“If I wanted my beer to taste like flowers, I’d eat flowers.” “They’re too bitter.” “Brewers are selling you juice for $15.” “Remember when beer tasted like beer?”
As hops advocates, we’ve heard it all before. Reasons why beer drinkers shy away from IPAs run the gamut– from issues with aroma, to taste, to presentation, to ABV, to sheer disdain for any beer style that takes attention away from an old-school beer drinker’s first love—malt.
But one thing that gets lost in the conversation is how rapidly the IPA style is changing. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that everything you think you know about IPA is wrong, there’s a fresh movement taking hold of the craft beer world that’s focused on flavor and defying conventions, and that’s creating a whole host of new options for those who dislike the intense bitterness of old.