IPA Day Returns August 7th

On Thursday, Aug. 7, join beer enthusiasts, breweries and bars across the globe in a collective toast to one of craft beer’s most iconic styles: the India pale ale.

Founded in 2011, IPA Day is a universal movement created to unite the voices of craft beer enthusiasts, bloggers and brewers worldwide, using social media as the common arena for connecting the conversation.

IPA Day is not the brainchild of a corporate marketing machine, nor is it meant to serve any particular beer brand. IPA Day is opportunity for all breweries, bloggers, businesses and consumers to connect and share their love of craft beer. It is an opportunity for the entire craft beer culture to combine forces and advocate craft beer through increased education and global awareness.

Why Celebrate the IPA?
This illustrious style represents the pinnacle of brewing innovation with its broad spectrum of diverse brands, subcategories and regional flavor variations—making it the perfect style to galvanize craft beer’s social voice.

At the 2014 World Beer Cup, the most entered style category was the American-Style India Pale Ale with 224 entries. The second most entered category was its little cousin, the American-Style Pale Ale (122 entries). Its popularity and accessibility makes the IPA the most inclusive style for brewers, retailers and consumers to collectively celebrate.

IPA Day History
For the past two years, hundreds of events, tastings, festivals and dinners have been hosted around the world in celebration of IPA Day. Last year, the official #IPAday hashtag was tweeted out 33,697 times by 22,877 different users. The #IPAday hashtag had the potential reach of 25.04 million people and appeared on nearly 54.2 million timelines.

Throughout the day, the official hashtag trended in several major U.S. metropolises, including Austin, Birmingham, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Denver, El Paso, Greensboro, Harrisburg, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Jackson, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Louisville, Minneapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee, Portland, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Diego—and just about every major U.S. city on the map.

Outside of the U.S., reports of IPA Day were recorded all over Europe,  as well as China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Brazil.

The goal is to make this year’s IPA Day even more viral. Getting involved is easy! The only requirements are an appreciation for great craft beer and the willingness to spread the word. Anyone can participate by enjoying an IPA with friends, making some noise online with the #IPAday hashtag and showing the world that craft beer is more than a trend.

How to Participate in IPA Day
Organize an IPA Day event at your brewery, brewpub, restaurant, bar, bottle shop, home or office. Be sure to post your events on the CraftBeer.com Event Calendar so others in can join in. Here are some helpful tips on submitting an event.

On August 7, share your photos, videos, blog posts, tasting notes, recipes and thoughts on IPA with the world. Be sure to tag your posts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and other social media platforms with the #IPAday hashtag. Please note that this year we are using a lower case “d” in the hashtag to reduce confusion.

See what other people are saying on Twitter by searching #IPAday. Follow the conversation closely by adding an #IPAday search column on your Tweetdeck.

Become a craft beer steward in your community. Encourage non-craft beer drinkers to take a break from their normal beverage routine and join the collective toast on IPA Day. Set the goal of converting at least one person, if not the whole world of drinkers to IPA lovers!

For more information follow: @TheBeerWench