This October, VinePair is celebrating our second annual American Beer Month. From beer style basics to unexpected trends (pickle beer, anyone?), to historical deep dives and new developments in package design, expect an exploration of all that’s happening in breweries and taprooms across the United States all month long. The American IPA is something of an anomaly. Everything from its origins to its bicoastal sub-styles are hotly contested by beer connoisseurs and professionals. Its most recent and enduring sub-style, hazy IPA, is a craft beer success story, becoming a necessity for brewers’ viability in an increasingly competitive market, and also one of the most “overrated,” according to the very brewers who make it. What’s become a wholly accepted truth among industry members is that the very initials “IPA” say more than what’s inside the can. With endless iterations, innovations, and hop research and development in the field and in the brewhouse, IPAs sell. Year after year, in a country of macro-lager-drinking masses, IPA is the most popular craft beer style sold at supermarkets and retailers in the U.S., according to the Brewers Association. The following 25 IPAs have all had an impact on the craft beer community and continue to define the industry at large. In many cases, these brands pioneered a regional IPA style in their states, while others are standouts that made more recent waves in the relatively young hazy IPA craze. While many more were considered for this list, these are the 25 most important IPAs at VinePair in 2021. 25. Zero Gravity Craft Brewery Conehead
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