IPAs

Craft Beer is delightful and fun.

Lets talk about IPAs.

Dank. Hoppy. Bitter? This beer is notorious for its bite. This beer has changed tremendously over the years. My first Craft Beer that I absolutely adored was Sweetwater IPA. A very traditional American IPA that just blew me away when I first had it in the 2000s. I still like it but for different reasons. Sometimes you just want something that's a little simple. No Triple Hazy Milkshake action… a clean beer that just knows what it is. And isn’t trying to be the next best thing.

The current trend in IPAs that everyone knows is… Hazy IPAs. People love ‘em. People can’t get enough of them. And they are everywhere. I would say that this style really opened up the IPA category and possibly the entire Craft Beer Industry to a whole swath of people that would’ve otherwise been drinking something else entirely. Soooo… we can’t show too much disdain for the style. When done well… oh man oh man. They are quite delicious and drinkable.

When done poorly… they can taste like water-downed orange juice. I shudder when I think about that. Because I’ve had the worst… it was utterly disgusting. Which really kinda brings me to my next point. IPAs are extremely quick to brew. Having a beer style that you can turn around fairly quick and get that return on investment… faster? Why wouldn’t you do that? I know MANY a brewery that said that they would NEVER ever make IPAs. Guess what though? Do you like to make money? Sadly… that's what it comes down to. IPAs are popular and since you can pump them out and get them on draft just like that… if you are a smart business owner… the answer is simple.

Which really kind of plots out where we are today. I bet many a brewer looks at this beer style that you can make pretty quick and is looking for a good spin on it. You then get your variations… Kveik IPAs, Milkshake IPAs, Double IPAs, Triple IPAs, Black IPAs, Brut IPAs, New England Hazy IPAs and much much more. There are invariably too many to list here. Some are traditional but I was really going for new styles that have popped up in the past 15 or so years.

FUN FACT

A New England IPA IS a Hazy IPA. It harkens back to where the style first hit the scene… which was in the Northeast.

Hops!

Hops. Without hops… IPAs wouldn’t really truly work. The style is built almost entirely around them. The fun thing about hops is that we keep getting new variations and other experimental hop varietals because IPAs are the big dog in the Craft Beer market. It has affected the supply chain in this regard. Hop farmers can make some more money by growing these and also it then gives them incentive to try new hybrids and see what happens. Maybe a crossbreed between a Citra Hop and a Mosaic hop? Call it Experimental Hop #582. Could that be the next big thing? Only one way to try.

The India Pale Ale style is a beautiful thing. How far can you go with it? What will be that next big thing to come down the road that will change this style even further than what it looks like today? I’m excited. I may have to head down to my local brewery to see what’s brewin’.

Cheers.