Beer has been a staple drink of civilisations for centuries, with various cultures adopting the drink and brewing their unique twist on it throughout history. More recently, craft IPA beer brands have introduced an explosion of new beers to the world market, with weird and wonderful tastes reaching lips across the globe for the first time.
With so many choices from various nations and iconic breweries, it can take time to decide what to try next or how to narrow down your ‘to try list’ for your next purchase.
In today’s article, we’ll cover some of the best IPA beer brands to explore for new tastes and a new experience of beer any beer lover will appreciate.
Innis and Gunn IPA
Hailing from Edinburgh but based in Perth, Scotland, is Innis and Gunn, an IPA brewer passionate about a crisp taste with unique flavour blends to satisfy the taste buds.
Being founded by Dougal Gunn Sharp in 2003, Innis and Gunn’s unique taste comes from the decision to mature their beer in Scotch whiskey casks for unparalleled deep flavour. It has been so popular that Innis and Gunn’s lager is Scotland’s best selling craft beer.
But we’re here to talk about the Innis and Gunn’s IPAs, such as:
- Their Session IPA (4.2% ABV); is a light, aromatic beer packed with tropical grapefruit, lemon, and berry tones. This IPA is brewed using Goldings, Centennial, and Citra hops to give it its distinct taste.
- Mangoes On The Run IPA (5% ABV); is a wonderfully light, zesty IPA that provides a lingering hoppy aftertaste with every mouthful. This IPA uses Citra and Centennial hops to compliment the mango zest for a delightfully refreshing beer.
- Gunpowder IPA (5.6% ABV); described as ‘explosively flavoursome’, this exceptional IPA is fortified with Cascade, Mandarina, and Centennial hops for a rich flavour that won’t disappoint. With a flavour profile of oranges, pine, and grapefruit, and balanced using Munich malt, you’ll relish every drop.
Kaiju! Beer
For our next entry, we’ll be going down under one of Australia’s breakout IPA beer brands of the past decade, taking the market by storm in 2013, Kaiju! Beer describes itself as an ‘oddball’ amongst Australian brewers. Master brewers Nat and Callum focus on crafting unique beers like no other on the continent.
Their debut flagship beer ‘Aftermath Double IPA’ was so popular upon its release that it caused a shortage of Simcoe hops in its first commercially available year. Since their inception, they have grown their portfolio of available IPAs, scaled the operation, and kept the company 100% family-owned.
Some of their most popular IPAs are:
- Aftermath Double IPA (9.1% ABV); their original breakout IPA. Using Mosaic, Simcoe, Chinook, and Columbus hops for an unusual blend that works magnificently well. This American-style IPA exploits the best bits of malt to create a taste that’s smooth but assertive with it’s taste profile.
- Krush Tropical Pale Ale (4.7% ABV); is an IPA with a flavour profile perfect for relaxing on Sydney’s beaches. This ale uses a blend of Mosaic, Cascade, Motueka, Citra and Simcoe hops for a flurry of flavour that’ll impress. The super clean malt profile allows the fruity flavours to shine through as overtones, rather than undertones, for a delicious IPA you won’t regret trying.
Echigo Beer
Japan is not known for its IPA, but maybe it should be with Echigo Beers. Opening Japan’s first microbrewery, Echigo offer an impressive range of beverages, including a great range of IPAs.
The founder of Echigo discovered his love for a beer after a successful stage-acting career in Europe, where his time in Regensburg, Germany, taught him about the craft and culture around beer. Bringing this newfound passion back with him, he started by spreading his love for beer in his home of Niigata.
Since 1995, they have been crafting exceptional IPAs (among other beers) such as:
- Echigo Flying IPA (5.5% ABV); is an American IPA-styled beverage instantly recognisable with its piney, herbal hops. This IPA is characterised by an increased carbonation count, ensuring that this IPA feels and tastes refreshing to compliment its notes of honeyed malt, lemon and lime, light caramel, dried apricot, and steamed barley. A complex but delicious combination.
- Koucha Kaora Black Tea IPA (4.5% ABV); is a herbal and spice-inspired IPA that is as complex as it is rich in taste. The rich aroma of hops is balanced very well with nuances of black tea to offer a truly one-of-a-kind IPA worth trying.
Conclusion
The world is full of interesting IPAs with tastes that are varied enough that there will be an IPA for everyone. Explore these brands and more to experience beer like no other.
We wish you all the best on your exploratory IPA journey!