

Happy IPA Day! Today is the day where beer drinkers around the world raise their glass to one of the most iconic styles of beer –India Pale Ale. While there aren't any #IPAday themed events happening in Ottawa there are plenty of pubs selling IPAs that were brewed close to home.

To celebrate, we asked brewers in the Ottawa-area which IPA is their favourite and why:

Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

Andrew Bartle: Great question. My favourite IPA has to be Bell's Two Hearted

Ale brewed in Kalamazoo, MI. It was the first IPA that really made me

say "Wow" and generally still does to this day. I'm a huge fan of IPA's

that use Centennial hops as they are so full of citrus, all of that

grapefruit and loads of pine. I love that aroma especially when balanced

with a beer with a lot of body. Even really bitter beers need a little

balance.

For Canadian IPA's I have a soft

spot for Amsterdam's Boneshaker. This is another fantastic beer with a

lot of body, but the hops are so powerful. I generally find Amarillo

hops to be more floral than some other American varieties but, they

really have this aroma and flavour of really juicy tangerines. There are

a lot of complex malts in there but, it doesn't taste complicated. It

really has what I look for in a great IPA. It's aroma is powerful: It's

floral, citrusy, I can sense there is a malt backbone. There has to be

mouthfeel and body to the beer. The flavour has to be juicy like biting

into tangerines, grapefruits, and oranges. IPA's can be extremely bitter

and still really drinkable.

Some other great IPA's are

Central City Red Racer IPA. Fat Tug from Driftwood

Anything Greg Nash

makes at Rock Bottom or Hart and Thistle in Halifax is unbelievable…

not balanced, but amazing beer!

Matthew O'Hara: I agree with Bartle in regards to Bell's. A true classic.

I

also think Le Castor from Rigaud is currently doing a bang-up job with

theirs; emphasizing zesty citrus ( grapefruit) aroma over sheer hop

bitterness.

I also like Heady Topper from Alchemist in

Waterbury, Vt. This double IPA is a beast that sips beautifully at 8%

ABV and 120 IBU. Here again, the balance is key whereby the bitterness

is checked by malt and fruity esters. The aroma that exhibits typical

but noteworthy depth of American hop varieties is front and centre.

Broadhead Brewing Company

Josh Larocque: I would have to say that it's the Double Overhead IPA from Maui Brewing

Co. (although, technically it's a double IPA!) At first sip I loved it,

but thought it might have been the vacation sun influencing my

tastebuds when I tried it at their brew pub in Maui. I bought a growler

and very carefully packed it – taking up about 25% of my luggage space!

Once back at the brewery I cracked it open for the guys to try and it

was received fairly well, although being a double IPA it was a bit much

for them to handle. Over the span of the next week, I drank it

regularly in 4oz sample glass servings and enjoyed each serving like it

was the first.

Description from RateBeer.com:

"Double Overhead IPA is a fresh handcrafted double IPA featuring copious

amounts of hops. Laden with hops from begining to end and not overly

bitter, it's hop aromas and flavours give hints of Guava, Passion Fruit,

and orange spice which blend well with the silky malt flavours. 'Big

braddah to the Big Swell IPA' 60+IBU'S"

The flavour description nails it perfectly (I love that style of hop

flavour, similar to what we go for in our Wildcard Ale.) What I liked

best about it though, was that silky malt mouthfeel which I found to

balance the drying hop bitterness nicely.

Cassel Brewing Company

Mario Bourgeois: A favorite IPA???? Impossible to say! Among my favorite: Cassel Hopper Car (mine!), Beaus Beaver River, Amsterdam Boneshaker, Mad Tom, Twice as Mad.

Why? cause they are great and I love IPAs! I'm bad at giving description on beers 😉

The Clocktower Brew Pub

Patrick Fiori: My favorite IPA is Church Key's West Coast IPA. It is a beautiful

balance between a crisp citrus hop and a full body with just the right

amount of sweetness. It is a bit of an anomaly I usually enjoy british

IPA's like ours more.

Turtle Island Brewing Company

JP Fournier: Mad Tom by Muskoka.

Kichesippi Beer Company

Don Harms: I would have to say, that is was the Wuchak Polaris, that we made in

mid-Spring. Because we made a one variety hop IPA, and we worked with

both the hop farmer and hop company in Germany. It turned out to be a

very pleasing, balanced IPA while still exciting the hopheads!!

Mad Hatter Brewing Company

Justin Murray: Fave IPA: Muskoka's Mad Tom IPA

So aside from growing up in the Muskokas, drinking a Mad Tom is like an angry guy named Tom filling a malt sack with tropical fruit and hop flowers, smashing you in the face with it, then gently sprinkling you with citrus blossoms. In a good way. But in all seriousness, we love it for its punchy hops without being unpalatably astringent, and its rich malty backbone to balance it out. Deliciously aromatic and clean as a whistle.

Big Rig Kitchen & Brewery

Lon Ladell: Being a west coaster anytime I get a taste from home is good time – Phillips Hop circle.

We are releasing our Double Hop IPA today. With 110 IBU we put a mix of Amarillo and Galaxy in 9 hop additions to make this beuty.

Thank you to all of the brewers who took the time to answer our question!

Which IPA will you be celebrating IPA Day with?