The India Pale Ale (aka IPA) continues to be the most popular craft beer style, so on this day every year we celebrate its continued greatness. The cool thing about the style is the way that it continues to evolve and develop into many sub-styles. A basic IPA is going to be aromatic and bold with fruit and spice (and sometimes herbal) notes on the palate. It should have a nice bit of bitterness on the finish so that any residual sweetness is washed away.
These days, there are many new iterations of the IPA. The latest trends include New England- or East Coast-Style hazy/cloudy IPAs which are majorly fruity and low on bitterness; milkshake IPAs made “creamy” with the addition of lactose; and wild IPAs fermented with a mix of yeast strains for exotic fruit notes. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though, as the IPA has been tweaked and reinvented many times since it was invented more than a century ago in England.
We currently carry nearly 100 different IPAs that encompass all of the styles mentioned above and many more. Pick some IPAs up today and celebrate IPA Day!