Fashionistas of the beer world: jumping sharks.

One of the great developments in the beer world over the last few years has been the wave of foreign hops that have arrived on our shores. This was made inevitable, to a degree, by the reduced hop production in our traditional areas of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Kent.

My philosophy, when it comes to choosing beers for the pub is that I go out to find the new and unusual. I never play safe given the choice. This has been an issue for some customers over the years, and I understand why, but I feel the need to do this. I feel I need to seek out new trends and styles. Partly to keep our selection interesting and varied, and partly to maintain my own passion for the subject.

These new hops resulted in a good many new beers. For a year or two we enjoyed these beers, many with the American, recently created Citra hop variety to the fore. A carefully employed citric edge could be found in beers from many brewers such as  Oakham Citra. A beer that remains very enjoyable.

I am afraid that, a year or so ago, the use of excessive quantities of these hops in many of the new beers did, for me at least, start to become tiresome. I started to resent the ever more agressive level of hopping employed by some brewers. A good old fashioned IPA like Worthington White Shield is hoppy, sure, but the result is refined rather than brutal. Thornbridge Jaipur is a fine example of the modern IPA style, with the more vibrant new hop varieties.

Many more, however, seem to be verging on crude, perhaps even stupid attempts to brew ever more hoppy beers.

The issue, I feel, is that some brewers see a more viable future in brewing extreme beers than in brewing GOOD beers. Thornbridge can brew wonderful beer, and use some great ingredients (pink peppercorn's anyone?) that most would never imagine using, but for me they do sometimes overstep the mark. Brewdog  also brew some very interesting beers that everyone should try, if only once. Can't say I would I would like to find myself on a desert island with a truck full of their beers to live on indefinitely.

The fact is that every time I try one of these new beers these days, I end up wishing I had a pint of anything from Hobson's, Salopian, Weetwood or Copper Dragon (to name just a few). Give me a well made, well balanced beer of any strength or colour, and I will be a happy man.

And, as if that isn't enough, the latest trend is for a new style called 'black IPA'. IPA stands for India Pale Ale, a beer style developed in Burton-on-Trent  a couple of hundred years ago. It was strong, pale and very hoppy - characteristics that enabled it to survive transport to the sub-continent by sea and then up into the hills to slake the thirst of the British. It may be a strong hoppy ale, but it is definitively not black. The black IPAs are often lovely beers, but find another name!

I'm sorry that this all gets me a bit cross but if these people would just concentrate on something more creative and useful, such as developing ways to make curries spicier, we could all be happy.

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