The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts The Session, chooses a topic, and creates a round-up that lists all of the participants. I have the pleasure of hosting the next round of The Session, which will take place on July 5. You have the pleasure of participating and/or reading (and also potentially hosting a future edition of The Session!). The choice is yours.
For quite some time now, I've been wondering what makes the India Pale Ale (IPA) style of beer so popular. Don't get me wrong--I thoroughly enjoy it and gladly participate in #IPADay. I'm just wondering, why all the hype? What is it about an IPA that makes craft beer enthusiasts (CBE) go wild? Is it because CBEs want to differentiate craft beer from crap beer? I don't care if a watered-down pilsener is labeled as "triple-hops brewed"; it wouldn't satisfy someone looking for an IPA.
At the same time, not all CBEs prescribe to the IPA way. The author (a beer writer!) of a recent article proclaims that "hoppy beer is awful" and that it is allegedly "alienating people who don't like bitter brews". I happen to like IPAs and DIPAs, so I'm not going to preach about only non-hopped craft beer, as the author suggests, just to turn people away from overcommercialized yellow-colored water. Besides, maybe the bitterness and hoppiness of an IPA is exactly what some beer drinkers that have yet to be introduced to the ways of craft might want.
So what's the deal? Let me know what you think by sending me a link to your blog post on July 5. Or if you're not a blogger, I'd still love to hear what you think. Leave a comment below, or connect with Justin's Brew Review on your favorite social media platform:
Prost!
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