Understanding IPAs: 5 Key Features of Modern Craft IPAs
Craft beer fans have embraced the evolution of beer, this is no more evident that the clamour for modern IPAs. These bold beers have captivated drinkers with their hazy appearances, intense flavours, and innovative brewing techniques. Let's delve into the five key features that make modern craft IPAs so popular.
1. Hazy Marvels:
The world of modern craft beer is awash with a haze of creativity and innovation. Hazy IPAs, once frowned upon, now reign supreme, captivating drinkers with their velvety mouthfeel and explosive hop aromas. Whether you're savouring a pint of craft hazy IPA from a local brewery in the pub or exploring the latest release at home from a 330ml or 440ml can, each sip promises a journey through a cloud of tropical fruit and citrus notes. At Alphabet both Haze Craze DIPA and Juice Wayne provide the required hazy appearance, coupled with their own unique flavour profiles.
2. Hop-Forward Delights:
For hop hedonists seeking an explosion of flavour, look no further than new craft, hop-heavy IPAs. These beers showcase the importance of hop selection in modern brewing processes, allowing brewers to bring hop character to the fore, from the bright citrus of Cascade to the dank resin of Chinook. With each sip the brewer will be leading you on a flavour journey that is really rather different to years gone by and classic beer flavours. A to the K is Alphabet's West Coast style IPA, one which shy's away from the hazier approach with a classic bitterness and amber appearance. This one is bitter with a dry finish, driven by Chinook and Palisade hops.
3. The Double Dose:
When one IPA just isn't enough, craft breweries offer a solution: the craft DIPA. These double IPAs, or DIPAs, take everything you love about IPAs—bold hops, intense flavours, and a touch of bitterness—and dial it up to eleven. With ABV levels that pack a punch and flavours that linger long after the last sip, craft DIPAs are not for the faint of heart. Prepare your palate for a journey through a landscape of tropical fruit, pine resin, and everything in between. The Alphabet DIPA, Haze Craze, is a big hitting, hazy, yellow treat. An 8% craft DIPA that uses Amarillo, Galaxy, Citra and HBC 630, blending them perfectly in a big hoppy slap in the face.
4. Fruity Fantasies:
For those craving a taste of the tropics, fruity IPAs offer a refreshing escape from the ordinary. Bursting with the vibrant flavours of mango, passionfruit, and pineapple, these brews transport drinkers to sun-drenched shores with each sip. Whether you're lounging on a beach or huddled up by the fire, a fruity IPA is sure to brighten your day and tantalize your taste buds. If big flavour is what you are after, then Juice Wayne is your best friend. Our 4.8% session NZ IPA is both hazy and heavy with the fruitful tones, using Simcoe and Idaho 7 hops to help craft a hazy IPA that indulges notes of passionfruit and stonefruit.
5. Bold and Beautiful:
In the modern world of craft beer and brewing, boldness is celebrated and encouraged, and nowhere is this more evident than in the multitude of unique IPAs out there. From their hazy appearances to their intense flavours and high ABV, these beers command attention and demand respect. Whether you're sipping on a hazy DIPA or indulging in a fruity IPA, each perfect craft beer tells a story of craftsmanship, creativity, and a deep love for creating innovative beer.
In our vibrant craft beer community, modern IPAs stand as shining examples of brewing progression and a relentless pursuit of great flavour. So, the next time you find yourself in search of the perfect craft beer, look no further than the world of modern craft IPAs. Cheers to hazy and hoppy.
