A confession that may make me the worst native Oregonian of all time: I don't like IPAs.
Believe me, I've tried; I've even gone so far as to track down a bottle of Northern California's famed Pliny the Elder just to make sure. But there's something about an IPA's overwhelming blast of hops that just reminds me of bong water.
But my distaste for India Pale Ales puts me in the minority: These babies are big business. Craft beer sales are increasing exponentially every year, and according to figures from IRI, a national market research firm, IPAs and pale ales make up 30 percent of the beers poured in bars and restaurants.
"IPA is king," says Julia Herz, craft beer program director for the national Brewers Association. "It's tied to the full-flavor movement for beer, where no longer does a light American ale satisfy Americans. Beer lovers love them."
Oregon brewing empires have been built on the British-inspired swill: Breakside Brewery's flagship IPA won gold this year at the massive Great American Beer Festival (where IPAs represented the most contestants), while Eugene's Ninkasi's Total Domination and Tricerahops are more bitter than an aging barfly.
That may be why, out of the estimated 183 microbreweries in the state, a scan of Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) data shows that just five—count 'em, five—have the cojones to not make an IPA.
