Ep 170 - Are Modern IPAs Still About Hops

An IPA episode that starts with skepticism and ends with us genuinely impressed. We line up six different India pale ales and do a true side-by-side IPA tasting, the kind that exposes what labels and marketing blur: some IPAs are hop-forward and dry, some are mellow to the point of confusing, and some modern fruited hazy IPAs barely resemble the old-school “bitter grapefruit and pine” stereotype at all.We crack into Dale’s Easy IPA, then move through bigger names like Stone Brewing and New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger series, comparing aroma, bitterness, dryness, and that all-important drinkability. Along the way we drop IPA trivia that clears up common myths, including where IPAs actually originated and why they were built for long trips. We also talk beer glassware, including the idea of an IPA-specific glass designed to hold aroma and preserve head, and why drinking IPAs cold still matters.The real plot twist hits when the fruited and tropical IPAs show up. Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force and Voodoo Ranger Tropical bring loud fruit aroma, surprising sweetness, and the dangerous kind of smoothness that hides a 9.5% ABV punch. If you’ve been searching for “best fruited IPA,” “tropical IPA review,” or a craft beer podcast that tells you what’s worth buying, this one gives you clear rankings, honest scores, and who each beer is for.Subscribe for more tastings, share this with the IPA skeptic in your life, and leave a review with the next beer style you want us to put on the table.Send us Fan MailThank you for listening to The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. If you have a question, comment or would like us to review your beer, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. You can also find us on Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter), Instagram and Tik Tok.If you are on Untappd, look up NorthwoodsBeerGuy and send a friend request.Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can click on our RSS feed as well.