[rehabitat]

mmmmmmmmmmmmy willpower is being tested here and so early in the year!  
 
The great thing about Belgian Trappist Ales is the sip-and-savour factor.  You can stretch out a goblet for an hour or more.  Grab some good dark chocolate and a handful of muscatels, sit in your favourite comfy chair, put on some indulgent and sophisticated music and well...
 
Quality reigns over quantity.

 

[disastermouse]

Is anyone else completely sick of IPAs?  I mean...some brewers seem to put all their effort into a zillion different IPAs and little effort into other styles (I'm looking at you, Sierra Nevada!).
 
Or am I alone in detesting beer so unbalanced it tastes like soap?  (Not all IPAs are bad, but there are just so many........)

 

[ArmAndHammer]

I have never liked IPA's to begin with...maybe I just haven't had a good one. 

 

[JamesMcProgger]

 

[disastermouse]

I have never liked IPA's to begin with...maybe I just haven't had a good one. 

 
The first one that got me to see what could be appreciated in the style was the Big Sky IPA. It was a nice beer that was more than just 'ZOMG! HOPPZORZ!'.

One of my favorite beers ever is Unibroui 'Maudite' - which is about as far from an IPA as you can get.

 

[Zida]

Quote:

One of my favorite beers ever is Unibroui 'Maudite' - which is about as far from an IPA as you can get.

I'll have to try that. I just tried Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde and loved it. Wasn't blown away by their Blanche de Chambly, though.

 

[Emlost]

I just discovered this thread and I'm lovin it. 
 
I've been brewing my own for over 15 years and I love commercial beers too.  I just hosted my 12th annual "big beer" party on New Years Eve where everyone brings selections of their cellar aged beers over 8% ABV.  Some of the highlights were a bottle of last year's Sam Adam's Utopias and several different years of Triple Bock from the mid 1990s.

 

[Eee Pee]

Quote:

Is anyone else completely sick of IPAs?  

No way!  I'm liking the hoppy floral soapy suds.  

 

 

[Emlost]

The Cleveland area has a really great beer scene going right now.
 
Among my favorite brewpubs here are The Brew Kettle, Buckeye Beer Engine, and Fatheads.  The Market Garden brewery is going to open sometime this spring practically right across the street from Great Lakes Brewing Co.
 
Here's a link to the SNOBs (Society of Northeast Ohio Brewers) listing of some of the local breweries.
 
http://beersnobs.org/links/

 

[rehabitat]

Quote:

I just discovered this thread and I'm lovin it. 
 
I've been brewing my own for over 15 years and I love commercial beers too.  I just hosted my 12th annual "big beer" party on New Years Eve where everyone brings selections of their cellar aged beers over 8% ABV.  Some of the highlights were a bottle of last year's Sam Adam's Utopias and several different years of Triple Bock from the mid 1990s.

I wish I was your neighbour.

 

[disastermouse]

Quote:

Quote:

One of my favorite beers ever is Unibroui 'Maudite' - which is about as far from an IPA as you can get.

I'll have to try that. I just tried Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde and loved it. Wasn't blown away by their Blanche de Chambly, though.

'Maudite' and 'Trois Pistoles' are both really good.  Unibroue slightly over-carbonate, though - IMHO.
 
Do you like Trappist Ales?  If you ever get a chance to try a Berlinerweisse - check it out.  Very different.  A bit like a lambic sans fruit.

 

[disastermouse]

Aw shucks...this thread is awfully neglected lately.
 
Maybe it's all been covered in the previous seventy pages?

 

[limpidglitch]

Quote:

Is anyone else completely sick of IPAs?  I mean...some brewers seem to put all their effort into a zillion different IPAs and little effort into other styles (I'm looking at you, Sierra Nevada!).
 
Or am I alone in detesting beer so unbalanced it tastes like soap?  (Not all IPAs are bad, but there are just so many........)

Different beers for different occasions, I say.
A gentle IPA with some nice fruity overtones is an excellent apéritif, or at least I think it is 

 
But if were to really enjoy myself, I'd rather have a big smoky porter. 

 

[lozanoa11]

Quote:

Is anyone else completely sick of IPAs?  I mean...some brewers seem to put all their effort into a zillion different IPAs and little effort into other styles (I'm looking at you, Sierra Nevada!).
 
Or am I alone in detesting beer so unbalanced it tastes like soap?  (Not all IPAs are bad, but there are just so many........)

Yea I'm not to big on IPA's. There a few that I like but I can't have many of them. Pale ales are as hoppy as I like them for more than one beer. 

 

[fallingreason]

Well.. maybe I'm the only IPA guy here...  They're definitely my favorite type of brew.  The floral and fruity aroma/flavor, crisp taste, and a bit of a bitter bite at the end.  Nothing has ever quenched my thirst so well.  They are my default beer and drink them probably 80% of the time.  I do love trying all different recipes though. 
 
Stone IPA from San Diego, CA is by far the best I've had to date, though there are quite a few good ones.
 
As a bonus, hops have lots of health benefits, why not get a little extra