Recommend IPA?

[gvarsity]

Commodore Perry IPA Great Lakes Brewing

Summit IPA

are two really good ones.

[burninator]

Dale's in the can

It's easy drinkin'

[muziq]

Originally Posted by burninator

Dale's in the can

It's easy drinkin'

Bah! J/K

Seriously, Stone IPA is about as nice an IPA as you're likely to find at Specs. Being a Texan, you have access to Real's output, and I'd suggest you try Real's Lost Gold (if you can find it), and the not-quite-IPA Rio Blanco Pale Ale. If you haven't had it, the Rio Blanco has a dry, crisp character that's authoritative but cleansing.

[DOHCtorJT]

Tonight I'm having a Green Flash West Coast IPA. It's definately an IPA lover's brew, not for the "hey that's a pretty bottle" microbrew fan. Bottle conditioning leaves yummy yeast flakes in the glass if poured quickly, which adds to the complexity of this high IBU beer. It does have a bit of a dry finish, which normally doesn't suit me, but the bold flavors make up for it. From a small brewery in San Diego (neat place to visit if you're in the area), and it's slowly making its way east. It'll stand up to the strongest cigar you've got, so try it some time

[beernut]

For good american style IPAs try

Bells Two Hearted Ale
Stone IPA
Stone Ruination IPA, my favorite.
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
Brooklyn IPA, this may be more similar to a classic British style IPA.
Dogfish Heads 60 minute is good. Many people love the 90 minute, but it has a very citrus taste that doesn't fit my personal definition of an IPA. If you like a more citrusy hop in your IPA, also try Great Lakes Commadore Perry IPA.
Redhook IPA is a good everyday sort of beer, nothing special, it used to be a great value. It's less assertive than most American IPAs

I'm sure I'm forgetting some others.

you should also try some of the english/scottish IPAs too since they invented the IPA. Belhaven's is good as is Fuller's.

If you're interested in trying a good British IPA, find Meantime IPA. It's one of the better British IPAs I've had.

Belhaven's is very good, but very light on hops, and it definately has a Scottish twist to it. I would say it's more of a Scottish Ale than an IPA.

I've never been able to find Fuller's IPA, but I love Fuller's, and I really want to try it.

Dry hopping is done to impart bitterness, flavor and it gives you that nice hoppy smell.

I'm still going to have to disagree with you. Dry hopping will not add any bitterness, and although it may impart a bit of flavor, brewers dry hop for aroma only.

Nortmand is correct, the purpose of dry hopping is aroma. It does add some flavor as well, but boiling is required for bitterness.

[SilvrBck]

IPAs were initially brewed to ship to India and they were strongly hopped and had higher alcohol content to survive the voyage from Britain. Today's IPAs are basically souped-up pale ales hopped with every type of hop imaginable. There are emerging styles such as West Coast IPAs that are hopped with specific hop types.

Hops added early in the boil give bitterness and hops added late give aroma. Many IPAs have a healthy dose of both. I think the key to a drinkable IPA is the balance of the hop bitterness with malt. Some IPAs are way too thin in body to handle the insane amount of bittering hops. These can come across as astringent and too bitter. Unbalanced. That same beer could be very enjoyable if the malt content was increased. Ballast Point makes a house IPA that I don't care for. But, their double IPA with double hops is suuuuuper tasty because it's got triple the malt! Yeah, it pours like syrup but damn it's good.

So, it all depends. If I was to have an IPA with a stogie, I'd definitely want a real malty one. Try the Dorado Double IPA from Ballast Point if you can find it. One of the best beers I'v ever had.

SB

[Corona Gigante]

Samuel Smith's IPA is a nice British exemplar of the style and available at Specs.

[mosesbotbol]

Being a Masshole, Harpoon is the best IPA!!!

[ResIpsa]

Originally Posted by SilvrBck

IPAs were initially brewed to ship to India and they were strongly hopped and had higher alcohol content to survive the voyage from Britain. Today's IPAs are basically souped-up pale ales hopped with every type of hop imaginable. There are emerging styles such as West Coast IPAs that are hopped with specific hop types.

Hops added early in the boil give bitterness and hops added late give aroma. Many IPAs have a healthy dose of both. I think the key to a drinkable IPA is the balance of the hop bitterness with malt. Some IPAs are way too thin in body to handle the insane amount of bittering hops. These can come across as astringent and too bitter. Unbalanced. That same beer could be very enjoyable if the malt content was increased. Ballast Point makes a house IPA that I don't care for. But, their double IPA with double hops is suuuuuper tasty because it's got triple the malt! Yeah, it pours like syrup but damn it's good. Next on my to find beer list. I have to agree, most IPA's are too thin to handle the bitterness from the hops, all that comes across is bitterness which is not enjoyable to me.

So, it all depends. If I was to have an IPA with a stogie, I'd definitely want a real malty one. Try the Dorado Double IPA from Ballast Point if you can find it. One of the best beers I'v ever had.

SB

comments in red

[beernut]

Originally Posted by SilvrBck

I think the key to a drinkable IPA is the balance of the hop bitterness with malt. Some IPAs are way too thin in body to handle the insane amount of bittering hops. These can come across as astringent and too bitter. Unbalanced. That same beer could be very enjoyable if the malt content was increased.

I couldn't agree more. I find that this is the case with far too many American IPAs. It seems that some brewers are so focused on the hops, that they neglect the malt, resulting in hop water. I love very bitter IPAs, but balance is key.

Conversely, I find some American Double IPAs to be so syrupy, that the hops are overwhelmed. Again, it's all about balance.

[jkorp]

Originally Posted by SilvrBck

My favorite IPA's are always from micro-brews. They load them up with plenty of bittering hops and often finish them with tons of dry hops for that great aroma.

Don't drink IPA's unless you like in-your-face hopiness! I love it and it's my favorite style.

I must say that I do not like IPA's with cigars. The strong hop bitterness seems to clash with the cigar's flavors. I think that a better option would be a darker beer with lots of roasted malts and a somewhat sweeter finish. Like a marzen for example.

For just trying IPA's I'd recommend Stone IPA or Dogfish. Both excellent.

SB

I agree with you on the micro brews. One of my favorites is DuClaw's Venom. Lots of fruity notes.

But I disagree on IPA's with cigars. I think you just need the right pairing. For me, I think a full bodies sticks go well, but mild or mediums just don't work.

[Puffin Fresh]

Originally Posted by yourchoice

There are a ton of awesome IPA's. I may be forgetting one or two, but here are some of my favorites...

Dogfish 90 minute IPA
Dogfish 60 minute IPA
Victory Hop Devil
Stone IPA

I think all of these are pretty available nationally. Good luck with them, IPA's are some of my favorites.

Not a huge fan of the Hop Devil. It just didn't live up to its name.

Stone Ruination is great, but my vote is for the 90-minute. The 60 minute is a great IPA as well, but not quite in the class of the Stone Ruination or the 90-minute.

BTW, Sierra Nevada makes a popular pale ale, but their IPA is a seasonal release. I didn't like it, and I gave it to different 6-packs worth of tries. It had a metallic taste to it.

[CSmith]

Have a bottle of Hoppin' Frog Double IPA and a bottle of Boulder Beer Mojo Risin' to try tonight. Both came highly recommended from friends, and my reviews will be coming in the morning!

[CSmith]

So reviews...

The Mojo Risin' came first. Good bit of bite on this and a very strong and very bright fruity-hoppy undertone. Not a lot of body as far as how thick it is, but that lets it finish off really clean and crisp - moreso than I was expecting. Gives that good refreshing feeling like a cold glass of lemonade on a hot day. It was a good thing I split the bottle though, that 10% ABV started to sneak up on me at the end.

The Hoppin' Frog Double had a lot of body (much more than the Mojo) and that fruity-hoppy goodness that makes an IPA was subdued just a little bit in comparison to the Mojo. One thing I also really liked was that there was none of that pure alcohol taste whatsoever. All of the flavors came across nicely and, in stark contrast to the Mojo, the Frog felt like a beer that could definitely stick to your bones and warm you up in the winter.

[fizguy]

Originally Posted by SilvrBck

IPAs were initially brewed to ship to India and they were strongly hopped and had higher alcohol content to survive the voyage from Britain. Today's IPAs are basically souped-up pale ales hopped with every type of hop imaginable. There are emerging styles such as West Coast IPAs that are hopped with specific hop types.

Hops added early in the boil give bitterness and hops added late give aroma. Many IPAs have a healthy dose of both. I think the key to a drinkable IPA is the balance of the hop bitterness with malt. Some IPAs are way too thin in body to handle the insane amount of bittering hops. These can come across as astringent and too bitter. Unbalanced. That same beer could be very enjoyable if the malt content was increased. Ballast Point makes a house IPA that I don't care for. But, their double IPA with double hops is suuuuuper tasty because it's got triple the malt! Yeah, it pours like syrup but damn it's good.

So, it all depends. If I was to have an IPA with a stogie, I'd definitely want a real malty one. Try the Dorado Double IPA from Ballast Point if you can find it. One of the best beers I'v ever had.

SB

Victory also makes Storm King Imperial IPA which has more malt background than their Hop Devil. Also has a high alcohol content. I like it.