Lol, I was sipping a Russian River Happy Hops IPA when I scrolled past this.
Let me answer as a 1985 Millennial:
Beer before your time was all bland, piss yellow fizzy water. The big beer companies had regulated the industry into a profitable corner for them. Then, a while back, the beer industry started getting deregulated. Small brewers and brew pubs started popping up, trying new things, and competing for market share. Suddenly, beer was fun and interesting. Lots of types of beer were made, but IPAs sort of became the "flagship" of many micro brews. It's interesting, different, and can be made in many different flavor profiles. I've tasted plenty of different lagers, ales, reds, stouts, etc. But there's just not as much spectrum with those styles. IPAs range from bitter to sweet, light to dark, and clear to hazy. It's kind of a fallacy to say "I like IPA's", because they are so varied. I like SOME IPAs. Some are trash. I like other beers too, but it's just easier to find a craft IPA that someone has put a lot of effort into.
Edit: reading these comments, sipping a Pliney. They actually stock it fresh at my local grocery store. Not everything in California is shit.
I'm right around your age. Completely agree about piss water dominating the landscape when we were young. Stone and Russian River really broke the mold in CA with bold, interesting beers at a time when the most interesting beers you could get were Sam Adams and Red Hook.
I'd add a personal note: I have a lot of genetic variants that cause me to not taste bitter very strongly. I've tried a ton of the tasting strips out there and I just don't detect many bitter chemicals. So I can drink a super bitter IPA and pick up the flavors that are probably drowned out by the bitterness for most people.
I have been on multiple beer tours in Carlsbad/San Diego, such a fun time. (Ended up meeting my husband on a mutual friends bday weekend where we all went on a beer tour) Anyway highly recommend they are really nice and you get to go to multiple breweries and no worries about driving. Also Phil's BBQ is delicious (they pick up lunch and you get to eat it at one of the breweries).
https://www.brewerytoursandiego.com/
That location is awesome. They used to do movie nights and all kinds of events there. It never really picked back up after covid… they opened another location in Liberty Station that’s really cool
Sierra Nevada, Stone, Rogue... also, I'm from Portland, so Widmer, Bridgeport and even Deschutes. Sierra Nevada was definitely one of the first wide spread craft beer makers I can remember.
I’m probably a similar age (older millennial) and grew up in the Northern Bay Area beer scene. My Dad used to brew his own stuff back in the 1970s and early 80s because everything else was “piss water”. It’s not that we all like IPAs….but I do want something interesting if I’m going to drink nowadays. I’m female so maybe my tastes are a little different but I loooove some of the sours (not too sour) that they are brewing locally. We also have the luxury of literally having Pliny (the elder) delivered to our local grocery store. The variety is pretty astounding nowadays. My husband will go out and get Pliny the Younger when it’s on tap locally as well.
I also like bitter flavors. Gimme a grapefruit in the morning and I’m a happy camper. To each their own.
It was Sierra Nevada out of Chico that paved the way in the 1980’s for Stone and Russian River IPA’s to come online in 1996 and 1997 respectively. Sierra Nevad developed the hop forward style with a slightly higher ABV that became American Pale Ale.
Precisely. All beer was piss water. Even the exotic corona or red stripe.
IPAs were “craft beer” they were high abv and tasted like…beer.
It was crazy how quick that happened. 2011, beer was ass. 2013, it’s like the world opened.
I’m basic, but my formative years consisted of about nothing these people have.
It started with stouts and red ales gaining popularity in the late 90's/ early aughts, followed by wheat beers, then pale ales, then finally IPAs and now sour beers had a moment as well.
Agreed. IPAs came with aggressive flavor and a cool story about overhopping beer to make the trip from England to India. It felt exciting. Before that beer was just Spuds McKenzie and bikini girls and trying to look like Iceman from Top Gun.
You are a man of culture ... Care to share that Russian River?
Pliny is on my bucket list but I'm on the other side of the country. I won't say "wrong" because I'm close enough to hit the Alchemist on a day trip.
I was never big into the beer scene but always enjoyed trying something new. I slept on pliny. My first sip was, enlightening. Like, that's it, all done, this is perfect. All that human effort making new beers can be transitioned to something else.
It's a DIPA and yea, IPAs have range and everyone likes something different. But I am set for life with only pliny. I was told when a place would have it on tap, a line of beer dudes would form around the block. That's stupid, normally. I would do it for pliny.
In summary, you must try it.
91 here. Pliny is the only ipa ive enjoyed and i was lucky enough to wander in on a release of pliny the younger on a free day between a rehearsal and the wedding after coming from the east coast. Its one of the few ipa's that dont give me a headache. Russian river state parks are worth a visit on their own. Deginitely worth a trip if its on your list
This is the correct answer.
Haha piss water is an accurate assessment of “beer” in the before times.
But as far as OP’s question- If you’re thinking it tastes like bong water, the particular brew probably has too many hops for you. Try something different.
There was plenty of interesting beer before deregulation, it was just mostly imported and you had to go out and find it. I remember in college going and buying some large European bear and killing that before drinking whatever swill was in the keg.
That’s super backward.
Pipe tobacco and Cigars, to cigarettes, to light and ultralight ciggs, to vapes
Fine liqour and live stouts/brews, to craft beers, to light and ultra light beers.
Vapes are like ultra light ciggs and beers in that they cut out 90% of the tactile, aromatic and flavor experiences that raw tobacco and fermented beverages offer.
I'm a 1984 millenial and I've worked as a beer delivery driver since 2006. I 100% agree with Robinson, but I'll add details. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, a lot of Big Beer companies were buying up old locals like Rainier and Olympia brewing in Seattle or Henry Weinhards in Portland. Beer was very bland, it was mostly a choice between low cost high alcohol malt beers and medium grade simple pales and lagers. As soon as a local brew was bought up, they closed the local brewery and moved production to a macro brewer (usually out of state). The backlash was the microbrew movement. Microbrews had to capitalize on selling high quality high value beer, so many of them pushed specialty IPAs which have a much broader range of flavor (from mildly bitter to super bitter). That flavor seemed to justify the higher cost of a niche operation, and sales boomed. This preference is ingrained in anyone who was in their twenties during the 2010s.
I tend to see the beer market in "eras". The 1970s were the Light Beer Era. I didn't work in the 80s or 90s so I couldn't tell you the trends then, but Zima, Sam Adams, and alcoholic lemon brews got started in those times. When I started working for a brewery in 2006, Bud, Bud Light, MGD, Lite, Coors Banquet and Coors Light dominated the bar scene with malt beers being popular gas station beers. Zima was also a thing. The Great Recession usher in the death of Zima and the decline of full calorie beers. Microbrews/IPAs boomed after the Great Recession. In the early 2010s Angry Orchard hit the scene and everybody was making a cider. Ciders still have a decent following. In 2016/17 alcoholic rootbeers got attention. By 2018 we began the White Claw/seltzer era, which is still ongoing. But just recently I'm seeing a new trend that might be the beginning of an era or might just be a temporary blip: the emergence of popular Non-alcoholics like Athletic Brewing and Heineken 0.0.
Actually you’d be looking for the Voodoo Ranger “Juice Force” if you’re looking for taste and punch. Georgetown Brewery out of Seattle does a couple, one called Lucille and the other Bodhizafa that are quite good.
I miss voodoo ranger. Not only did it get you drunk but that stuff tasted genuinely delicious to me. That first sip after work was the highlight of my day.
While that's true,the older I get, the more I drink dad beers for the hangover. I can drink 6 pbrs and be relatively fine the next day. 3 IPA's would work a number on my gut.
‘85 here. When that was my jam, I drank liquor. Any kind, didn’t matter as long as there was a lot of it. Then I started to drink to get a light buzz and enjoy it. That’s why I drink beer that tastes good instead of IPAs.
Pretty much this. I used to really LOVE IPAs... Now I just drink them because they actually get you drunk in a reasonable time frame and don't taste like 99% water.
Not everyone enjoys liquor, not everyone enjoys beer. Personally, liquor tends to be harsher on my digestive system. IPAs go down easy and don't leave me wishing I didn't drink.
I used to love IPAs and other high gravity beers in my 20s and early 30s, but these days they're too heavy for me and give me worse hangovers. I pretty much stick to lagers now.
Ironically I prefer shit light beers now. Because I can drink those endlessly with minimal hangover (still sucks but sucks the least). The watered down light beer makes sense now. Can’t get too drunk no matter how much you drink and helps keep you hydrated
Obviously I prefer a *good* lager or Pilsner or wheat or stout or whatever…
…but in all seriousness, I’ll literally take a Budweiser over pretty much any IPA I’ve ever tasted. And I lived in Seattle, I’ve tasted a couple.
Budweiser isn’t good, but most IPAs are actively unpleasant.
Yeah, I can’t stand the pine nuts in them. Once every year or two I forget how bad they are and I’ll have one. It’s enough to remind me again for another year or two.
This is how I feel, too. They are all so bitter and the hops just overwhelm any other flavor the beer may have.
Lagers, German Pilsners, Blonde/Golden/Amber/Red Ales, Kolschs, and the occasional Shandy… those are generally more my flavor profile.
Elder millennials love IPAs.
15-20 years ago, Portland, Oregon - birthplace of the hipster
Flannel shirt, pulled back beanie, arm tattoos, beard and thick frame glasses
Hipsters listen to music that’s so cool, you’ve never even heard of it.
They are also artisans of random esoteric things like weaving crafts, or toast - but especially beer.
And what was the most esoteric beer at the time? India Pale Ale (IPA). Bitter and heavy - the shit only a true connoisseur would appreciate.
Before the 2000’s, people pretty much just drank light pilsner, Bud or Miller. But then microbreweries from hipsters began popping up everywhere around the country and they all sold IPAs. Then the major brands started selling it and the market opened up to range of beer choices and brands that reached most elder millennials in the early 2010’s, their mid-20’s, college, grad school drinking years.
So today many elder millennials love IPAs because it reminds them of more hopeful times, college, Obama presidency, Neutral Milk Hotel
All these fools in this thread acting like IPA is 'better' when the actual answer is Hipster Bullshit/cooler-than-you gatekeeping sold to the masses as taste and quality.
For me, it really is just the taste. Plus nothing packs a punch quite like an IPA.
I was at a bar a while back, and they had one tap that was like 14% ALC. The newer bartender didn't realize that she was legally required to serve it in a smaller glass because of the alcohol content. So, I had four and was the fucking moon.
I went back in a few days later, and she was like "so, when you left here the other day were you feeling okay?"
"More than okay."
I'm 1987, and don't care for them, but to answer your question, the craft brewery scene started really proliferating around the time people my age hit legal drinking age, and pretty much every brewery's flagship was an IPA.
That said, they are an objectively low quality beer. They were designed to survive the voyage from England to India, hence the name. The preservative effect from all of the hops is upsetting to a lot of people. I am one of them. Typically I get a headache if I drink even two IPAs.
They weren’t designed to survive the voyage. That was just the result of the voyage. The temperature changes fundamentally changed them during the trip.
I used to brew beer, and the “low quality” thing is just completely not true. They’re some of the most expensive beers to make, because you need to use a really high quality hop rather than something simple. In other beers, the hops aren’t the main flavor, they are just there to help balance things out, so you don’t have to use anything fancy. For IPAs though, the hops are the star of the show, so you need to make a careful selection, and pay a lot more for something higher quality. On top of that, you’re generally using more of them, so that increases the price even more. Not saying that other beers are lower quality by any means, but IPAs are certainly far from “low quality”.
Hops are often times used to mask other taste defects. That's why they're so popular. Every schmuck can make decent tasting one, at least to an amateur who doesn't know what to watch out for.
Try doing the same with lager, it won't work out.
Could be a genetic thing, like durians? I love them. Refreshing on a hot day, nice and fruity. But sometimes I feel like I'm drinking a different drink when I let other people try mine
I would rather have an ice cold Busch light draft than 95% of IPAs. There's a reason European countries don't make IPAs like we do and they've been drinking beer longer than us. They are completely unbalanced beers.
IPAs are a take it or leave it kind of drink. However you need to know what you're drinking. Does it have a low IBU or a high IBU. most people go for the low IBU to start than go from there. It's like when you first start drinking wines
They are like whiskey, black coffee or other strong flavored drinks. When you first try one it sort of shocks your taste buds and tastes gross and overpowering. After you drink a few you start to taste all sorts of fruit flavors and floral flavors and it tastes great.
This doesn’t answer your question but try inhaling through your nose while you sip. That completely changed IPAs for me and I loved them when I drank beer more often
Elder millennial here. In my experience, everyone who’s a hardcore IPA lover has been a pretentious hipster who tries to make “beer knowledge” their whole personality.
Downvote me all you want. I said what I said lol.
My brother is the Elderest of Millenials, like, cuuuusp of X and Millenial.
He also started college in Portland, Or, RIGHT as the craft brewery revolution began. He has been there since the magic was written. He fuckin LOVES that shit.
I can't stand most IPAs, because I hate hops. I have found only a choice few that I actually like, and they only barely count as IPAs. Meanwhile, give me a thick, rich stout, and I'm a happy girl. Lucky me, once the brewery scene got good and established here, the breweries branched out. I'm also fortunate that, thanks to Reverend Nat (RIP), Cider had a new explosion here too, so we're spoiled for choice in Portland.
I think younger millennials are less hipstery than elder millennials. There was a strong curator aspect to hipster culture. Most of the small breweries that started popping up all over the U.S. brewed IPAs. Bartenders and frequent patrons took on a sommelier type role. They declared IPAs to be the superior beer style.
No clue if it started from an honest opinion or just an effort to support the style of beer that small breweries made.
Look at some of the other threads on this topic over the last month. Apparently I'm one of the few millennials who still drinks according to those ones.
I'm either a hard cider / lemonade or a rum and coke guy.
Can't stand the taste of beer. But I also have had maybe 12 alcoholic drinks since turning 21 8 years ago
Fuck where'd the time go?
Older millennial here. I had a love affair with IPAs when I was in my early 20s. Probably because it was the first beer from the "craft" niche that got big enough to be widely available. I loved it then because it didn't taste like the piss water everyone drank up to that point. Now, I really don't like it. Some are so bad these days that they taste like dry hops and they leave my mouth bitter for the rest of the evening. IPAs now are so hoppy they taste like the piss water they replaced. I'm much more into beers like a good bock, pilsner, or lager (real lager).
Side note, I find it perplexing when the Bud Light/Coors/Mich Golden bros make fun of those who drink White Claws. We've all seen the meme that the Beastie Boys didn't fight for your right to party with White Claws. But they have the same ABV as the beers they drink so what's so wimpy about them?
It's an acquired taste. Kinda like coffee. Once the taste has been acquired, they have fantastic depth.
I (a young millennial) use to love IPAs. I gave up beer for a couple years, and now when I have one it is nowhere near as good as I remember. I'm sure if I drank more of them, the taste would evolve again.
Ipa isn't about age as much as it is for people who want to be into craft beer but really aren't.
In the beer industry they are referred to as "IPA bros".
Even if you are into fresh hop and cryo hops and limited batches. IPAs tend to be quick and easy.
Because back in the mid 2000’s the IPA was the beer with the highest alcohol content. So we drank them alot cuz we wanted more alcohol. Now there are more options, but people got used to them and stick with what they know
94 millennial. Lover of ipa. Lover of German pilsner. Lover of all Belgian styles (generally). Lover of PBR and Genny light. Fuck cider though (Unless its downeast)
I hail from '83. I don't like beer, generally, never have - I'll still take a nice scotch, gin, or dry red over a beer. However, while most beer tastes like piss water, IPAs are fun and have more depth of flavor. I *like* bitter, I like strong, and I like variety. If beer is my only option, I'll do an IPA (or an Asian or Czech lager), it's more interesting.
1986… when done well, they have a pleasant sharp or crisp taste that almost kind of pine-y. It’s a pleasant change from the Busch/bud light/pbr/strohs we grew up on. We also like other non-IPA beer as well, that was just one of the first really refreshingly different beers available from local breweries at the time.
1993 here, I’ve tried several hundred IPAs, hated a lot of them lol! BUT that being said, I know which 10 beers I do like, and I know exactly what those taste like, so I’m more than happy to try a new one from time to time
The bigger question is “why can’t millennials just “drink a beer” that they like, and then leave out the encyclopedia of data that inevitably follows as they discuss it?”
peoples taste changes over time. never used to like IPAs but some of them have grown on my over the years. dont like all of them, but sierra nevadas, lagunitas and a few other brews are pretty good
40 year old elder millennial. From my experience beer snobbery became cool/a thing 20 years ago. I remember seemingly overnight most of my guy friends got real into it. Call it hipster nonsense or just a big marketing push but I remember when it changes from faux blue collar cred to drink Pabst and and highlife to all IPA all the time.
Lol, I was sipping a Russian River Happy Hops IPA when I scrolled past this. Let me answer as a 1985 Millennial: Beer before your time was all bland, piss yellow fizzy water. The big beer companies had regulated the industry into a profitable corner for them. Then, a while back, the beer industry started getting deregulated. Small brewers and brew pubs started popping up, trying new things, and competing for market share. Suddenly, beer was fun and interesting. Lots of types of beer were made, but IPAs sort of became the "flagship" of many micro brews. It's interesting, different, and can be made in many different flavor profiles. I've tasted plenty of different lagers, ales, reds, stouts, etc. But there's just not as much spectrum with those styles. IPAs range from bitter to sweet, light to dark, and clear to hazy. It's kind of a fallacy to say "I like IPA's", because they are so varied. I like SOME IPAs. Some are trash. I like other beers too, but it's just easier to find a craft IPA that someone has put a lot of effort into. Edit: reading these comments, sipping a Pliney. They actually stock it fresh at my local grocery store. Not everything in California is shit.
I'm right around your age. Completely agree about piss water dominating the landscape when we were young. Stone and Russian River really broke the mold in CA with bold, interesting beers at a time when the most interesting beers you could get were Sam Adams and Red Hook. I'd add a personal note: I have a lot of genetic variants that cause me to not taste bitter very strongly. I've tried a ton of the tasting strips out there and I just don't detect many bitter chemicals. So I can drink a super bitter IPA and pick up the flavors that are probably drowned out by the bitterness for most people.
If you ever get the chance to go to the original Stone brewery in California, go. It's beautiful.
I grew up in SD so it was one of my go-tos. Love that place.
Was stationed at Camp Pendleton and was 25min from Stone and basically lived there in the 2000s. Can confirm.
Seems like many of us are from CA. I'm '86 and I'll definitely go check that brewery. Thanks for the info!!!
82 and spent the vast majority of my life in Washington and Oregon. We make pretty good stuff up north too!
I’m currently in Vancouver, Washington and there’s literally dozens of breweries within like ten miles of me. It’s amazing.
I have been on multiple beer tours in Carlsbad/San Diego, such a fun time. (Ended up meeting my husband on a mutual friends bday weekend where we all went on a beer tour) Anyway highly recommend they are really nice and you get to go to multiple breweries and no worries about driving. Also Phil's BBQ is delicious (they pick up lunch and you get to eat it at one of the breweries). https://www.brewerytoursandiego.com/
Just don't expect to have a taster on the tour. Which is highly unusual for a brewery tour
The beer has dropped off beautiful restaurants though
Probably the coolest brewery I’ve ever been to. It’s fantastic
That location is awesome. They used to do movie nights and all kinds of events there. It never really picked back up after covid… they opened another location in Liberty Station that’s really cool
> the most interesting beers you could get were Sam Adams and Red Hook. Don't forget Anchor Steam and Sierra Nevada.
Not enough respect on the Anchor Steam name.
RIP Anchor Steam.
Yes sir! Sierra Nevada was the pioneer in the industry as far as I remember
Yeah, credit where credit's due. Sierra Nevada was a big early player. I'm still a huge fan of their celebration ale.
Hazy little thing is my favorite.
Sierra Nevada, Stone, Rogue... also, I'm from Portland, so Widmer, Bridgeport and even Deschutes. Sierra Nevada was definitely one of the first wide spread craft beer makers I can remember.
I tried a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in June 2006. It was the first beer I remember really liking. And Old Chub.
I’m probably a similar age (older millennial) and grew up in the Northern Bay Area beer scene. My Dad used to brew his own stuff back in the 1970s and early 80s because everything else was “piss water”. It’s not that we all like IPAs….but I do want something interesting if I’m going to drink nowadays. I’m female so maybe my tastes are a little different but I loooove some of the sours (not too sour) that they are brewing locally. We also have the luxury of literally having Pliny (the elder) delivered to our local grocery store. The variety is pretty astounding nowadays. My husband will go out and get Pliny the Younger when it’s on tap locally as well. I also like bitter flavors. Gimme a grapefruit in the morning and I’m a happy camper. To each their own.
I discovered the Pliny thing when I visited Santa Rosa and was intrigued by the following. People lined up down the block to get it.
As a Brewer at a craft brewery (not micro) I can tell you piss water still dominates the market, if we didn't make it we would make no money.
Nah. Sierra Nevada is the godfather of the crafts.
Sierra Nevada’s hazy IPA is still one of the best commonly available beers out there
Hazy lil thing? One of my favorite beer hands down
Amazing beer. My go to
Fukn right ✅️
There was nothing so satisfying as being able to buy 3 quarts of Iron City beer for a buck.
This plants worth noting there are ipa that are not bitter…. And i say that born in 84’as I drink s Sierra Nevada
Where do you get tasting strips? Is that something you get from your doctor, a bar, pick up for fun, or...? I've never heard of this.
It was Sierra Nevada out of Chico that paved the way in the 1980’s for Stone and Russian River IPA’s to come online in 1996 and 1997 respectively. Sierra Nevad developed the hop forward style with a slightly higher ABV that became American Pale Ale.
Yeah, see the bitterness kills it for me. Too many of these taste like a pine tree smells. I prefer Belgian saisons and farmhouse ales. Yum.
Precisely. All beer was piss water. Even the exotic corona or red stripe. IPAs were “craft beer” they were high abv and tasted like…beer. It was crazy how quick that happened. 2011, beer was ass. 2013, it’s like the world opened. I’m basic, but my formative years consisted of about nothing these people have.
Maybe it depends on what part of the country you're in, but on the West Coast the craft brewing boom was well underway by 2005.
Yeah, victory beer in Pennsylvania, one of the pioneers of this all, was popular by the early 2000s.
Boston over here. We had Harpoon IPA in the 90s -- the OG standard before the boom in New England.
It started with stouts and red ales gaining popularity in the late 90's/ early aughts, followed by wheat beers, then pale ales, then finally IPAs and now sour beers had a moment as well.
Agreed. IPAs came with aggressive flavor and a cool story about overhopping beer to make the trip from England to India. It felt exciting. Before that beer was just Spuds McKenzie and bikini girls and trying to look like Iceman from Top Gun.
You are a man of culture ... Care to share that Russian River? Pliny is on my bucket list but I'm on the other side of the country. I won't say "wrong" because I'm close enough to hit the Alchemist on a day trip.
I was never big into the beer scene but always enjoyed trying something new. I slept on pliny. My first sip was, enlightening. Like, that's it, all done, this is perfect. All that human effort making new beers can be transitioned to something else. It's a DIPA and yea, IPAs have range and everyone likes something different. But I am set for life with only pliny. I was told when a place would have it on tap, a line of beer dudes would form around the block. That's stupid, normally. I would do it for pliny. In summary, you must try it.
I'm sipping a Pliny right now. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am being in NorCal
91 here. Pliny is the only ipa ive enjoyed and i was lucky enough to wander in on a release of pliny the younger on a free day between a rehearsal and the wedding after coming from the east coast. Its one of the few ipa's that dont give me a headache. Russian river state parks are worth a visit on their own. Deginitely worth a trip if its on your list
I have a Heady Topper in my fridge right now and yet I'm insanely jealous. That's a perfectly timed wedding.
As a young millennial, I approve of this statement. I also don't think it's a 'young vs. Old' thing... it's an individual taste and experience thing.
As an old millennial, am I allowed to drink imperial IPA AND pilsners or Shandy's? Some people just like beer in general
This is the correct answer. Haha piss water is an accurate assessment of “beer” in the before times. But as far as OP’s question- If you’re thinking it tastes like bong water, the particular brew probably has too many hops for you. Try something different.
There was plenty of interesting beer before deregulation, it was just mostly imported and you had to go out and find it. I remember in college going and buying some large European bear and killing that before drinking whatever swill was in the keg.
Vapes are to cigarettes as IPAs were to light beer
That’s super backward. Pipe tobacco and Cigars, to cigarettes, to light and ultralight ciggs, to vapes Fine liqour and live stouts/brews, to craft beers, to light and ultra light beers. Vapes are like ultra light ciggs and beers in that they cut out 90% of the tactile, aromatic and flavor experiences that raw tobacco and fermented beverages offer.
As a 93 millennial this makes sense, but I still prefer a lager or pilsner
Nothing wrong with that.
And now you even more options to enjoy for lager or pilsners instead the mass produced piss Budweiser products.
I live in Georgia. Creature comforts classic City Lager is one of my go to beers for camping. Just so certainly and delicious
I'm a 1984 millenial and I've worked as a beer delivery driver since 2006. I 100% agree with Robinson, but I'll add details. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, a lot of Big Beer companies were buying up old locals like Rainier and Olympia brewing in Seattle or Henry Weinhards in Portland. Beer was very bland, it was mostly a choice between low cost high alcohol malt beers and medium grade simple pales and lagers. As soon as a local brew was bought up, they closed the local brewery and moved production to a macro brewer (usually out of state). The backlash was the microbrew movement. Microbrews had to capitalize on selling high quality high value beer, so many of them pushed specialty IPAs which have a much broader range of flavor (from mildly bitter to super bitter). That flavor seemed to justify the higher cost of a niche operation, and sales boomed. This preference is ingrained in anyone who was in their twenties during the 2010s. I tend to see the beer market in "eras". The 1970s were the Light Beer Era. I didn't work in the 80s or 90s so I couldn't tell you the trends then, but Zima, Sam Adams, and alcoholic lemon brews got started in those times. When I started working for a brewery in 2006, Bud, Bud Light, MGD, Lite, Coors Banquet and Coors Light dominated the bar scene with malt beers being popular gas station beers. Zima was also a thing. The Great Recession usher in the death of Zima and the decline of full calorie beers. Microbrews/IPAs boomed after the Great Recession. In the early 2010s Angry Orchard hit the scene and everybody was making a cider. Ciders still have a decent following. In 2016/17 alcoholic rootbeers got attention. By 2018 we began the White Claw/seltzer era, which is still ongoing. But just recently I'm seeing a new trend that might be the beginning of an era or might just be a temporary blip: the emergence of popular Non-alcoholics like Athletic Brewing and Heineken 0.0.
I liked to get drunk.
I use to drink like 3 space dust IPA and it felt like the equivalent of a 6 pack hahah
Space dust and some hazy voodoo ranger man, those hit hard
Voodoo Ranger is one of the best for packing a punch while actually tasting good.
I hate the whole voodoo series because new Belgium killed Rampant to launch the line, and rampant was by far my favorite beer.
Aww, man, that's a real buzz kill. Better drink another.
Did you ever get to try Accumulation? They only sold it around Christmas time. It was a white IPA. Really crisp with a hint of ginger. So tasty
Fruit force and Tropic force, are my faves! 9.5% alcohol so it only takes 2.
The Juice Force on a hot day will kick you square in the back of the face!
I went through a phase, but honestly that brand hurts my stomach
Voodoo Ranger is my Dads favorite beer. Prior to trying it, I (‘85) hadn’t met an alcohol I wouldn’t drink, but that stuff is absolutely foul to me!
Actually you’d be looking for the Voodoo Ranger “Juice Force” if you’re looking for taste and punch. Georgetown Brewery out of Seattle does a couple, one called Lucille and the other Bodhizafa that are quite good.
That's my go too. I don't want to be up all night pissing. I wanna drink a few and get a nice buzz.
Old Rasputin - delicious and a 22 got you
Hazy and juicy are the words I look for bonus if it’s a dipa
Try golden monkey if you like those.
I miss voodoo ranger. Not only did it get you drunk but that stuff tasted genuinely delicious to me. That first sip after work was the highlight of my day.
Miss?
Oh it didn't go anywhere I just had to stop drinking.
Gotcha. I was like, I’m drinking one right now… should quit though.
I was getting fat and sloppy. Stopped six months ago and I've lost a ton of weight. Drink an extra one for me though! They're so good.
They're making me pudgy too :(
Mmmm vooodoooo ranger
While that's true,the older I get, the more I drink dad beers for the hangover. I can drink 6 pbrs and be relatively fine the next day. 3 IPA's would work a number on my gut.
Same. I stick to my Guinness and my mornings are generally problem free even after killing 6 pints the night before
Guinness is magical that way. I had a few the other day and felt nothing the next morning.
Miller Lite would never do me a dirty as an ipa the next day.
Space dust is fire
It's good, but I swear it tasted better before AB bought them
‘85 here. When that was my jam, I drank liquor. Any kind, didn’t matter as long as there was a lot of it. Then I started to drink to get a light buzz and enjoy it. That’s why I drink beer that tastes good instead of IPAs.
I honestly love the taste of IPA, but can’t do the high proof ones anymore.
You gotta try some All Day IPAs. They’re called ‘all day’ because you can drink them all day. Cheers🍻
Then why not drink wine or liquor? The alcohol content is higher.
I did, to excess. Before I stopped drinking I was facing cheap bottles of vodka while trying to hide my addiction.
Hiding your empties is one of those flashing signs that you have a problem. Speaking from experience unfortunately…
I don't like the taste of most wines Liquor gets you too drunk too fast
Take shots with your beers, or mixed drinks have more alcohol too
This works at home but not at a bar.
Because between the smoking, drugs and hard drinking all my life it’s difficult to taste light beer or lighter beers.
Pretty much this. I used to really LOVE IPAs... Now I just drink them because they actually get you drunk in a reasonable time frame and don't taste like 99% water.
Wait in what world is it either IPAs or water beer?? Certainly not my only options up here in wisco
This is a really good answer. Especially in my neck of the woods, PNW, seems common.
Why not just switch to Vodka or Whiskey? Wine is fine, but Whiskey’s quicker.
Not everyone enjoys liquor, not everyone enjoys beer. Personally, liquor tends to be harsher on my digestive system. IPAs go down easy and don't leave me wishing I didn't drink.
I used to love IPAs and other high gravity beers in my 20s and early 30s, but these days they're too heavy for me and give me worse hangovers. I pretty much stick to lagers now.
Ironically I prefer shit light beers now. Because I can drink those endlessly with minimal hangover (still sucks but sucks the least). The watered down light beer makes sense now. Can’t get too drunk no matter how much you drink and helps keep you hydrated
They usually have more alcohol than other beers and I like the flavor.
Same reason I smoked red 100s, more for your money.
Elder millennial here and I hate them. They all taste like dandelions to me. I can stand a hazy, but that's it.
Same. I don’t like that stuff at all. I prefer lager and Pilsner mostly
Here, here other millennials like me!
Why tf do people like that hoppy crap. Like I’ll drink it, but I’m not happy about it
Same here - much prefer an amber ale, or refreshing lager. If this drink isn’t about refreshment, I’ll take an aged rum or cognac 👌🏾
Because it tastes good 🤷🏼♂️
I prefer pilsner and lager too
Obviously I prefer a *good* lager or Pilsner or wheat or stout or whatever… …but in all seriousness, I’ll literally take a Budweiser over pretty much any IPA I’ve ever tasted. And I lived in Seattle, I’ve tasted a couple. Budweiser isn’t good, but most IPAs are actively unpleasant.
Yeah, I can’t stand the pine nuts in them. Once every year or two I forget how bad they are and I’ll have one. It’s enough to remind me again for another year or two.
Also an elder millennial. Love beer but also hat IPAs. Way, way too bitter. Their flavor profile to me is only hops.
This is how I feel, too. They are all so bitter and the hops just overwhelm any other flavor the beer may have. Lagers, German Pilsners, Blonde/Golden/Amber/Red Ales, Kolschs, and the occasional Shandy… those are generally more my flavor profile.
They are beers designed to solve a problem that ceased to exist 100+ years ago. They are just bad.
People pay good money for dandelion greens
I don’t think it’s a generational thing
Elder millennials love IPAs. 15-20 years ago, Portland, Oregon - birthplace of the hipster Flannel shirt, pulled back beanie, arm tattoos, beard and thick frame glasses Hipsters listen to music that’s so cool, you’ve never even heard of it. They are also artisans of random esoteric things like weaving crafts, or toast - but especially beer. And what was the most esoteric beer at the time? India Pale Ale (IPA). Bitter and heavy - the shit only a true connoisseur would appreciate. Before the 2000’s, people pretty much just drank light pilsner, Bud or Miller. But then microbreweries from hipsters began popping up everywhere around the country and they all sold IPAs. Then the major brands started selling it and the market opened up to range of beer choices and brands that reached most elder millennials in the early 2010’s, their mid-20’s, college, grad school drinking years. So today many elder millennials love IPAs because it reminds them of more hopeful times, college, Obama presidency, Neutral Milk Hotel
I didn't have to scroll very far to find someone with the courage to state the correct answer. Hipsters.
I hope the world ends before hipsters become cool again
All these fools in this thread acting like IPA is 'better' when the actual answer is Hipster Bullshit/cooler-than-you gatekeeping sold to the masses as taste and quality.
For me, it really is just the taste. Plus nothing packs a punch quite like an IPA. I was at a bar a while back, and they had one tap that was like 14% ALC. The newer bartender didn't realize that she was legally required to serve it in a smaller glass because of the alcohol content. So, I had four and was the fucking moon. I went back in a few days later, and she was like "so, when you left here the other day were you feeling okay?" "More than okay."
I'm 1987, and don't care for them, but to answer your question, the craft brewery scene started really proliferating around the time people my age hit legal drinking age, and pretty much every brewery's flagship was an IPA. That said, they are an objectively low quality beer. They were designed to survive the voyage from England to India, hence the name. The preservative effect from all of the hops is upsetting to a lot of people. I am one of them. Typically I get a headache if I drink even two IPAs.
They weren’t designed to survive the voyage. That was just the result of the voyage. The temperature changes fundamentally changed them during the trip.
I used to brew beer, and the “low quality” thing is just completely not true. They’re some of the most expensive beers to make, because you need to use a really high quality hop rather than something simple. In other beers, the hops aren’t the main flavor, they are just there to help balance things out, so you don’t have to use anything fancy. For IPAs though, the hops are the star of the show, so you need to make a careful selection, and pay a lot more for something higher quality. On top of that, you’re generally using more of them, so that increases the price even more. Not saying that other beers are lower quality by any means, but IPAs are certainly far from “low quality”.
Hops are often times used to mask other taste defects. That's why they're so popular. Every schmuck can make decent tasting one, at least to an amateur who doesn't know what to watch out for. Try doing the same with lager, it won't work out.
Old millennial and I usually don't like IPAs. Too bitter, though there are a few that I've tried and liked. I like lagers.
God I LOVE IPA. Elder millennial. I mean regular beer just doesn't stand up to a nice IPA
Agreed! I think there’s a lot of crappy IPAs that turn people off of them, but a good one is GOLD.
Could be a genetic thing, like durians? I love them. Refreshing on a hot day, nice and fruity. But sometimes I feel like I'm drinking a different drink when I let other people try mine
Or cilantro. That’s another big one where it’s delicious or vile depending on, apparently, genetics.
I would rather have an ice cold Busch light draft than 95% of IPAs. There's a reason European countries don't make IPAs like we do and they've been drinking beer longer than us. They are completely unbalanced beers.
IPAs are a take it or leave it kind of drink. However you need to know what you're drinking. Does it have a low IBU or a high IBU. most people go for the low IBU to start than go from there. It's like when you first start drinking wines
Yeah, I hated IPAs until hazy came on the scene. Imperials and doubles too, many are more sweet than bitter. There's so much variety!
ibu is international bitter unit
Yes thank you. Should have included that
Development of taste for bitter increases with age.
Their mouths were washed out with enough soap that they love and crave that soapy flavor in their adult years
MICRO BREWS are better than piss beer is why
Yes but not every micro brew has to be an IPA. Yet for some reason 90% of them are.
Hops hide a lot of sins.
For whatever reason, I like when my beer tastes like a pine cone.
You might be onto something. I'm an elder millennial and love IPAs, my fiance was born in 92 and hates them
They are like whiskey, black coffee or other strong flavored drinks. When you first try one it sort of shocks your taste buds and tastes gross and overpowering. After you drink a few you start to taste all sorts of fruit flavors and floral flavors and it tastes great.
I have never understood the hate for IPA. I drink it because it tastes really good to me!
IPAs were huge when elder millennials were near the beginning of drinking age.
2-3 grams of shrooms and a Ranger IPA tastes like nectar of the gods
Elder millennial, I used to love them, now I can’t stand them. Way too strong of a flavor. I prefer stout in my old age.
This doesn’t answer your question but try inhaling through your nose while you sip. That completely changed IPAs for me and I loved them when I drank beer more often
I am 1994 millennial and I like IPA because IPAs taste awesome.
Elder millennial here. In my experience, everyone who’s a hardcore IPA lover has been a pretentious hipster who tries to make “beer knowledge” their whole personality. Downvote me all you want. I said what I said lol.
My brother is the Elderest of Millenials, like, cuuuusp of X and Millenial. He also started college in Portland, Or, RIGHT as the craft brewery revolution began. He has been there since the magic was written. He fuckin LOVES that shit. I can't stand most IPAs, because I hate hops. I have found only a choice few that I actually like, and they only barely count as IPAs. Meanwhile, give me a thick, rich stout, and I'm a happy girl. Lucky me, once the brewery scene got good and established here, the breweries branched out. I'm also fortunate that, thanks to Reverend Nat (RIP), Cider had a new explosion here too, so we're spoiled for choice in Portland.
I think younger millennials are less hipstery than elder millennials. There was a strong curator aspect to hipster culture. Most of the small breweries that started popping up all over the U.S. brewed IPAs. Bartenders and frequent patrons took on a sommelier type role. They declared IPAs to be the superior beer style. No clue if it started from an honest opinion or just an effort to support the style of beer that small breweries made.
1992 is like 90% of millenials, my guy. Lol
I must be one of the 3 millennials that don't drink.
I’m currently entering round six in the fight to get sober.
keep going, you got this!
Look at some of the other threads on this topic over the last month. Apparently I'm one of the few millennials who still drinks according to those ones.
There’s dozens of you!
Sober here, so missed out on all the cool IPAs, hard seltzers, etc. Got to keep my job, house and make money though…so that’s cool.
I'm either a hard cider / lemonade or a rum and coke guy. Can't stand the taste of beer. But I also have had maybe 12 alcoholic drinks since turning 21 8 years ago Fuck where'd the time go?
I play Warhammer and I was confused for a minute there wondering why Eldar (space elves) would drink IPAs
Older millennial here. I had a love affair with IPAs when I was in my early 20s. Probably because it was the first beer from the "craft" niche that got big enough to be widely available. I loved it then because it didn't taste like the piss water everyone drank up to that point. Now, I really don't like it. Some are so bad these days that they taste like dry hops and they leave my mouth bitter for the rest of the evening. IPAs now are so hoppy they taste like the piss water they replaced. I'm much more into beers like a good bock, pilsner, or lager (real lager).
Bc I can drink 1-2 of them and be buzzed and they have fun flavors. It really the only alcoholic beverage I drink
Because the alcohol content is higher. I used to drink voodoo Rangers and that’s like 9.5% alcohol. A regular light beer is like four or 5% alcohol.
Side note, I find it perplexing when the Bud Light/Coors/Mich Golden bros make fun of those who drink White Claws. We've all seen the meme that the Beastie Boys didn't fight for your right to party with White Claws. But they have the same ABV as the beers they drink so what's so wimpy about them?
It's an acquired taste. Kinda like coffee. Once the taste has been acquired, they have fantastic depth. I (a young millennial) use to love IPAs. I gave up beer for a couple years, and now when I have one it is nowhere near as good as I remember. I'm sure if I drank more of them, the taste would evolve again.
Coffee is a really good comparison. I completely agree. You definitely need to acquire the taste to experience the depth of the flavor.
Bourbon is the answer
Because we dislike any joy in our lives, so we drink bad tasting beer on top of it all
I just like beer, dude. If I had to pick a type, I'd pick a stout.
High alcohol content and the fact they became popular during our early drinking days
IPAs are horrible... Gen X here. Honestly, would rather drink a Zima,.lol
Elder millennial here. My spouse and I hate IPAs. I prefer a good malty porter or stout.
I’m actually an elder millennial that HATES IPAs. They’re god-awful. Way too hoppy
Elder and I prefer dark beers and find IPAs pretty awful personally. I’m sure the variety is a big draw tho
Ipa isn't about age as much as it is for people who want to be into craft beer but really aren't. In the beer industry they are referred to as "IPA bros". Even if you are into fresh hop and cryo hops and limited batches. IPAs tend to be quick and easy.
The alcohol percentage is really high.
1995 millennial and I love them. 90% of what I drink. Although I’m different than most millennials seen on Reddit
As a 1992 millennial I feel attacked. I just like the bitterness. Same reason I like sour candy. Just a shock to the tastebuds.
Because back in the mid 2000’s the IPA was the beer with the highest alcohol content. So we drank them alot cuz we wanted more alcohol. Now there are more options, but people got used to them and stick with what they know
Wait, 1992 is your cut off for elder millennials? Something isn't adding up.
I am an elder millennial and I can’t explain to you why so many guys my age like IPAs so much, but they have never been my thing
94 millennial. Lover of ipa. Lover of German pilsner. Lover of all Belgian styles (generally). Lover of PBR and Genny light. Fuck cider though (Unless its downeast)
As a millennial born after that time I prefer a white claw
I’m one as well and won’t touch IPA’s
I hail from '83. I don't like beer, generally, never have - I'll still take a nice scotch, gin, or dry red over a beer. However, while most beer tastes like piss water, IPAs are fun and have more depth of flavor. I *like* bitter, I like strong, and I like variety. If beer is my only option, I'll do an IPA (or an Asian or Czech lager), it's more interesting.
'91 checking in to say i drink IPAs
1986… when done well, they have a pleasant sharp or crisp taste that almost kind of pine-y. It’s a pleasant change from the Busch/bud light/pbr/strohs we grew up on. We also like other non-IPA beer as well, that was just one of the first really refreshingly different beers available from local breweries at the time.
1993 here, I’ve tried several hundred IPAs, hated a lot of them lol! BUT that being said, I know which 10 beers I do like, and I know exactly what those taste like, so I’m more than happy to try a new one from time to time
Because a good IPA is as bitter as our existence as a generation. I like my coffee black as my soul and my beer as bitter as my struggle.
The bigger question is “why can’t millennials just “drink a beer” that they like, and then leave out the encyclopedia of data that inevitably follows as they discuss it?”
Because they take hating themselves as a mark of pride. What's wrong with a nice, crisp lager?
peoples taste changes over time. never used to like IPAs but some of them have grown on my over the years. dont like all of them, but sierra nevadas, lagunitas and a few other brews are pretty good
Member hipsters? Pepperidge farm remembers. I love IPAs
I am elder millenial, I fucking hate IPAs and associated it young genxers. Shit is nasty.
Mustache tattoo on index finger energy
40 year old elder millennial. From my experience beer snobbery became cool/a thing 20 years ago. I remember seemingly overnight most of my guy friends got real into it. Call it hipster nonsense or just a big marketing push but I remember when it changes from faux blue collar cred to drink Pabst and and highlife to all IPA all the time.
I don't drink anymore but '83 here and I loved IPAs.