IPA Day is tomorrow, and BeerAdvocate has done a great job of breaking it down for us:
“Hopheads unite! IPA Day returns on Thursday, August 2, 2012 to celebrate one of the most popular styles of craft beer on planet Earth: the India Pale Ale (IPA). We didn’t create the day (see “About IPA Day” below), but we’re here to celebrate it and so can you! (No specific location required.)
Join BeerAdvocate and beer enthusiasts around the world as we collectively give props to Humulus lupulus (hops); ye olde tyme herbal sedative, the flowering gargoyles of spoilage and stability, the bringers of balance and bitterness and, in abundance, the shredders of palates.
How to Celebrate IPA Day
1) Checkout: http://ipaday.org
2) Join this Google+ event. Invite your friends via Google+, Twitter and Facebook.
3) On Thursday, August 2, 2012 … drink some IPAs and share your experiences. It’s that simple. At home or a place, alone or with friends, homebrew or commercial IPA, paired with food or on its own. It doesn’t matter.
… Attend an IPA Day event: http://beeradvocate.com/events/calendar/2012/08/02 (There are no San Diego events listed on that calendar, but thank you to locals California Kebab, Local Habit, Stone Brewing Co. and The Range for submitting events to our web calendar.)
… Are you a place that sells beer? Host an IPA tasting. Spread the word!
… Gather some friends for an IPA bottle share.
… Head down to your local bar, brewery or eatery for some IPAs.
… Go to your local store. Buy some IPAs. Drink them.
… Pair your meals with IPAs; breakfast, lunch and dinner.
… Convert a friend into an IPA drinker.
… You get the point.
4) Share your IPA Day! Make some noise! Use the #IPADay hashtag on Google+ and Twitter to bring awareness to the day and make it easy for others to follow along. Tell your IPA Day story. Take pics of the IPAs your drinking throughout the day, people you’re sharing them with, and add them to this event. (Android users: Enable “Party Mode” so any photos or videos you take share in realtime with others. iOS users: just use the camera icon when viewing the event page to upload your pics.) Learn more: http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/events/
5) Most importantly, have fun!
Exploring IPAs
Not sure where to start? Checkout some IPA styles, brands and reviews.
English IPA: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/150 (where it all began)
American IPA: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/116
American Double / Imperial IPA: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/140
Belgian IPA: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/174
American Black Ale: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/175
About IPA Day
Founded in 2011 by beer evangelists and social media personalities Ashley Routson (@TheBeerWench) and Ryan Ross (@RyanARoss), 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.”