It’s what the people want! But is it?
The financial bottom line of thousands of breweries across the country would say ‘yes, this is definitely what the people want’. But I would follow this pithy statement with a short addendum - “For now”.
Sure, lots of people love a turbid IPA. So does the Autumn Arch brew crew and our stellar staff. But we typically only have one hazy IPA on tap at any given time (or maybe two on a rare occasion), and this is in alignment with our two beer menu principles.
First, let’s acknowledge that we’re living in the GOLDEN AGE OF CRAFT BEER! It makes zero sense for us to stack the menu with a bunch of hazy IPAs and ignore dozens of other highly interesting (and tasty) ales and lagers. It is fun for us to brew all these different styles and by extension, we think it’s fun to consume these as well. Thus:
Beer Menu Principle 1:
High Quality + Deep Variety
Plenty of local breweries are making plenty of fantastic hazy IPAs, and you should definitely check those out if you’re into that sort of thing. Personally, I think hazy IPAs will always have a good following due to their very approachable nature, but I think the craft beer industry as a whole will eventually move onto another trendy style. It’s inevitable. Our tastes change with the times. Just like Tevas and Nickelback, what seems like a slamdunk now will not always be.
And that leads to:
Beer Menu Principle 2:
Always be on the interesting side of new things.
Because that’s where unknown flavors and complex relationships meet adventurous tastes.
And we think that sounds a lot like you.
ps. Check out both of these principles in action at Autumn Arch on August 4th (National IPA Day). We have six new IPAs on tap plus a firkin and a new can release….it’s a style you rarely see in cans - black IPA.