stout girl here.... I <3 stouts. really I do. Drink at least 1 a night. BUT, I'm missing out by remaining so myopic. Can tell you that I've had a lot of bad experiences with sours, and let downs with lagers, and even some ales. I like brown ales, and some belgians, but that's really it. Do you think I'd like an IPA? And specifically, which one would be a good first try? (Live in the ny metro area, so some west coast brews aren't about here)
I would ease yourself in with APAs before jumping head first into IPAs. Try Dale's Pale and Sierra Nevada Pale to get your feet wet.
I kinda held off on IPAs for a while too, for whatever reason they just didn't appeal to me, but now I love em. If you can get Stone or Dogfish Head I think those are good places to start. Sierra Nevada Torpedo is really good too. I've also got a Sculpin waiting for me at home that I'm pretty excited to try. If you have trouble getting some of those in your area check out seekabrew.com for a list of breweries you get in your area, and look into what IPA they're known for. Happy hunting : )
Heavy Seas-Loose Cannon is a good starter IPA. Good flavor but not ridiculously hoppy. They are out of MD so you ought to be able to get some in NY. Cheers.
OB even calls Dales an IPA. And I've always thought that SNPA was hoppy enough to be considered an IPA. For a Pale I'd suggest Mirror Pond, if it's available to the OP. If she can get Flower Power, that's a very good IPA.
All of the mentioned beers are solid. On another note, try to get urself some jacks abby hoponius union ipl. Awesome hoppy lager. I think it would set u right on ur way in proper hophead form. Cheers. Bm me if u want some
Can't go wrong with dogfish 60 minute, or stone ipa as a first. Torpedo and New Belgium Ranger aren't bad starter ipas either
Flower Power was the first that popped into mind since you're in New York. Also, Bell's Two Hearted or Troeg's Perpetual if you can get them in your area
I would say either Stone IPA or Deschuttes Inversion IPA. Both are strong in flavor, but won't over power you.
I'm sorry, I find it a bit hard to believe that you are a have had the styles you mentioned and have not tried a single IPA. Is there some reason you have stayed away from them? It is not an obscure style in the world of American craft beer.
you know what I'm going to do w/ this thread? I'm going to just load it up when I'm in one of my fav shops and go shopping. I'll let you guys know how the tasting goes. Citrus would be a nice palate cleanser for a change. (Inevitably, I will always be true to my one love: bourbon county)
yep, because of so many not terribly good experience w/ the rest. I decided to basically go with the flow and stick to what I love. so you heard it... years of stouts! W/ a few other items peppered in for a change of pace. Then again, I've had coffee every morning for 30 years, so this shouldn't be too surprising to anyone. I think I'm overdue for an IPA, hence the thread
Can't ease into it, that's like touching the pool before jumping in. I'd say STONE IPA all the way. Dive in, and enjoy it!!!!
I agree, Flower Power Smuttynose IPA Stone IPA 3 of the best and readily available IPA's. Protip: read user Buckeyenation's review of the beer your trying while drinking it, doing that really helped me appreciate what I was tasting early on. I don't think I would have enjoyed some of the beers I was trying as much as I do now if I wasn't reading his reviews while sipping on the beer. http://beeradvocate.com/community/members/buckeyenation.3819/
I do love stouts, and I keep trying IPAs, never to love them. I did find I could hop over to trippels and saisons to change things up and be happy though.
I also recommend Heavy Seas Loose Cannon. Its got great IPA flavor, but won't kill you with hop bitterness. Also try some hoppy APAs that are really IPAs in disguise.
I was leaning Flower Power myself, but 2XIPA is definitely no slouch and perhaps a touch more ...hmmm...gentle, I suppose (for lack of a better word). Get it a month old and it is a great place to start.
Laggunitas sucks is good. DEFINITELY try to get fresh, whatever you get. I was turned off of IPA's for a while because the first few I tried were old.
Dogfish Head 60 and 90 Minute IPAs. Those were the ones that converted me. They're hoppy, but not insanely so, and they're really well balanced with a nice, malty backbone.
I second the Stone recommendation, I think it's probably the best widely available example of what the American IPA is all about (here on the East Coast at least) It'll give you a solid idea of the flavors without bashing you over the head with them. I think Flower Power is a decent bit hopper than Stone (definitely more than DFH, which I always felt was one of the more malt forward AIPAs). It's a really good IPA, but might be a bit heavy for someone unused to hoppy beers. Lagunitas Sucks is also a really good example of balance, but it might be tough to find now.
For easy drinking IPA's these are my favorite and both available in cans. NEBCO Sea Hag CCB Jai Alai IPA
Harpoon IPA is the way to go. Not too heavy, a good starting point. Ease your way in. Then graduate to the really good stuff that others here mention.
Harpoon is a good first IPA. Very inoffensive. It was my very first, and it got me wondering about IPAs in general. From there, Smutty Finestkind (despite what the packaging says, I think it is indeed an IPA with training wheels--I thought it had a solid malty backbone, balanced as all hell, enjoyed). Then HopDevil, Hoponius if you've got MA connections, DFH 60 minute, then Sucks, and then on to the IIPAs. I haven't had the pleasure of trying Flower Power, but that seems to be the consensus of this thread, so if you can get that, go for it. Or you could just throw caution to the wind and buy just about anything from Stone. Sublimely Self-Righteous is the best Black Ale, hoppy or otherwise, I've ever had.
