Make IPA Clear Again

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I can not imagine going anywhere, ordering a beer, and not having any idea what I will get. I think you complainers need to get out more, drink more beer, get accustomed to the times, and do 3 seconds of searching on line before you order something. You have only yourself to blame. If you can't figure out if a beer is worth trying aftet 3 seconds of googling, then you need to quit. I mean seriously, if you are on a beer forum complaining about specific beer styles, you should be totally capable of ordering the right beer for you 90 percent of the time. My god. Get a clue.
 
Yeah I can't understand how this is a huge problem for people, besides just pure laziness. The style isn't trolling you, either your restaurant/bar is or you're trolling yourself. Even if the beer name or can doesn't immediately tip you off that it's one of the hazy/low IBU/citrusy IPAs 10 seconds of research should get it done. You know the hazy IPAs are popular and tons are out there right now, if you loathe that type of beer you probably should invest a few seconds before buying an IPA you've never had before.

Example, a beer I like a lot is made by Ardent in Richmond, called IPA X. The can pretty much just has a big ass X on it. But untappd and their website clearly describes it as that style with descriptors such as 'tropical fruit notes' 'cloudy deep golden color' 'super low bitterness' 'silky soft mouthfeel'. I would love for someone to provide an example of a hazy IPA they got duped into, and I'll fact check if that info is readily available
 
kevink said:
I can not imagine going anywhere, ordering a beer, and not having any idea what I will get. I think you complainers need to get out more, drink more beer, get accustomed to the times, and do 3 seconds of searching on line before you order something. You have only yourself to blame. If you can't figure out if a beer is worth trying aftet 3 seconds of googling, then you need to quit. I mean seriously, if you are on a beer forum complaining about specific beer styles, you should be totally capable of ordering the right beer for you 90 percent of the time. My god. Get a clue.
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You just proved my main issue. If you have to do an internet search of every beer before you order it because you cannot tell from the menu if it is close to the style you enjoy...well, that is what I am complaining about.
 
CascadesBrewer said:
You just proved my main issue. If you have to do an internet search of every beer before you order it because you cannot tell from the menu if it is close to the style you enjoy...well, that is what I am complaining about.
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The menu should provide some useful descriptors. If it doesn't your issue should be with the establishment, not the style of beer. If you're buying it at a store and the can doesn't provide much info and there's nobody to guide you then yeah you should look it up or not buy it.

I don't like spicy food. If I'm eating somewhere that I know has a lot of spicy food and the menu is ambiguous I'll ask, or order something I'm 100% certain isn't spicy. I don't just pick something hoping I'll like it and then rant against how awful spicy food is if I guessed wrong
 
VirginiaHops1 said:
The menu should provide some useful descriptors. If it doesn't your issue should be with the establishment, not the style of beer. If you're buying it at a store and the can doesn't provide much info and there's nobody to guide you then yeah you should look it up or not buy it.

I don't like spicy food. If I'm eating somewhere that I know has a lot of spicy food and the menu is ambiguous I'll ask, or order something I'm 100% certain isn't spicy. I don't just pick something hoping I'll like it and then rant against how awful spicy food is if I guessed wrong
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Been to plenty of places where all you get is a beer name. No info. For any of the beers.

Should we make threads besmirching EVERY style as a result?

Sounds like some folks are just lazy and expect the world to be spoon fed to them.
 
If I order a hamburger, and the menu does not mention it, but it comes with cheese on it, I'm going to be mad; I would object, send it back, and it wouldn't be an issue.

If I order a pale ale, that is supposed to be clear, I am told it is a standard american pale ale, and the menu does not mention anything else, but comes out and is murky as all get out-- I object, they tell me it's supposed to be that way and don't take care of me/// then I just don't patronize that establishment any longer!

Looking on your phone shouldn't be a prerequisite to buying a beer.

And oh yeah, I don't have untappd either!

:mug:
 
Breweries don't abide by style guidelines and neither do restaurants or bars. No where is "supposed to be clear" mandated by anyone what so ever.

Caveat emptor.

It applies as much to beer sales as everything else.

Now, if you're unsatisfied and the establishment won't fix it, that's between you and the establishment. Not the product you purchased, especially if it's indeed as intended.

Frankly doesn't matter what style, hazy or not, if I'm ordering a craft beer from a brewery I'm not familiar with, there's a 50:50 shot it's swill anyway no matter how clear it is.

Any other straw men you'd like us to knock down?
 
When I roll into a brewery I don't know, I order a flight, taste some beer, then order a pint of what I like. Most restaurants serve common names and styles, so that usually isn't an issue where I live. Back to the OP, I don't care for Hazy's and have been waiting for the fad to run it's course. A lot of creative energy has been put into the Hazy style because it's selling beer and I think it's a lot more approachable to people who don't normally drink hoppy beer; it is "juicy." I'm curious what the next "new style" will be? I've noticed an uptick in collaborations of West Coast breweries making West Coast style IPAs. I'm wondering if limited release collaboration will be the next "style" whether it's IPA, sours, etc. It makes sense from multiple angles; experimentation, marketing, diversity. Look for the West Coast collabs going around right now, they're really good.
 
kevink said:
can not imagine going anywhere, ordering a beer, and not having any idea what I will get. I think you complainers need to get out more, drink more beer, get accustomed to the times, and do 3 seconds of searching on line before you order something. You have only yourself to blame. If you can't figure out if a beer is worth trying aftet 3 seconds of googling, then you need to quit. I mean seriously, if you are on a beer forum complaining about specific beer styles, you should be totally capable of ordering the right beer for you 90 percent of the time. My god. Get a clue.
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Are you kidding? Seriously, I need to google?
 
Interesting perspective.
So when I go to a pub and look at the tap list and see cutesy names with no information as to style, I'm supposed to make an informed decision because why? I'm an experienced home brewer? The waiter/waitress typically has no clue. What's "Voodoo Swamp Swill"? NEIPA? Ale? IPA? Stout? Belgian? It's my job to google it?
 
Not really, as a serious homebrewer I don't do a lot of outside drinking ;)
That said, there are locals opening all the time in this region so it's not unusual to ask for a sample of something now and again. The reaction I usually get is more respect than annoyance...
 
Oh I'm sorry, a style that has existed for a 100 years give or take, and even though it has had many permutations, but a hallmark has always been clarity, I'm the one that is off base...

Whatever, since we've resorted to ad hominem attacks, I'll just say that some recent contributors to the thread are just a bunch of wankers and are as big of "winners" as the club they support!

#unsubscribe
 
The title of this thread is "Make IPA clear again". This is not the debate forum.

The original poster was looking for some camaraderie. (IMHO).

If you don't like it, feel free to start your own thread hating on clear product labeling and quality control.
 
SEndorf said:
Interesting perspective.
So when I go to a pub and look at the tap list and see cutesy names with no information as to style, I'm supposed to make an informed decision because why? I'm an experienced home brewer? The waiter/waitress typically has no clue. What's "Voodoo Swamp Swill"? NEIPA? Ale? IPA? Stout? Belgian? It's my job to google it?
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If you're at a place like Applebees then yeah I would expect the server to have no clue. But then again they probably aren't serving much craft beer besides Sam Adams. I've really never been to a restaurant in my area that has an extensive craft beer menu where either they didn't have some descriptors noted on the menu or the server was very knowledgeable about what beers were on tap, many times both is the case. Maybe I just live in a very progressive part of the country and am ignorant of what much of a struggle this is elsewhere...
 
DiscDuffer said:
Are you kidding? Seriously, I need to google?
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If all you're concerned about is a beer's appearance, then yes, 3 seconds on google or untapped will solve all of your problems and ensure that you get the clear beer that you desire.
 
Qhrumphf said:
Let's go the Denny's route and put a picture of the beer on the menu.

Not only do you not have to google, you don't even have to READ
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What if I can't read pictures or I'm blind? Will they be in braile or scratch and sniff?
cyberbackpacker said:
Oh I'm sorry, a style that has existed for a 100 years give or take, and even though it has had many permutations, but a hallmark has always been clarity, I'm the one that is off base...

Whatever, since we've resorted to ad hominem attacks, I'll just say that some recent contributors to the thread are just a bunch of wankers and are as big of "winners" as the club they support!

#unsubscribe
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As I said earlier... It's the water soft water, low in calcium makes for cloudier beers.

Just think 800 ppms of means you don't have to take Metimucil to be regular. Regular IPA makes for regular bowel movements.
 
Schlenkerla said:
What if I can't read pictures or I'm blind? Will they be in braile or scratch and sniff?As I said earlier... It's the water soft water, low in calcium makes for cloudier beers.

Just think 800 ppms of means you don't have to take Metimucil to be regular. Regular IPA makes for regular bowel movements.
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Most hazy IPAs, with the level of salts often being added, have calcium levels above and beyond just about any other beer style.

The haze is hop polyphenol derived, and is an interaction between hops and yeast. It has nothing to do with calcium.
 
kevink said:
I can not imagine going anywhere, ordering a beer, and not having any idea what I will get. I think you complainers need to get out more, drink more beer, get accustomed to the times, and do 3 seconds of searching on line before you order something. You have only yourself to blame. If you can't figure out if a beer is worth trying aftet 3 seconds of googling, then you need to quit. I mean seriously, if you are on a beer forum complaining about specific beer styles, you should be totally capable of ordering the right beer for you 90 percent of the time. My god. Get a clue.
Click to expand...

Is it wrong to ask that beer menus actually contain "hazy" or "NEIPA" in the description for a hazy IPA?

I mean, usually I see that a session IPA is listed as a session IPA, a black IPA is listed as a black IPA, etc. Even English IPA, the true originator of the style, is usually called out as such to differentiate it from American IPA. We've applied the term "IPA" to so many different beers that it is most appropriate that if ALL that it says is "IPA", the default assumption is that is an American IPA.

Heck, I'm willing to stipulate that bars/breweries should probably not even label an American IPA or West Coast IPA as just "IPA"... They should probably state what style of IPA it is on the menu.
 
Qhrumphf said:
Most hazy IPAs, with the level of salts often being added, have calcium levels above and beyond just about any other beer style.

The haze is hop polyphenol derived, and is an interaction between hops and yeast. It has nothing to do with calcium.
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Some of it tongue in cheek sarcasm about clarity

I knew in most cases it's hop related. Soft water reduces yeast flocculation rates. So adding gypsum or more calcium makes for clear beer. My water is considered soft since the calcium is below 50ppm.

That said there's a lot of German beers made with soft water but they are lagered.

Screenshot_20190929-074058.jpeg
 
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kevink said:
If all you're concerned about is a beer's appearance, then yes, 3 seconds on google or untapped will solve all of your problems and ensure that you get the clear beer that you desire.
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This is asinine, if an establishment wants to sell a product, it should be clear what the product is. If you order a burger and get tofu on a bun, I guess there is no reason to complain, it is a burger. Just like all IPAs are the same all burgers are the same.
 
Asinine or not, this is the world we live in, so you have to adapt. The bottom line is that you can't rely on a stupid restaurant to accurately describe beers, especially if you are supposedly into beer. To expect otherwise is asinine. Restaurants are clueless about beer. You need to do you homework instead of being spoon fed.
 
DiscDuffer said:
This is asinine, if an establishment wants to sell a product, it should be clear what the product is. If you order a burger and get tofu on a bun, I guess there is no reason to complain, it is a burger. Just like all IPAs are the same all burgers are the same.
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But if a veggie burger manufacturer is obvious (marketed clearly as such) that it's a veggie burger, and a restaurant purchases them and sells them but DOESN'T say they're a veggie burger, is that that the fault of the manufacturer? Or veggie burgers as a whole? No. That's the fault of the place you bought it from.

This whole thread reads of people who don't want to have to think before buying and are EXTRA butthurt their pet style is no longer trendy and eclipsed by some thing else. Try being a fan of Mild.
 
How many of you would actually order a beer you’ve never had at a restaurant? Or a beer from a brewery you’ve never heard of? I love me some craft beer but if I don’t know a brewery explicitly it’s Sierra Nevada or Firestone Walker or whatever I actually trust to produce consistent beer. I’ve been burned enough times by crappy IPA (generally clear and oxidized as all hell) to not order anything I don’t trust.

I’m hesitant to even take a flier on a brewery I’ve never heard of at a beer only tap house where the bartender recommends it

Those of you that make poor decisions from a beer menu clearly can’t be trusted with much of anything.
 
Qhrumphf said:
But if a veggie burger manufacturer is obvious (marketed clearly as such) that it's a veggie burger, and a restaurant purchases them and sells them but DOESN'T say they're a veggie burger, is that that the fault of the manufacturer? Or veggie burgers as a whole? No. That's the fault of the place you bought it from.

This whole thread reads of people who don't want to have to think before buying and are EXTRA butthurt their pet style is no longer trendy and eclipsed by some thing else. Try being a fan of Mild.
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I'm a mild fan...

But try being a Rauchbier fan..... LoL

A smokey mild is nice. It's mother is a smokey brown ale made with 100% Smoked Brown Malt. The first one I made was with pale malt using a blend of maple, hickory, and cherry. Smoked & Roasted ~6 hours at 250-300F. Was like a malty, well hopped, baconized brown ale.
 
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kevink said:
Asinine or not, this is the world we live in, so you have to adapt. The bottom line is that you can't rely on a stupid restaurant to accurately describe beers, especially if you are supposedly into beer. To expect otherwise is asinine. Restaurants are clueless about beer. You need to do you homework instead of being spoon fed.
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There's relative truth to that.

Just passed by this place tonight. I fuggin dispize this chain. My wife was at the pharmacy getting something as I stared at their sign.

- Miller's Ale House -

First time I went in, was my last. The 98% of beer selection were lagers. I think the only ale they had was Blue Moon.[emoji2959]

They might have had Guinness but I was so annoyed that they didn't have a decent craft beer selection.

I tell my wife why it sucks... She thinks I'm only person that would notice that and object to it. It's That Ale Coolness Appropriation. Then not really sell ales. The owners don't even know what ales are and it's so fuggin obvious.
miller-s-ale-house-at.jpeg
 
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I have not really ran into these types of problems. Specific breweries make Hazy IPA's very well. Those are the ones I will drink if I am out n about and want one. Sometimes I will hear some new hype about a brewery focusing on a certain type of beer, and Ill give it a shot. If it aint all that, I usually don't whine and cry about it, I simply don't order it again. Most of the time I drink the whole glass regardless.

I don't think I have ever been to a legit beer place that wouldn't let me sample.

If I am out for dinner, I order something reliable. I am usually there simply because my wife wanted to go.

I like both styles. If they are well done. It's OK to not have a preference sometimes. They have lots of each to choose from. Everywhere.
 

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