I like IPAs and I’m secure enough to not be bothered by the mockery my basic brothers and I face online.
My perspective is that the “basic” people can’t wait to bring up how much they despise IPAs and without a single exception the reason is always “they’re just SO hoppy!!!”
Well given that they’re the most hoppy of the common types of beer, that reason for not liking them is hardly surprising or in any way illegitimate 🤷
I heard a real-world explanation about why IPAs are the most common and commonly-sought craft beer. Half the reasons are unflattering, but a few are valid.
- They’re harder to fuck up because the Hops covers every damn thing and is so forgiving. Ever heard a cooking show talk about how hard a perfect Filet Mignon is because you can’t hide behind anything and everyone knows what it should taste like? Ditto with a good red ale or even pilsner.
- Similarly, nobody is known for their signature Filet Mignon because (within reason) a filet is a filet. Ditto with most types of beers. IPAs give opportunity for a lot more variety. Which is why you have more breweries making them, and then more people consuming them. I go out of my way to find non-MGP whiskey because MGP whiskies all taste the damn same to me, and I usually find a couple unique bottles every year. I can respect someone who wants to try a totally new beer every week and just fall back on a few faves.
- Related again to #2. Beyond being “SO hoppy”, IPAs have more unique flavor profiles than all other beers combined. Different hops can net you notes of orange, lemon, grapefruit, or notes of the pith of one of those, or notes of the rind of one of those. Different amounts or processing of hops can give you different intensities of those. That’s a lot of flavor profiles from sweet to sour to bitter, all in the same category.
So I’m “basic” nowadays re: beer, and I despise IPAs because I literally cannot stand the bitter&pithy ones (esp Grapefruit Pith), and there’s no easy way to know what an IPA will taste like till you’ve paid for it and cracked it open. I also get reflux and nothing blows that shit out of the water like an IPA. There’s a hops shop down the street from me, but if I’m going to brew a beer (super rare, I usually make whiskey or mead) it’s gonna be something will a chill flavor profile.
Meanwhile I don’t even have an idea what the hell am IPA is. Is it like a kind of beer?
Those dudes are so basic the pic looks ai-generated.
I don’t get it? IPAs are good year round.
I don’t care what other people drink. In fact I love it when people show me their favorite drinks. Even if I don’t like it I enjoy the experience of something new. I get bored very easily.
That being said, I moved to the Pacific Northwest a few years ago and it seems like local breweries only make IPAs. They’ll have like eight local or inhouse brews and 7 will be IPAs. I just miss the variety I used to be able to find in other parts of the country. It also seems a little lazy and uncreative on the brewery’s side.
Vegans, PSL girls, IPA guys, furries, and anime nerds seem to be the most popular targets for boring, basic memes.
I’m German. I look down upon these pesants. The best beer is dark and unfiltered. Anything else cannot compare.
I’ve had your beer while in your country. Much respect and all given the history and contributions to beer over all, but after a week…it got boring.
I’m happy to be a peasant with never ending variety of styles and variations within styles without being hamstrung by some unimaginative and restrictive laws.
There’s variety too, you just didn’t get to see it during your stay. The laws are now much more liberal than they used to be.
But yeah, when you go to a basic place, many German beers have a similar character I would say. Normally there’s just the difference between light, dark, red, weizen and then the mixed ones.
Drinking weizen makes me feel like I’ve had drink and food at the same time, so rich.
Dark beer is for winter and autumn. IPA is for spring, summer, and not going off on a sea voyage to the colonies.
Edit: also when I was in Germany I mostly drank white wine. Germany is the only country that produces palatable white wine, whereas good beer can be had in many countries.
