Red IPA

jmcnamara

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For one reason or another, I brewed one of these a bit ago. As I sit here enjoying one, I'm wondering just exactly what this style is supposed to be.
I may not have brewed this at all accurately, but it tastes basically like a hoppy Irish red. Is there any more nuance to this style that I'm missing? and for that matter, black IPAs?

At least with Belgian IPAs, there's a distinct difference.
In trying to find the guidelines for this style, I ran across is website. http://www.worldbeercup.org/participate/beer-styles/

I'm all for experimentation and pushing boundaries and such, but that is a ridiculous amount of styles. Most of which seem to me to be very minimally different

Ah well, end rant :roll:
 
Ok, so if you're a judge :ugeek: how do you decide between a Black IPA and a Red IPA? :? Which is better? How could you compare them with a traditional English IPA? I see nothing to rant :twisted: about, this is just a longer list of styles to try brewing! :D Create your own style even. Maybe they would include it!
 
I tend to agree with JC.... The new style guidelines seem to be splitting hairs in many respects. Yes, there are potentially hundreds of styles but there is also the potential for every beer brewed consistently to be its own style. And don't get me wrong, I love my Kentucky Common and my Piwo Grodziskie, I was brewing both before they were styles, but a Ky. Common done well is like a Dusseldorf Altbier with a slight accent. I won't rant about them: My well-made Grodziskie no longer has to compete against a Rauchbier in the smoked beer category, but it sure makes it harder to know all the styles.
 
To me, a good Red IPA has a good balance between hop (aroma and flavor) and malt (crystal, caramel). Where as a standard IPA is much paler so it's usually hop forward with malt just supports the hops. The best standard IPAs I've ever had (homebrew or commercial) are nearly all base malt and quite pale. My favorite one I ever brewed was 80% 2 row and 20% light Munich. My favorite Red IPA had a nice punch of c60 and c120. And yes, I'm a BJCP judge.
 
maybe i'm oversimplifying it, but a good red IPA is a bad red ale, and vice versa?

another example that I found recently is that there's a Pacific IPA (or something similarly named). don't think it's an official style (yet). to me, it was basically a standard American IPA, but more on the citrusy side, rather than piney. Presumably, it's made only with hops from Australia, NZ, etc.
Let's say that eventually becomes a style. So, what happens when those hops are transplanted somewhere else (let's say America) and that same Pacific IPA is brewed? would that become a new style? an American Pacific IPA?

Not trying to be argumentative or pedantic, but those guidelines seem to be overdone this year. are there years where styles disappear or are consolidated?
 
A good IPA is not a bad pale ale, but this looks like a good IPA dyed red. The Munich and Victory are adding some malt flavor, the Chocolate in this amount is essentially a dye. The point of the whole thing is do we consider a red IPA a distinct style from, say, an IPA? Is an IPA done with Golden Promise appreciably different than one done with American Two-Row? Does dyeing one black with dark malt make it a different style than the base American IPA? I can see that American IPA and British IPA are different styles but are the gradations of color in the American version worthy of their own style designation?

Judging competitions this year under the new guidelines will be most interesting. At the AHA level this might make sense but at the local homebrew competition level, I can see us just lumping everything that is entered as an American IPA together and judging from that perspective. Otherwise, we're going to have a lot of one-entry categories.
 
Nosybear said:
Judging competitions this year under the new guidelines will be most interesting. At the AHA level this might make sense but at the local homebrew competition level, I can see us just lumping everything that is entered as an American IPA together and judging from that perspective. Otherwise, we're going to have a lot of one-entry categories.

This was my first thought when I first saw the changes. In smaller competitions how would this work? The place I saw the new styles listed was the BJCP site. The spreadsheets are incredibly long and detailed. My guess is
judges would need to refer to the guidelines with every subcategory as it would be almost impossible to remember all the fine details of so many beers. But to group them, I guess maybe each beer in each subcategory could be judged as to fit there and then score compared to others in main category for awards? Just guessing. Making it tough for a judge.
With that said it was obvious some changes needed to be made as it was getting to the point of lots of variations being smashed into small groups.

Did they go over board?
 
Everyone gets a trophy!
 
Ok Ok everyone can be a wise ass. :roll:
Did they go overboard?
 
As far as AHA/BJCP competitions go, there is one gold, silver, and bronze awarded for all the IPA combined. Some smaller competitions may even combine categories further.
 
that makes it even weirder to me then. why delineate like that, only to lump them all together anyway at the end?
is it kind of like dog shows? where they separate it out into breeds or types, and then do a best in show for the winners? i never really understood those either
 
If you're judging properly you give feedback and score to the guidelines and medal based on that. I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be on a competition coordinator to give medals in all sub-styles (I've been one several times).
 

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