Huh, that's just a (poor) homebrew thing, however there's many decent homebrew shops that sell malt, nitrogen flushed hops etc. For example - https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk
Additionally the UK also makes very high quality malt including malt made from heritage grains and floor malted, which I've had in IPA form.
There are many decent IPAs available in the UK, such as American style ones comparable to beers such Heady Topper etc. Or more traditional ones such as made by Fullers etc.
Check out breweries such as Thornbridge / Verdant / Polly's / Cloudwater / Siren / DEYA etc.
Heady Topper? 8% alcohol. Seems a good fit for the UK market.
I tried most IPAs available in London and France and they seems to me to go in two directions: 2x percentage of alcohol or using various syrups. They invariable give me headaches and I keep coming back to traditional beer.
Just FYI - in London, IPA is a very traditional beer. Just not the hop-bomb american styles.
Go for cask real-ales on the big pumps rather than craft beers off the keg taps, and you're drinking old-school British beers brewed in the way they have been brewed for hundreds of years. Some of them will be IPAs. Most of them will be in the range of 3-6% alcohol.
They don't tend to be as massively hopped and flavoured as the newer 'craft' styles, they are less fizzy (natural carbonation only, rather than forced keg carbonation) and might be kinder to your head as a result.
Additionally the UK also makes very high quality malt including malt made from heritage grains and floor malted, which I've had in IPA form.
There are many decent IPAs available in the UK, such as American style ones comparable to beers such Heady Topper etc. Or more traditional ones such as made by Fullers etc.
Check out breweries such as Thornbridge / Verdant / Polly's / Cloudwater / Siren / DEYA etc.
Very curious as to what IPAs you've had.