Along with this usually comes a thicker mouthfeel and more body than one might expect out of a traditional American IPA. They are also, of course, hazy some are flat-out opaque, exhibiting a solid wall of beer behind the glass. The IPA moniker suggests that it shares some features of that style, which is certainly true in one way: Milkshake IPAs routinely feature prominent hops flavor and aroma, generally (though not necessarily exclusively) using American hops, and particularly the fruitier, tropical varieties. So, what is this thing we call the Milkshake IPA? Interpretations vary, of course, but there are some common threads that we can knit together to come up with a description of the вЂњstyle.вЂќ Is вЂњclearвЂќ a stale fashion in a cloudy future? The Milkshake IPA WeвЂ™ll start by getting into just what goes into a Milkshake IPA, discuss approaches you might consider for making your own, and then address the ongoing debate of its appropriateness, persistence, and value. Others simply think it sets a bad example and encourages sloppy breweries to rush out mediocre products and then revel in the pearl-clutching from вЂњtraditionalistsвЂќ who think that all beer must be crystal clear (except Hefeweizen, of course).

This is a controversial approach to beer. Even breweries that arenвЂ™t jumping in with both feet are pushing out hazy, cloudy IPAs and pitching them as fellow travelers to the Milkshake IPA, while older breweries brag that theyвЂ™ve been making cloudy, thicker beers for years. Dozens of Milkshake IPAs are now available from domestic and international breweries. By seizing on the galloping popularity of IPA and adding ingredients and processes that enhance highly approachable (or, in the words of Jean Broillet of Tired Hands, вЂњwhimsicalвЂќ) flavors and textures, a few breweries began a fad that evolved into a trend. What is somewhat unusual is just how popular these (and similar) beers have become. So, it really comes as no surprise that we witnessed the advent of the вЂњMilkshake IPA.вЂќ Heck, by the standards of вЂњweird beers,вЂќ itвЂ™s not even that unusual. That includes the likes of beer made with brains (thanks, Dock Street), scrapple (Dogfish Head), every food product one could name, and all manner of exotically sourced yeasts (beards andвЂ¦elsewhere).

ItвЂ™s like MurphyвЂ™s (Irish Stout?) Law: if it can be brewed, it will be brewed. It isnвЂ™t like we couldnвЂ™t have seen this coming.Д«rewers are an almost painfully creative lot.

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