I love a good IPA but most (all) of them I used to buy have switched to those "grapefruit" hops. I don't think IBUs describe that flavor though.

IPAs do change over time though. To me, an immature IPA can taste a little soapy, but as they age that gives way to a more floral taste (depending on the hops used).

-- (went to go read up on it some more)

After reading up on it I believe you've hit the nail on the head with the "California IPA movement".

Apparently what we get is called "American IPA" which focuses on "C hops" — Centennial, Chinook, Columbus and, especially, Cascade, which is the grapefruitiest of them all.

What really surprises me about this though is how prevalent that flavor has become and the trend to make a beer even grapefruitier than everyone else's. It's a coast to coast thing.

What's really disappointing is that they are all pretty much indistinguishable from each other. It's really only how malty they are that makes them different, an it's not just IPAs anymore. They're crapping up all kinds of beer with those skunky hops.

And that's another point. While they call the flavor "Citrus" or "Grapefruit" it reminds me much more of the "Skunk Bud" weed that got so popular in California back in the `80s. I'm thinking that since those two plants are such close cousins that all that skunk bud pollen is wafting around and mixing in with their hops out there and skunking them up and that's reminding those old brewers of their younger days