IPA's

The other day I was chatting with one of my favorite drinking buddies and the subject of IPAs came up.  Jon is a true West coast hophead who I played a small part in educating about craft beer back in the day.  In his prime, Jon probably knew more about higher end beer than I did.  He's the guy who got me into brewing my own beer.  I still send him recipes and ask for his input (and 9 times out of 10, I follow his advice).

So, imagine my surprise when Mr. Hops tells me he doesn't think he likes IPA any more.  Hearing this is kinda like hearing Michael Jordan suddenly give a speech about how much he never enjoyed basketball.

The conversation got me thinking though.  I know a lot of folks (myself included) who used to enjoy IPAs.  Hell, if your listen to The Brewing Network these days, even the old schoolers on there have taken a turn away from the style they used to champion just a few years ago.

So why are people choosing different styles over what is undoubtedly the largest style in the craft beer segment of the industry?

Well, my theory is age.

Bear with me for a minute...  Hear me out, this will make sense...

When you first start drinking craft beer, your average person is either in college or just out of it.  Like a lot of other things, the inclination at that point in your life is to try something different. What's the most different from the Bud/Miller/Coors you've been drinking up till then?  Well, something with flavor.  LOTS of flavor.  Yep, IPA.  Next time you're out at your favorite beer bar, check out who is ordering the IPAs and asking about them.  I bet you dollars to donuts you notice a lot of younger folks ordering the IPAs.  Huge hop bombs are about as far as you can get from BMC beers.

Now, what happens as you get older?  Your palate changes a bit.  You seek out different things.  Personally, I think you look for a little more balance.  A bit more depth and nuance.  Porters and stouts become more interesting.  New styles suddenly become nifty explorations of flavor.  Depth and complexity start to be more important.

So there ya go, my take on why people get tired of IPAs.  Like I said, take a look around the next time you're at your favorite watering hole.  Do some people watching.  Let me know what you think!

Belgian IPA

{Dannoh} Belgian IPA

Belgian Pale Ale

Type: All Grain	Date: 1/1/2001
Batch Size (fermenter): 11.00 gal	Brewer: R&D Brewing
Boil Size: 14.91 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: Pot (18.5 Gal/70 L) and Cooler (9.5 Gal/40 L) - All Grain
End of Boil Volume 12.22 gal	Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 11.08 gal	Est Mash Efficiency 80.1 %
Fermentation: Belgian	Taste Rating(out of 50): 30.0
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 15.36 gal Knoxville, TN (KUB) Water 1 - 2.00 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 - 20 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 71.4 % 4 lbs Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 4 14.3 % 3 lbs Caravienne Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 5 10.7 % 1 lbs Wheat (DURST MALZ) (3.6 SRM) Grain 6 3.6 % 1.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] - First Wort 90.0 min Hop 7 15.6 IBUs 1.00 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] - First Wort 90.0 min Hop 8 9.9 IBUs 1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 9 4.8 IBUs 1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 10 6.6 IBUs 2.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 11 - 4.40 g Wyeast Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins) Other 12 - 1.25 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 13 2.8 IBUs 1.25 oz Sladek [5.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 14 3.5 IBUs 1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 15 3.1 IBUs 2.00 Items Servomyces (Boil 10.0 mins) Other 16 - 1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 17 0.0 IBUs 1.00 oz Sladek [5.00 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 18 0.0 IBUs 2.0 pkg Antwerp Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP515) [50.28 ml] Yeast 19 - 2.00 g Fermaid (Primary 3.0 days) Other 20 - 2.00 Items Oxygen (Primary 0.0 mins) Other 21 -
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.068 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.068 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.3 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 7.3 %
Bitterness: 46.3 IBUs	Calories: 229.3 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 14.8 SRM
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 28 lbs
Sparge Water: 9.17 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	Tun Temperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.20
Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time Mash In Add 39.60 qt of water at 161.2 F 151.0 F 60 min
Sparge Step: Batch sparge with 3 steps (Drain mash tun, , 4.58gal, 4.58gal) of 168.0 F water
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Keg	Volumes of CO2: 2.3
Pressure/Weight: 12.54 PSI	Carbonation Used: Keg with 12.54 PSI
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 45.0 F	Age for: 120.00 days
Fermentation: Belgian	Storage Temperature: 61.0 F
Notes
Created with BeerSmith

Black IPA {Bone Bruise}

{Bone Bruise} Black IPA

American Style Black Ale

Type: All Grain	Date: 1/1/2001
Batch Size (fermenter): 11.00 gal	Brewer: R&D Brewing
Boil Size: 14.91 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: Pot (18.5 Gal/70 L) and Cooler (9.5 Gal/40 L) - All Grain
End of Boil Volume 12.22 gal	Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 11.05 gal	Est Mash Efficiency 80.1 %
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage	Taste Rating(out of 50): 30.0
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 11.00 gal Knoxville, TN (KUB) Water 1 - 3.38 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 - 22 lbs 8.0 oz Pilsner (DURST MALZ) (7.0 SRM) Grain 3 86.5 % 2 lbs 8.0 oz Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 4 9.6 % 1 lbs Midnight Wheat (550.0 SRM) Grain 5 3.8 % 1.25 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - First Wort 90.0 min Hop 6 19.8 IBUs 1.25 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - First Wort 90.0 min Hop 7 30.3 IBUs 2.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 8 - 1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 9 3.2 IBUs 2.00 Items Servomyces (Boil 10.0 mins) Other 10 - 2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 3.5 IBUs 1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 12 2.7 IBUs 2.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 13 0.0 IBUs 2.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 14 0.0 IBUs 2.0 pkg Antwerp Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP515) [50.28 ml] Yeast 15 - 1.69 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Primary 3.0 days) Other 16 - 1.69 Items Oxygen (Primary 0.0 mins) Other 17 -
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.066 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.066 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.8 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.9 %
Bitterness: 59.4 IBUs	Calories: 222.7 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 26.3 SRM
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 26 lbs
Sparge Water: 9.58 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	Tun Temperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.20
Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time Mash In Add 36.99 qt of water at 163.4 F 153.0 F 120 min
Sparge Step: Batch sparge with 4 steps (Drain mash tun, , 3.19gal, 3.19gal, 3.19gal) of 168.0 F water
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Keg	Volumes of CO2: 2.3
Pressure/Weight: 12.54 PSI	Carbonation Used: Keg with 12.54 PSI
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 45.0 F	Age for: 30.00 days
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage	Storage Temperature: 65.0 F
Notes
Whirlpool for 30 mins at flameout
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