I Don't Like #IPAday

Yesterday, August 2nd, was something called IPA Day, an event promulgated by two self-described social media gurus who blog about beer. I like IPAs. A lot. But there doesn't need to be an IPA day. It's already the most popular style, in terms of both craft beer sold, and craft beer entered into the World Beer Cup. It's redundant. There are so many IPAs out there, every day is practically IPA day. So I ranted. Hey, it's what I do.

The result is that there are many many IPAs out there, which is nice because having options is nice. But it’s also not nice because a lot of these are crap. Brewers can and do use massive amounts of hops to cover up flaws in the beer (shots fired: I call these West Coast IPAs)....

What should you do instead? Drink a style that doesn’t get enough love. Ignore anyone who describes her- or himself as a social media guru or expert. Reward craft breweries that lager; we need more of them. Patronize the breweries that have beers cold-conditioning, taking up precious real estate. If you like hops, have a Victory Prima Pils. Sour beers are an excellent antidote to summer weather. It’s August, go grill something and pair it with a rauchbier. 

 More ranty goodness here. Whatever you drank yesterday, even if it was an IPA, I hope it was good, and made with love and care. Cheers.

* Extra special cheers to this gentleman, who made the above meme-tastic image.