Bought a mix match 12 pack of Sam Adams. I saw that one is an IPA. About to open one so o thought I’d read the label.
Whitewater IPA…
Wheat ale brewed with apricots and spices
Lol!!! I see Koch smelling hops then tossing in orange peels and coriander instead, then cracking open a New Belgium as he throws darts at a poster of Vinie and Gordon.
Actually it’s not bad.
Yeah, ‘IPA’ is evidently getting to be a loose term to Jim Koch. Tried the new Rebel IPA last week. It was fresh - smelled and tasted like a Pale Ale at best.
2008 BJCP Style Guidelines
Category 16 — Belgian and French Ale
16E. Belgian Specialty Ale
Beeradvocate has over 650 examples of the style in this list alone. Some pretty prominent brewers…
Belgian IPA
Description:
Inspired by the American India Pale Ale (IPA) and Double IPA, more and more Belgian brewers are brewing hoppy pale colored ales for the US market (like Chouffe & Urthel), and there’s been an increase of Belgian IPAs being brewed by American brewers. Generally, Belgian IPAs are considered too hoppy by Belgian beer drinkers.
Various malts are used, but the beers of the style are finished with Belgian yeast strains (bottle-conditioned) and the hops employed tend to be American. You’ll generally find a cleaner bitterness vs. American styles, and a pronounced dry edge (very Belgian), often akin to an IPA crossed with a Belgian Tripel. Alcohol by volume is on the high side. Many examples are quite cloudy, and feature tight lacing, excellent retention, and fantastic billowy heads that mesmerize (thanks, in part, to the hops).
Belgian IPA is still very much a style in development.
I’d say more like we’re all starting to expect our IPAs to taste like double IPAs. Lupulin threshold shift and all…
the whitewater ipa is actually not bad.
i think double ipa’s are better in general
Yep. I looked at the specs on Rebel and they fall right in line with an American IPA style.
I do love an “American IPA” that get’s out of bounds on the hops though!
I don’t disagree. There has to be some of that at work, but the Rebel, especially calling itself a ‘West Coast’ style IPA is pretty…umm…mild.
It’s that American penchant for all things subtle. 
Any particular part that you thought was mild? bitterness? flavor? everything? My impression of west coast IPA’s was an emphasis on hops with restrained malt and bitterness. But also, that there was a wide variety in IPA at each brewery too - from tame to sucker punch. It could be that that’s what stood out the most as different from east coast IPA’s.
Low bitterness and hop flavor IMO. The malt base was restrained and dry as expected, but very little hoppiness. West Coast APA would be more accurate, I guess.
EDIT - I perceive their IPL as being a hoppier, better overall beer. Pretty good for the $$.
I actually thought the Rebel was a decent IPA. It’s definitely not “OMGWTFBBQ!!1!!!1!1!one!!11!!! HOOOOPPPPSSSS!!!” level of hopping, but the bitterness was on par with an IPA and there was a decent level of hops to it. In the ballpark of Stone IPA, not “Enjoy by IPA”.
Guess I better try another. I heard it’s a little hoppier on tap. Don’t know if it’s true. But the bottle I tried didn’t make me think of Stone.
Maybe we get it in better condition up my way. Sammy gets a pretty quick turnaround in my area and it’s pretty much cold the whole time.
I didn’t care much for the rebel IPA either. Thought it was a bit harsh in the bittering.
I’ve been drinking a lot of the Rebel as of late. I like it. But, you’re certainly right that it’s not the hoppiest beer around.
Rebel is 45 ibus, 6.5% so that may explain the lower hop perception to a degree.
Yeah, that gives it a BU:GU of ~ .69 . Pretty pale ale-ish. And I love APA - it’s a great style. Just thrown by the West Coast IPA sales pitch. Having said all that, it’s not a bad tasting beer.
I drank one in Houston at the southwest terminal. They have the worst beer concessions there. 
I had the same debate over one of my beer I entered in competition. I brewed it as an IPA and it’s numbers are similar. It’s right in the middle of the IPA style for abv and IBU, but the bitterness was very gentle. It’s also at the high end for pale ale, because there is overlap. I decided it would do better as a pale ale.
But like I said, restrained bitterness is my impression of west coast IPA too.