Some occasions call for the stronger stuff, and there is bang-for-buck value to be found in store fridges these days. Consider the success of New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger brands, especially its imperial IPA, whose various iterations have scorched the sales charts while many other craft brands have taken a beating. No wonder that many other breweries are now working to get onto store shelves their higher-strength IPAs, often in the range of 9–10 percent ABV and available in large, 19.2-ounce cans.
It’s as if the wider public is discovering what hopheads have known all along: Drinking strong, hop-forward beers can be really fun—and the best examples cram ample hop character into a dangerously drinkable frame for an addictive experience.
So, what’s the secret to brewing a strong IPA so drinkable that people keep wanting that next sip? There are a wide variety of answers to that question because brewers across the country are solving the problem from a wide variety of directions. Still, some guiding principles emerge.