"The variety that craft beer was founded on is alive and well heading into 2026, but one style undeniably rules the scene. We're talking, of course, about the IPA. The IPA has many substyles, so there's something for everyone, but all of these different expressions are bound by their delicious exploration of fragrant hop character. Whether you like your beer bracingly bitter or tropically sweet, the overall IPA category is rich with options just waiting to become your new favorites."
"2025 was a banner year for IPAs, ranging from piney, resinous West Coast IPAs to juicy, fruity hazy IPAs with balanced American IPAs, crisp cold IPAs, roasty black IPAs, and more in between. Alas, not every IPA is a banger - especially considering the style's popularity, plenty of offerings on bar menus and store shelves may have been rushed to market to tick a box."
The craft-beer world remains diverse heading into 2026, with the India Pale Ale clearly dominating consumer attention. IPA substyles span piney, resinous West Coast IPAs; juicy, fruity hazy IPAs; balanced American IPAs; crisp cold IPAs; and roasty black IPAs. The abundance of breweries produced many standout IPAs in 2025, though some releases were rushed to market. Over 9,000 U.S. breweries create a vast field of options that makes exceptional IPAs more notable. Highlighted examples include collaborations such as Ghost-Fu!, a West Coast-style double IPA combining Parish Brewing Co. and North Park Beer Company approaches.
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