> I can buy IPA, IPAer, IPAest, and IPAestest in every market--maybe. However, dark, heavy porters
I'm totally with you, though my personal love is sour beers. IPA rules the market, to the point where I have trouble distinguishing between whichever super-hoppy IPA is currently the best. But good sour beers are not nearly so common. If someone ever buys Cascade Brewing and kills it, I will be wildly irritated.
I do see that I can buy their good stuff in cans now. I actually think that's alright. They still sell it in bottles, too, but the upside of the can is that it's 250ml, versus the 750ml bottle. One bottle will take care of my entire evening and then some, so the option to just open a can at a time is appealing.
There's a bunch of Minnesota breweries doing some amazing sours, and many of them are only around for a season or two before they switch up the fruits. I'm so happy about it because I was totally burnt out on IPAs.
And now that everyone isn't so IPA-happy there are some great examples of varieties like Gose and Kolsch that I hadn't even heard of before.
IPAs really suck. There’s a plethora of beer types, and we get hoppy trash forced on us.
Craft breweries love the IPA for three reasons. First, they’re one of the easiest beers to make. Second, they stay the most stable on the shelf/truck. Third, toxic style trend. But mostly, it’s the first two reasons.
They are not one of the easiest beers to make, but in fact one of the hardest. They’re very susceptible to oxygen ingress and the high hopping rates can cause diacetyl production + hop creep which can ruin the beer.
They’re also one of the most expensive beers to make based on the cost of hops and the typical amount of hops used per barrel produced.
They do not stay the most stable on shelves / truck as they can fade quickly and are heat sensitive. Heat can quickly cause off flavors in IPAs. If you keep an IPA, especially a hazy, longer than 6-8 weeks you’re going to have an inferior tasting product so you have to turn them quickly via taproom pours & hyping up can sales. There’s a reason why no one ships IPAs overseas like they do with Belgian & German styles. They don’t travel well.
Breweries brew them because they’re a very popular style and they can charge $18-24 for a 4 pack where-as a lager or lower ABV beer cannot typically sell for the same price. They can also increase the grain by ~30% and make a double IPA which can sell for closer to $24 for a 4-pack.
This is why you see six-packs for $15-18 of lagers or similar styles, the customer expectation is different.
I can understand not liking IPAs or thinking they’re overdone but they aren’t the easiest style nor the most shelf stable.
Haha I mean it’s strange considering IPAs were created for long-haul travels but fast-forward & we’ve now made hazy IPAs that don’t travel well at all.
Hazies typically have 1/2 to 1/8th the amount of IBUs (bitterness) to older school “west coast” IPAs which is why they don’t get the same benefit as older school IPAs which traveled better + had more stability due to the hops.
I think you’re getting your breweries mixed up. Cascade only makes sours and they are owned by a local group in Portland with the founder still heavily involved.
I'm totally with you, though my personal love is sour beers. IPA rules the market, to the point where I have trouble distinguishing between whichever super-hoppy IPA is currently the best. But good sour beers are not nearly so common. If someone ever buys Cascade Brewing and kills it, I will be wildly irritated.
I do see that I can buy their good stuff in cans now. I actually think that's alright. They still sell it in bottles, too, but the upside of the can is that it's 250ml, versus the 750ml bottle. One bottle will take care of my entire evening and then some, so the option to just open a can at a time is appealing.