Micro IPAs

Commercial Beer Reviews
1

I struggle with so many micro breweries really struggling with an array of off flavors that really distract from good IPAs.  As someone who absolutely hated IPAs for many many years, I have figured out why.  Most have a horrific common off flavors.

So this Trouble brewing- here comes trouble.  They are not wrong.  This IPA is 5.9% and is plagued with diacetyl, and cabbage dms.  Then the Belgian Wit and Pale Ale having Diacetyl present.  At first I thought it was my glass so I drank from the can, and found the same issues.

Is it just me or are most of you finding a similar issues with many micro breweries struggling with having similar off flavors in most of their products?

2

Not just you at all. With so many average to subpar breweries making so many IPAs, I’ve all but stopped buying them. It’s rare to find one I like as well as mine, partly for just freshness and partly for recipe/approach. Most are sweeter and more underattenuated than I like, some with fermentation flaws like you describe. I’d rather drink pretty much any beer than an old or a piss poor made IPA.

3

For me it’s a piss poor IPA, Hefe, Helles, and Berliner Weiss that honestly I get nervous with every thought of trying a new one.

So many breweries have bastardized those beers it’s hard to try a new one.

4

And this why I brew my own and drink coors banquet.
Shitty breweries are a dime a dozen around here too.

5

Stop drinking Coors… pretty please. There are better Micro/macro breweries than Coors.  I would have to SAY at the least Sam Adams is a reliable, great tasting, macro you can get with reliable freshness anywhere in the states.

6

Im down to begging.  Coors is not a good beer, it’s a last resort beer.

7

Plenty of garbage out there.

8

I live 2 miles from a Bud plant and seek that out regularly. And I love Coors Banquet beer.

9

I’ve had some pretty bad beers when trying some new local offerings. I’ve taken to only trying new breweries when I can get one bottle or can in a mixed six-pack

10

In Seattle I haven’t ran into to many cringe worthy beers.  There was one from a brewery in Bellevue that was horrible, but I can’t remember the name.

11

One might be able to say that they don’t like the flavor of American Macro beers, but the fact is they are a better made product than about 75% of the craft beer out there.

12

I’ve always found Sam Adams a bit boring, plus it’s kind of expensive. Mostly because the variety packs only have 9 beers I enjoy, and 3 cranberry maple cherry wit stouts.

My biggest problem isn’t with IPA’s-it’s with session IPA’s and double IPA’s. It seems like a lot of the DIPAs are hot and saccharinely sweet, and the session IPA’s don’t have enough going on.

13

I think your percentage is high.  I’d just say “better than many”.  Unless you’ve tried them all, there’s no way you could call out an exact percentage.

14

I’m in agreement that most craft beer sucks, sadly. While Denny is right, I haven’t tried them all and therefore don’t have real numbers, I have tried many Maryland beers…and Derrick’s numbers are pretty close. Some are simply only in business because they’re a local brewery. I’d say it’s about 25% God-awful, 45% drinkable, and 30% is very good. (coughflyingdogisonecough)

My default beer is Yuengling.

Someone on here mentioned Hamms, which has also become a staple for me. Brian, you owe it to yourself to put down the Coors and try and find some fresh Hamms. Very helles-like, and I’m pretty sure they’re low-O2. And Hamms is $12.84 for a 24-pack here in MD, so up your way…

15

Correction: “…better made products than a vast majority of craft beer out there.”

16

I may need to get my eyes checked.  You could not have just mentioned Hamms and Helles together…

17

Back in the 80’s I drank Helles amounts of Hamms

18

Ok, if that’s what you want to say.  I can’t say “vast majority” based on my experience.

19

Take out the fact that you may not enjoy the flavor. You would go on the record as saying that Budweiser is not a more consistent and well made product than a vast majority of craft beers? I’m not talking about exceptional craft here. They are the monitory to the vast majority in talking about.

20

Hamms started in the land of sky blue waters, Minnesota. My grandpa actually helped build the brewery. We can get hamms here for $14 a 30 pack. I don’t like hamms as it has an earthy hop note or something that rubs me wrong.