Happy IPA Day!

Happy IPA Day! IPA Day is August 3, 2017.   No matter which style of India Pale Ale (IPA) and the amount of bitterness you prefer in a beer, there’s no denying that the IPA has soared in popularity. According to the Great American Beer Festival, for the past seven years, the American Style IPA has been the category with the highest number of entries in the renowned competition. In 2016, there were 312 entries, just short of 2015’s whopping 336 entries.

Whether you’re partial to those big, bold West Coast-style IPAs, or you’re jumping on the New England fruity hazy craze that’s all the rage, prefer one a bit less intense, would rather go all-out for one of those Imperials, zero in on the flavors of the Specialty types, or get dark and roasty with a Black IPA, there’s at least one IPA for you.

IPAs are distinguished by particular category, generally according to the Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guidelines. For example, English IPAs and American IPAs are quite different. The English variety tends to be more on the spicy, or even woodsy, side. The American versions have aromas and flavors decidedly more hoppy and bitter, with flavors of citrus, floral, pine, spicy, tropical, fruity. There are also Specialty IPAs: Belgian IPA, Black IPA, Brown IPA, Red IPA, Rye IPA, and White IPA. In addition, IPA styles also include two very different strengths: Double (Imperial) IPA and Session IPA.

There are numerous IPAs on the market, each with different types and amounts of hops, which result in different flavors and bitterness levels. If you’re new to craft beer and wonder about that magical designation, the IBU (International Bitterness Unit), the lower the number, the lower the bitterness. While 100 is the general ceiling, some IPAs go further.

Check out some of these local Jacksonville IPAs.

Intuition Ale Works: I-10, Easy on the Eyes

Bold City Brewery: Mad Manatee

Engine 15 Brewing: Old Battle Axe, Double Drop

Aardwolf Brewing: Nonchalant, Hop Oddity, Stormageddon

Green Room Brewing: Head High, Double Overhead, Beer Storm Series

Pinglehead Brewing: Black hOPs

Veterans United Craft Brewery: Hop Banshee

Zeta Brewing: American Garage

Wicked Barley Brewing: Eradicator

Southern Swells Brewing: Karate in the Garage

Atlantic Beach Brewing: Duality, Two-Minute

Happy IPA Day!

Cheers!

Linda Johnson, Certified Cicerone®

www.brewnymph.com

Covering Florida’s beer scene, and locally around Jacksonville/North Florida

(story adapted from www.brewnymph.com)

(photo by Linda Johnson)