India Pale Ale (IPA) Day 2013

I always seem to miss this stuff! I hear about it a day or two after, and I’m always bummed that I missed out on the festivities! Not this day, my friends, NOT THIS DAY! Won’t you join me in celebrating the day that you can declare (even more fervently) that you are a craft beer LOVER??!

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It’s not that we need another excuse to drink beer, but it IS nice to participate in the camaraderie that is fostered in this craft beer revolution.

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What IS IPA day, exactly? What is the history of it?

These are questions I asked myself, just yesterday, when it came across my twitter feed.

This day was started by Ashley Routson(a.k.a The Beer Wench), and Ryan Ross in 2011 as a way to celebrate everything that is the craft beer world, while also raising awareness of it through the use of social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram & Facebook. There are millions of people on these platforms, and only a subset of them consider themselves craft beer lovers. The goal, then, of IPA day, is to encourage the whiskey drinker to put down that highball, the wine drinker to put down that balloon glass, and pick up a tulip filled with rich, hoppy, golden bubbly instead.

Crafting beer is not so different from that of wine or spirit making. All requires dedication. All requires quality ingredients.

It’s such an amazing thing that has happened to this little niche of society. People are getting interested in this old world, artisan craft, local businesses, the smaller, the better. People and couples are even trying their hands at it. Companies like More Beer, and Monster Brew are making it extremely accessible to brew your own beer. It’s a lovely group to be a part of.

So, since I finally made it to my first official IPA Day, check out this spread!

We’ve got:

• The Classic Stone IPA – a great IPA that I under-estimate quite a bit. I’m always happy to have it when I crack one of these beauties open!
• Sock Knocker IPA by Coronado Brewing Co. I’ve had this once on draft, sometime, someplace, and I remember really liking it. It’s a specialty beer, so I’m not sure of the year-round availability. It’s at BevMo now though! We’ll have to see how it is when I get off of work today!
• R & R Coconut IPA collaboration by Stone Brewing Company, Rip Current Brewing, and Robert Masterson & Ryan Reschan – Home brewer Extraordinaires. I made the mistake once of not taking Stone collaborations seriously enough. This time I took no chances. This will be THE THEME beer for IPA day. I was happy to have found it at BevMo! What’s up homiez?!
• I’m an IPA girl through and through. When you precede India Pale Ale (IPA) with “oak aged,” my heart starts to flutter. My BevMo homiez said that Rumble by Great Divide Brewing Company just came in, so I had to check it out. I haven’t had it yet, but rest assured I will let you know how it was on Instagram and Untappd!

For the Inland Empire, I must say that we do have some places that are great at stocking up on some good things. Here are a few of my favorite spots:

View Craft Beer Bottle Stores in the Inland Empire in a larger map

I really am a fan of BevMo – they rarely let me down. When you get to know the people who work at these places, they can pull some strings for you.

So, get out there! Get you some of the craft beer golden love child going on out there today! Talk to a stranger in the beer aisle, and get their input. One spark of interest, and you have an instant friend, my love.

I heard through the grapevine that Hangar 24 is hosting a celebration, and I’m positive that there are many other places that are participating as well! Check out www.craftbeer.com for IPA Day events in your area. Remember, this is AS MUCH a virtual thing as it is a real-life, physical thing, so make sure you include the hashtag #IPAday in your tweets, instagram, and facebook posts, and participate in this revolution!

CHEERS, IPA DAY!