definition is so broad that it's impossible to say you like all IPAs.

Thank goodness, the IPA backlash has started.

It is easy to like IPAs, the hoppiness is bold and unambiguous. You know what you're getting so to speak. But I usually don't like it - it kills and overpowers all the other tastes. I like wheat ales, I find that in general they have a more variety of flavors. I also like stouts.

I’ve become convinced that American craft beer culture is converging onto a sort of carbonated tea. A typical IPA tastes more like cold maté than it does “proper” beer.

I've just started to enjoy IPAs. I used to drink only dark beer. Like what you like, drink the one you like at the time.

I think it's genetic.

I never really liked beer, until I discovered hoppy ales. Thanks to the trend, I can now find decent beer almost everywhere.

I recently tried some sort of dry-hopped lemonade - no beer at all, and I found it to be very nice.

Maybe, but first we should stop pretending to like stouts. Are we at Peak Beer?