Session IPA

“The aim here is to make a ripping XPA that combines plenty of saturated modern hop characters—thanks in part to the multiple small kettle-hop additions—with a lean but structured malt base,” says Scotty Hargrave, the progenitor of modern XPA.

Lean, dry, and highly drinkable—but with the full-spectrum hop punch of an IPA—the extra pale ale is engineered for volume, for warm weather… and for thirsty brewers ready to hone their technique.

Brian Hutchinson, cofounder and brewer at the Colorado brewpub that’s won a slew of medals for its hop-forward beers over the past 13 years, details their approach to achieving high-impact flavor and quality at small scale.

From Odell Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado, this recipe is a celebration of Strata hops and the people who pick them.

From Offset Bier in Park City, Utah, this session-strength IPA—which features the new public hop, Vera—is fresh off a gold-medal win at the Great American Beer Festival.

Amarillo and Simcoe lead the way in this session IPA recipe from Josh Weikert’s Make Your Best series.

So far, Anthony Tallman’s quest to brew the perfect hop-forward session beer has borne two GABF silver medals for Carlsbad Crush. But this San Diego brewer isn’t done experimenting with techniques, ingredients, or timing, as he continues to squeeze big hop flavors into Burgeon’s lean, drinkable beers.

Brian Hutchinson and Jonathan Lee of Cannonball Creek in Golden, Colorado, embrace constant change, even when it means huge recipe changes for gold medal–winning hoppy beers.

At 4.6 percent ABV, the seasonal Summer Break IPA is svelte and sessionable—yet it packs a big, punchy flavor. Scott Jennings, Sierra Nevada’s innovation brewmaster, explains how.

From award-winning homebrewer and Craft Beer & Brewing contributor Annie Johnson, this elegant single-malt-single-hop beer can spotlight any hop you want—in this case, Zappa, which can boldly express tropical fruit, mint, spices, citrus, and pine.

Here are five flavor- and aroma-forward IPAs that scratch the hops itch without loading up on calories.

Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head, on the difficulty of nailing down a winning low-cal IPA.

Andy Farrell, brewing innovation manager at Bell’s Brewery, talks about the tinkering and process behind developing Light Hearted Ale, the company’s highest-profile new release in years.

Craft beer's best-selling category offers a deluge of choices. What's worthy of your glass? We asked the brewers of GABF gold-medal–winning beers to share their top picks.

Session IPA isn't just a question of reducing the gravity (although that's one way to go, and we will be): it's a question of generating a lot of flavor from hops and finding light ways to balance those flavors.