| In addition to the educational seminars, product expo and evening networking events, the Craft Brewers Conference features the annual World Beer Cup, one of the biggest beer and cider competitions. More than 250 judges from 37 different countries taste and appraise brews in 112 categories and subcategories, from Hoppy Lager to Belgian Fruit Beer to Smoke Beer.  The annual Craft Brewers Conference, which took place this year in Indianapolis at the end of April. Source: Brewers Association When it comes to the contest, I care less about who takes home the gold than how many brewers entered in which categories. It’s a great way to get a sense of what styles most brewers are making and by extension what people are drinking. And this year it’s clear that, when it comes to craft beer, IPA is still the master brew. The three most entered style categories at the World Beer Cup, totaling almost 9% of all entries, were all forms of India Pale Ale. This reflects a report from earlier this year that IPA accounted for 49.41% of off-premises retail market share in 2024, with sales ticking up by nearly 2% from the previous year, even as the overall industry recedes. “When I got into the industry 13 years ago, IPA was the dominant style for craft, and it’s been king the entire time I’ve been here,” says Derek Gold, senior director of operations for WeldWerks Brewing Co. in Greely, Colorado. “People just associate craft beer with IPA and IPA with craft beer. And it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.” Part of the reason IPA is synonymous with craft is because it was one of the first American craft styles—and probably the most distinctive. In the 1980s, homebrewers and upstart brewpub owners on the West Coast began taking the English IPA—a hop-forward, dry-finishing ale that was eclipsed by maltier British bitters and milds—and doing what we Americans do: They made it bigger and bolder. They added heaps of hops and boosted the alcohol content, creating an earthy, piney and brashly bitter beer that bore little resemblance to its colonial forebear. In fact, it was unlike anything beer drinkers had ever tasted and helped set craft beer in stark contrast to the watery macro-made pale lagers that had monopolized American bars and beer fridges. But just because the American India Pale Ale has sat atop the craft-beer tap list for decades, that doesn’t mean the ruler has been immune to trends, market forces and consumers’ ever-evolving tastes. After all, have you ever been to a brewery with just one IPA on tap? These days we have double and triple IPAs (which essentially means more alcohol), and brewers have added the letters DDH for double-dry-hopping, a process in which hops or hop products are added to the beer after fermentation, which squeezes extra flavor and aroma and leaves out the flower’s harsh bitterness. There are now more than 250 different varieties of hops, each with its own distinctive flavor and aroma that brewers swap in and out or use in seemingly endless combinations to provide a fresh spin on their IPAs. Of course, the most notable shift in the IPA landscape came courtesy of Citra, a dual-purpose hop variety that adds both bitterness and aroma, which allowed brewers such as Boston’s Tree House and Trillium and Vermont’s Alchemist to pivot from the mouth-twisting bitter bombs of the original West Coast IPAs to a more welcoming, fruit-forward New England, or Hazy, IPA. “One minute we were in the IBU (International Bitterness Unit) Wars trying to make the most bitter beer, and then palates shifted,” says Gold. “People started to shy away from the bitterness. They wanted something fruitier.” They still do. The No. 1 most entered category at this year’s World Beer Cup was Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale. Gold says that style definitely dominates for WeldWerks, whose flagship hazy Juicy Bits and its fleet of variants and offshoots are among the highest-rated and most sought-after New England-style IPAs in the world. And I can attest that these unfiltered, softer and fruitier hazies have been a gateway for many formerly bitter-averse drinkers, like myself, to the world of IPA. With innovative brewers continually tweaking and reinventing the style to attract new tipplers and maybe even stumble onto the next big thing, simply seeing the letters I-P-A on a menu doesn’t necessarily tell you much about what you’ll get in the glass. So here’s a quick guide to help you navigate the ever-widening world of India Pale Ale. West Coast IPAThe American original. These are filtered and usually pour clear and dark gold. While many have eased up on the IBUs, you still get the bitterness along with a piney, citrusy and sometimes dank flavor and aroma. California’s Stone IPA is still a classic example.  California’s Stone Brewing has produced this IPA since 1997. Source: Vendor New England IPAAlso called “hazy” because it’s usually unfiltered, this IPA still has some hop-bitterness, but it leads more with tropical notes instead of the pine and cedar of its West Coast cousin. A good hazy is also a bit softer and creamier in feel, making it almost seem less carbonated. Tree House Brewing’s Julius is a bucket-list NEIPA.  Based in Charleton, MA, Tree House Brewing produces Julius, a hazy IPA. Source: Vendor Cold IPAAn IPA that’s fermented at colder temps to yield a cleaner, crisper beer almost presents like a lager. (It is sometimes confused with an India Pale Lager, and some are brewed with a lager yeast—it gets a little fuzzy). The true style is a nice balance between hop-bitterness, some citrus, a slight malt-sweetness and a drier finish. Sierra Nevada makes a pretty good example with its Cold Torpedo.  Sierra Nevada’s Cold Torpedo is fermented at colder temperatures than a typical IPA. Source: Vendor Milkshake IPAThis is basically a hazy with lactose added, which accentuates the sweetness and creaminess. As you’d expect, it pours and drinks thicker, and many breweries will double down on the sugar and add fruit or purée. But the hoppy bite is still there on the back end. Swedish brewer Omnipollo makes some easy-drinking examples, especially its Raspberry Milkshake IPA, for which you won’t need a spoon or an emergency trip to the dentist.  Omnipollo’s Raspberry Milkshake IPA is brewed in Belgium. Source: Vendor Sour IPAAs the name indicates, this is a hybrid, taking the acidity and tartness of a kettle sour and blending it with the fruit-front hoppiness and softer mouth feel of a Hazy IPA. It can be a tough tightrope to walk. Upstate New York’s Hudson Valley Brewery has made a name for itself in this space, especially with its Silhouette series of well-balanced examples.  Hudson Valley Brewery’s Silhouette come in several flavors, including Pink Lemonade and Peach. Source: Vendor Brut IPABrewed to drink like a hoppy lager, this sub-style often presents more like sparkling wine. It’s pale in color, hoppy in aroma, but very faint on the sweetness. And it’s heavily carbonated to present that bubbly feel, yielding to a super-dry finish. Michigan’s Old Nation Brewing rules this category with its B-43 series.  Old Nation Brewing’s B-43 IPA Source: Vendor Black IPAAlso known as a Cascadian Dark Ale, this style combines the bitterness and citrus of a West Coast IPA with the malt-backed roastiness of a stout or porter. Firestone Walker’s Wookey Jack is a prime entry.  The California-based Firestone Walker produces the Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA. Source: Vendor Red IPAThis is a style that’s experiencing something of a renaissance. Just as the Black IPA is an IPA/porter hybrid, this lighter sub-style pairs the West Coast IPA with an American Amber, creating a bitter beer that’s balanced with warmer caramel and even toffee sweetness. Colorado’s Oskar Blues counterintuitively puts its version in a green can labeled G’Knight Imperial Red IPA.  The G’Knight Imperial Red IPA is brewed by Colorado’s Oskar Blues brewery. Source: Vendor To me, the best part of the Craft Brewers Conference occurs far from the convention center. It’s a chance to explore the host city’s beer culture at a time when brewers and bars are rolling out their best to impress their visiting peers. And this year, Indianapolis didn’t disappoint. Here were a few highlights that you should hit if you find yourself at the Crossroads of America:  Broad Ripple Brewpub’s ESB is a must have. Photographer: Tony Rehagen Owner John Hill opened this cozy spot in the city’s bohemian Broad Ripple neighborhood in 1990 because he wanted a place to watch English football and drink English-style ales. Over 30-plus years, the country pub has developed that well-worn patina while brewmaster Jonathon Mullens has dialed in the brews: particularly the cask-conditioned ESB—a must-have.  Guggman’s Hazy Horizon DDH IPA Photographer: Tony Rehagen Located in the former Boyle Racing headquarters and not far from the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this pit stop is the place to fuel up on Hazy IPAs. Its flagship Riverside NEIPA is always on tap, but it also continually rotates new and exciting hazies, and I’ve yet to have one that’s missed.  Kismetic’s Lemon Cream Earl Grey American Wheat Ale Photographer: Tony Rehagen This place matches its retro-future ’70s lounge vibe with a tap list that’s at once comforting and adventurous. Owners/brewers Nicole and Ryan Oesch brew several offerings that are monastically true to style, including a crushable Schwarzbier, while also raising an eyebrow with beers such as a refreshingly citrusy Lemon Cream Earl Grey American Wheat Ale with just a hint of tea on the nose. | 
