IPA Day

The India Pale Ale, or IPA, is an acquired taste.  On first try, few who tip a glass of that bright orange or amber fluid, smell the buoyant citrus zest & pine, & taste the aggressive bitterness are immediately won over.  Some turn away, never to return.  “I like beer – just nothing hoppy”.  It’s the beer equivalent of the “anything but rap & country” line.  But for those who’ve taken to the boldness, the complexity, the challenge of the IPA, there’s no turning back.

The IPA is English in origin.  There’s the apocryphal account of English brewers tapping the preservative properties of hops to make a stronger, more bitter Pale Ale that would survive the long voyage to British troops in India.  Less romantic, but probably closer to the truth, is that people liked the taste & aroma of hops & wanted more of them (& IPAs happen to pair well with spicy Indian food).  The English may have invented the IPA, but American craft brewers have taken the style & brought it to new heights.  Whereas most European hops are used for balance & subtle seasoning, American brewers found a panoply of aromas & flavors in American hops & pushed them to their limits, creating explosive, expressive IPAs that expanded the boundaries of beer as most drinkers knew it!  In the decades since the beginning of the craft movement, the IPA has become the quintessential American craft beer style, made by nearly every brewer in the country & beloved by beer fans all over.

It’s this recognition & love of the IPA that’s behind the 2^nd Annual IPA Day on Thursday, August 2^nd, 2012.  Join The House in celebrating the best that hops have to offer with some world-class examples of the style, including Cigar City’s Jai Alai, Fathead’s Head Hunter, Firestone Walker Double Jack, & Dogfish Head 90 Minute - all on tap!  Grab yourself a sampler & explore the ins & outs of the hop, with half-a-dozen 6 oz. samples for $14, or choose from our scores of IPAs in bottles & cans, including classics from Bell’s, Stone, Lagunitas, & Green Flash, as well as plenty of newcomers & trendsetters.  Whether you’re a tried-&-true hophead or just “cone-curious”, come to The House & discover that bitter can definitely be better!