IPA – More than a Box

Yesterday, the Dutch investigative consumer programme ‘Keuringsdienst van Waarde’ delved into the world of IPAs, with some strong statements from a 'beer style expert'. NEIPA was said to stand for "Not Really IPA", and a Cold Black IPA was labelled a "double contradiction". But let's be honest: the world of IPAs is so much more than a rigid set of definitions.

IPA is not a narrow box you either fit into or not. It's a creative playground, a genre where brewers constantly push boundaries. The variety of IPA styles is not a problem, but a luxury. Why? Because tastes differ. Because there's an IPA for everyone – from bitter to juicy, from clear to hazy, from light to pitch black.

Let's immediately debunk a few persistent myths:

❌ "IPAs are always bitter!" – Not true at all. NEIPAs are juicy and soft, Cold IPAs are crisp and refreshing, and Session IPAs are subtly hopped.

❌ "NEIPAs are sloppily brewed!" – On the contrary. A good NEIPA requires precision, delicate dry-hopping, and a perfect balance between haze and flavour.

❌ "Brewers just throw hops into their beer to mask mistakes!" – Sorry, but a truly well-hopped IPA demands finesse and technique.

❌ "There are too many IPA styles!" – As if too much choice is a problem? Nobody complains there are too many types of wine/Pinot Noir.

How do you recognise the different IPAs?

Want to bring order to the hop chaos? Here's a handy guide to the most common styles:

🔹 West Coast IPA – Dry, bitter and clear with citrus and resinous hop notes.

🔹 New England IPA (NEIPA) – Hazy, full of fruity aromas, low in bitterness.

🔹 Session IPA – Lighter in alcohol, but with a substantial hop kick.

🔹 Cold IPA – Cold fermented with light grains to achieve the freshest and cleanest possible West Coast IPA approximation.

🔹 Black IPA – Bitterness from hops and dark malt notes with hoppy freshness.

Everything can be combined, made into Double (DIPA), Triple (TIPA) or even stronger versions.

Brewers: The Creative Minds

Brewing beer is an art. Brewers experiment, challenge themselves, and invent new styles to tantalise your taste buds. IPA is not a strict mould everything has to fit into – it's an invitation to break that mould.

So, let's stop pigeonholing IPAs and keep tasting them.