fell down another internet rabbit hole, this time reading some beer blogs. found the following quote in a blog about neipa's....
"Oregon’s Willamette Week released results of an IPA taste test featuring 73 India Pale Ales from within the city limits of Portland. Culture editor Martin Cizmar declared "The hop war is over, and the bitter side lost. The five best IPAs in the city come from brand-new breweries, and most of those have been influenced by Heady Topper, Julius, and Sculpin, beers that present hops as a reward rather than a challenge.”
I've been a hop head for lo these many years, and I'm certainly up to the challenge presented by extremely hopped bitterness, but I've found myself generally going for a saison, a sour, or one of the Belgians rather than an IPA. That is, until recently. I've been truly enjoying the pleasures of juicy, hazy hop flavors & aromas of the new neipa's (not to mention some of the great can graphics). Ya gotta love the hoppy rewards!