[Megary]

This pretty much sums up my opinion of our local ipas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ond8eTTfEgw

I don’t know how many breweries are in your immediate area, but New Trail is making some really nice IPA’s.  Rusty Rail also, a little farther away.  And Wallenpaupack Brewing has been killing it for years.  (Quite a hike for you, I realize.)

[CounterPressure]

It's been a while since I was to the Rusty Rails but I liked it. I can't say that I recall having an IPA there, but I probably did. That's almost an hour drive for me. When I do go there I go more for the atmosphere and the food. I even have a gift card in my console of my car for there. New Trail is pretty much on the no-fly list for me. They are far closer, probably 20 minutes from the house, and I've had every beer on the menu. I had nothing remarkable. I was recently to the Broken Axe in Lock Haven and was quite impressed. But I did not drink any ipa and what I did drink, they didn't brew. Nonetheless, the beer and food were fantastic.

[neuse]

Many years ago, I tried a beer called "Bitter Woman IPA". It was a new thing for me as I wasn't really drinking IPAs. I couldn't believe how bitter the damn thing was. It was awful. but I kinda liked it in a way that I can't explain.  The IBU on this beer is 68.

Fast forward 15 years. I'm brewing IPAs right around 68 IBU and I can't taste the bitterness. If you add up the FWH, boil, late addition, hopstand, and dry hop, I'm  using 12oz of hops in a 5 gallon batch. It's on the low end of my preference. 14oz is closer to what I like and I seem to be gravitating towards a recipe with Galaxy, CTZ, Simcoe, Citra and El Dorado.  I know two guys who are repulsed by my IPAs, and two other guys (definite hop heads) who can't get enough of it. Same batch.

I've been a little puzzled by this. Sure, beer is subjetive, but has anyone noticed that their hop additions increase as time goes on? Almost like you build up a tolerance to whatever is in them that makes them delicious and you keep adding more to try and get the aroma and flaovor your shooting for? 

Have you had Covid? I had it January of last year and couldn't smell or taste hops for maybe a year.

[Megary]

It's been a while since I was to the Rusty Rails but I liked it. I can't say that I recall having an IPA there, but I probably did. That's almost an hour drive for me. When I do go there I go more for the atmosphere and the food. I even have a gift card in my console of my car for there. New Trail is pretty much on the no-fly list for me. They are far closer, probably 20 minutes from the house, and I've had every beer on the menu. I had nothing remarkable. I was recently to the Broken Axe in Lock Haven and was quite impressed. But I did not drink any ipa and what I did drink, they didn't brew. Nonetheless, the beer and food were fantastic.

I get you aren’t a hazy guy, but I really enjoy Gear Head.  That’s my go-to at a local dive bar, in a plastic cup.  Just Yum!   

[reverseapachemaster]

I remember the first several IPAs I had and really disliking everything about it. It took a while to develop an appreciation for those beers although still not anywhere near the top of my list. But then I promptly fell in love with sour beer from my first one.

Lupulin shift used to be talked about often in the pre-hazy days where over time bitterness is less obvious and you want more IBUs packed into your beer. With west coast IPAs coming back into vogue, so too will all these subjects left behind with the haze craze. We're right around the corner from discussing burtonizing your water.

It's definitely a thing. The more you eat or drink anything, the more tolerant you get to it's regular presence in your diet.

[CounterPressure]

I get you aren’t a hazy guy, but I really enjoy Gear Head.  That’s my go-to at a local dive bar, in a plastic cup.  Just Yum!   

I was at a local place a while back eating with a friend. He's a die-hard Miller Lite drinker, yes he's still a friend. He ordered a Miller Lite draft and I ordered a New Trail lager. The waitress brought out two 16 oz glasses and set them down. We sort of looked at each other, it looked like two of the same beer. I picked mine up to smell it and I handed it to him and I said I think this is yours. He handed me his I smelled that I said wait a second, I think they brought two Miller lights. I asked the waitress, she said no one is Miller Lite the other is New Trail. I tasted my beer and I said to my buddy, I'm still not sure, taste that. I knew he would know if it wasn't Miller lite. He tasted it and said no this is right, so I had him try this beer, he says wow, it's a carbon copy. Now I'm not saying this to bust on them, any light beer is actually quite difficult to make. But I could have easily saved a fortune by just buying the Miller lite. LOL

[Megary]

I get you aren’t a hazy guy, but I really enjoy Gear Head.  That’s my go-to at a local dive bar, in a plastic cup.  Just Yum!   

I was at a local place a while back eating with a friend. He's a die-hard Miller Lite drinker, yes he's still a friend. He ordered a Miller Lite draft and I ordered a New Trail lager. The waitress brought out two 16 oz glasses and set them down. We sort of looked at each other, it looked like two of the same beer. I picked mine up to smell it and I handed it to him and I said I think this is yours. He handed me his I smelled that I said wait a second, I think they brought two Miller lights. I asked the waitress, she said no one is Miller Lite the other is New Trail. I tasted my beer and I said to my buddy, I'm still not sure, taste that. I knew he would know if it wasn't Miller lite. He tasted it and said no this is right, so I had him try this beer, he says wow, it's a carbon copy. Now I'm not saying this to bust on them, any light beer is actually quite difficult to make. But I could have easily saved a fortune by just buying the Miller lite. LOL

That’s your own fault for ordering a boring, yellow fizzy in the first place.  Zzzzzzzz….

[chumley]

I have been brewing for 34 years, and found that my tastes buds have changed regarding IPA hops. I have developed a dislike for dank hops. First I thought it was just CTZ, but Simcoe is now a hop I try to avoid.

My go to hops for IPAs are the old standbys: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Amarillo. Lately I have been enjoying Mosaic and Citra. Tried El Dorado and Ekanuat, they were okay, but I probably won't be ordering them again.

I admit I probably only brew IPA once a year to have on tap for guests. Every brewery and bar has half their taps devoted to IPAs, so it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to brew them anymore.

[CounterPressure]

That’s your own fault for ordering a boring, yellow fizzy in the first place.  Zzzzzzzz….

  Well, the description on the menu made me think Elliot Ness, not Miller Light! . And it was the only craft brew on the menu I was willing to try. They had some IPA of theirs and I think it was a hazy as I recall, other than that my choices were Busch and Busch light.

I have been brewing for 34 years, and found that my tastes buds have changed regarding IPA hops. I have developed a dislike for dank hops. First I thought it was just CTZ, but Simcoe is now a hop I try to avoid.

My go to hops for IPAs are the old standbys: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Amarillo. Lately I have been enjoying Mosaic and Citra. Tried El Dorado and Ekanuat, they were okay, but I probably won't be ordering them again.

I'm sort of with you on the old varieties, I am much more likely to recognize and enjoy them. Cascade makes a fantastic smash ale. I really like Amarillo but I don't like that it costs twice as much. I was never a fan of Citra but I have to say I make a Citra pale ale and wow is it good. Bittered with Magnum though. I just drank my last can of Founders All Day a little bit ago and I'm pretty sure that's Cascade and Centennial. That is my number one favorite store-bought beer.

[Joe_Beer]

<snip>

I've been a little puzzled by this. Sure, beer is subjetive, but has anyone noticed that their hop additions increase as time goes on? Almost like you build up a tolerance to whatever is in them that makes them delicious and you keep adding more to try and get the aroma and flaovor your shooting for? 

Have you had Covid? I had it January of last year and couldn't smell or taste hops for maybe a year.

Sorry to hear. Yeah, finally got it in 2022. I wasn't feeling too well one night and didn't let the dog out before bed. Woke up to labrador crap all over the kitchen and couldn't smell it. Not a great way to start the morning. The loss of smell lasted a good couple months but seemed to return to normal afterwards.

Could be some residual loss I suppose but it would be difficult to tease out if that's just due to shortening of the telomeres too


---

Thanks for everyone's input on this, it's been enlightening. I think maybe I'll try experiementing with getting a cleaner transfer. I do end up with a fair amount of trub in the fermenter but I could get a strainer or screen and give that try, but like others have mentioned, it could just be the way we perceive the taste of things we have on a regular basis.

PS: One thing I've noticed is if I have a couple pints of cider and switch to my regular IPA on the third pint, the first couple swigs are a completely different than usual.  That may be something you all may want to try sometime, if you haven't already.