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"Tube":b5q0w8k1 wrote:

"Biertourist":b5q0w8k1 wrote: If you're opening the field to American Double IPAs [/quote:b5q0w8k1]
Speaking of which, where does Porterhouse's Hop Head fit in? [/quote:b5q0w8k1]

I'm actually afraid to answer that question; I know the whole point of your question seems to be targed towards the style guidelines, but any discussion about the style guidelines seems to trigger a response that the classification of beers itself is evil.

Porterhouse calls it "Hop Head Pale Ale" on their site, but then they also call it a "Dry Hopped Golden Ale" so if you subscribe to the theory that "it is what they call it", then I guess that that's what it is.

If you're looking at style guidelines you'll have a bit of a difficulty with Hop Head. It has Pale Malt Crystal Malt, and then also Wheat and Black Malt....

At 4.7% ABV it falls under the minimum ABV for the BJCP American and English IPA and because of the presence of Wheat and Black Malt I really wouldn't call it an IPA...

Based upon color and ingredients, "Dry Hopped Golden Ale" is a pretty good description.
Adam

"KeeganAles":1gbiue9u wrote: common usage makes the definition of a term, historically accurate or not.[/quote:1gbiue9u]Why doesn't hundreds of thousands of pumpclips, bottle labels and advertisments put out by Greene King count as "common usage"? Is it just because it doesn't suit you?

"KeeganAles":1gbiue9u wrote: So, from now on, when anybody asks, I'll be sure to say that English IPAs cleave into 2 varieties:[/quote:1gbiue9u]So, in this thread so far we've had two sorts of US IPA, two sorts of English IPA, black IPA and double IPA. If I add the Belgian-style IPAs into the mix are we on our way to observing that the term is essentially meaningless?

"Biertourist":2imx8w6m wrote: I'm actually afraid to answer that question; I know the whole point of your question seems to be targed towards the style guidelines, but any discussion about the style guidelines seems to trigger a response that the classification of beers itself is evil. [/quote:2imx8w6m]
Classification of things is very useful so that similar stuff can be easily identified and thus described. Take hats for example. Imagine the chaos if we weren't allowed classify them.