Red IPAs Predict a Coming Vibe Shift in the Craft Beer Industry
Brewer boredom and economic pressures are chipping at the taproom dominance of hazy IPAs.
Ramparts red IPA from Des Moines’ Lua Brewing.
Photographer: Janelle Jones for Bloomberg BusinessweekVisiting a friend in Lexington, Virginia, recently, we checked out a small-batch brewery called Heliotrope. I scanned the menu of just nine taps, including a couple of obligatory hazy India pale ales, an American lager and a dry Irish stout. But wait: Did I spy a red IPA?
I had maybe seen one other red IPA in the previous 10 years—just the day before. From then on, I started seeing them everywhere. My local package store stocked two, one from Chicago and another from Colorado; taprooms in Des Moines, Iowa, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, each offered a different take on the obscure ruby-hued style; even my hometown Major League Soccer team in St. Louis had a hoppy red ale made to match its scarlet scarves at home games. What, I thought, is going on?