A few weeks ago, I posted a survey about IPA to gauge how people feel about craft beer’s most popular style. I was wondering if breweries are hitting the mark. Do the beers align with what people want? Have people’s preferences changed? Stuff like that.
If you haven’t taken the survey, it’s still up there gathering data. I encourage you to participate! When the survey received 1,000 responses, I gathered the data. I will continue to do so as time moves on, but this report covers that first round of responses. Likely, this round of data comes from a pretty enthusiastic craft beer crowd, not the general beer-drinking public. Take that for what it is. In addition to the results, we also collected a large number of comments, which we rounded up at the end.
Survey says…
QUESTION: “Which statement best applies to you? Compared to a few years ago, when you are shopping for beer, or ordering at a taproom…”
Most respondents said that nothing has changed (57.9%), but that is not the story here. Nearly 35% said that they are now less likely to choose IPA than they were a few years ago. If not IPA, then what are they reaching for? My gut instinct, and a bit of data, suggests that the rising popularity of lager-style beers, like pilsner, has something to do with it, but let’s continue to examine the data in front of us.
QUESTION: “When shopping for IPA at a grocery store or bottleshop and presented with a selection, I am most likely to…”
It appears that IPA is a point of discovery for many beer drinkers: about two-thirds of the respondents selected an answer suggesting that exploration is still part of the game. A big takeaway: the most popular answer was “Buy something new from a familiar brewery that I know and trust.” If you are one of those breweries, congratulations.
QUESTION: “At a pub or taproom, how often do you order a pint of an IPA you’ve never had before, whether it be based on a recommendation or just pure curiosity?”
About 60% said they often order an IPA they’ve never had before, with another 27.5% saying they occasionally do so. Of course, they may not have the option to choose an old, familiar favorite when ordering a beer at the taproom, but combined with the previous question’s results, I think it is safe to say that IPA is often a point of exploration and discovery.
QUESTION: “Which of the following IPA descriptors appeals to you? Select up to four answers that best apply to you. Select your top four. I like IPAs that are… “
Thankfully, “Hop-Forward” was the top answer. It was a bit of a trick question, if I’m honest. The most popular answer proves that people understand that IPA is an inherently hoppy style. Piney, Crisp, Citrusy, and Balanced rounded out the top five responses. In the comments roundup below, some of these points are addressed.
An interesting note: although 28% selected Hazy as an attractive descriptor, only 7% selected Soft/Fluffy (mouthfeel). The latter is a distinctive and common attribute of hazy IPA. I find that interesting.
QUESTION: “Do you agree with the following statement? Too many of the IPAs I encounter these days are too strong. The ABV is often higher than I’m looking for.”
The results are not strong enough to suggest that people are drinking less IPA because of the ABV; however, the fact that one-third of respondents agreed with the statement is worth considering. The Comments Roundup shows that ABV is a greater issue than the survey results suggest.
QUESTION: “If it were up to you, most regular-strength IPAs would fall into which ABV range? (Not session or imperial)”
No real surprises here. The data suggests that about 68% say they’d like IPA to fall between 5.5% and 6.5%. Again, not game-changing info, but something to consider. Most IPAs I encounter are at or above 6.5%.
QUESTION: “Be honest! Do you understand the sub-categories of IPA?”
“(NW IPA, West Coast IPA, American IPA, New England IPA, etc.). Do you understand the difference well enough to make informed buying decisions?”
Really? Nearly 80% of respondents say they understand the differences among IPA styles. I am not sure 80% of professional brewers understand the differences between IPA styles. “West Coast IPA” is different than “hot hazy IPA.” I saw a brewery post on social media recently that its new West Coast IPA contained nothing but pilsner malt and two-row pale malt. What? No crystal? Am I missing something? I am so old school that when I think of this IPA style, I remember seminal beers like Ballast Point’s Sculpin IPA and Green Flash Brewing’s West Coast IPA. But I am old, and I digress.
I am not accusing anyone of lying, but really, ask a bartender. People just want to know whether it is hazy or not, but the data is what it is.
QUESTION: “Regarding the color and appearance of an IPA. Which of the colors pictured is most appealing to you?”
(Note that SRM is a reference to color, where SRM 0 is water and SRM 50 is tar.)”
No real surprises here. Over 80 percent of respondents want their IPAs below SRM 9. In other words, folks don’t want their IPA to look like 2009, when IPAs were quite commonly SRM 10 or higher. We drink with our eyes as well as our mouths.
QUESTION: “Hazy? Yes or no? Assuming you have options, on a scale of 1 to 10, how often do you opt for a hazy IPA when selecting an IPA?”
If we take answers 1 through 3 to mean “not often or never,” 46.1% fit into that range. If we take 8 through 10 to mean “often or always,” only 15.5% fit into that range. I guess the popularity of number 5 means it was equal to saying “I order hazy IPA half the time.”
There is still room for the haze, but it is clearly less popular. (See what I did there?) I think the graph would have looked a lot different five or six years ago. The Comments Roundup suggests that many people are suffering haze fatigue. Away from these results, there are plenty of bar and taproom managers who will tell you plenty of customers still step to the bar and ask, “What do you got that’s hazy?” Ideally, a beer menu should offer hazy and non-hazy options.
QUESTION: “Would your response to the above question about Hazy IPA have been different a few years ago? Have your preferences changed?”
Over a third of the respondents said their preferences have changed. There have always been haze haters, and I presume they are part of the 62.6% who said their preferences have not changed, but I think the number of “always hazy” drinkers has diminished. I base this on anecdotal evidence as much as on data, but we all know it is true: there’s room for the haze, but it’s clearly less popular.
QUESTION: “Do you ever avoid ordering an IPA because it is too heavy or too filling?”
I bet you weren’t even thinking about this until I asked. As lighter styles of beer have gained popularity among craft beer drinkers, I was curious about whether people’s perception of IPA had changed. I’m not sure what these results tell us, but this data could be cross-referenced with the SRM and ABV questions above if you are a brewery willing to think about it too much.
QUESTION: “If you answered YES or SOMETIMES to the previous question, would descriptors help influence your decision?”
“Words like light-bodied, bright, crisp, effervescent, etc?”
Over half of the respondents said their preconceptions can be influenced by words. Call your IPA crisp and bright, and it might still attract someone who otherwise thinks of IPA as being heavy and filling.
Admittedly, this question and the previous question were based on the idea that hazy IPA has changed people’s perception of IPA. Hazy IPA is, by its very nature, more filling because of all those proteins. If you disagree, and don’t think it is more filling, you’re weird. I was curious whether the rise of hazy IPAs led more people to think of all IPAs as more filling. I’m not sure we answered that question, but it is something to think about.
QUESTION: “Do you appreciate bitterness in your IPA? Considering most IPAs you encounter these days…”
A significant portion of people (42.5%) wish IPAs were more bitter. I think that is noteworthy. That’s a pretty huge portion of the IPA audience. However, a significant portion of people (39.1%) think they are currently perfectly bitter.
QUESTION: “Breweries sometimes provide information about the kind hops used in their IPAs. Either in the beer’s name or the description.”
“Given that, how would you describe your understanding of hops?”
The most basic conclusion I can draw from the results is that breweries should always, or should continue to, make it known what hop varieties are in a particular IPA. It may influence someone’s buying decision. And if someone opts to NOT buy your IPA because of the Mosaic or Sorachi Ace hops, that’s probably okay too. You never want to serve someone a beer they won’t like. The Comments Roundup suggests people want to know more about hops.
QUESTION: “Has the increased popularity/availability of craft-brewed Pilsner impacted your IPA consumption?”
The largest portion of our respondents said the influx of Pilsner has not impacted their IPA consumption. I did not expect that to come in as the top answer. Personally, the increased availability of good, locally brewed pilsners has definitely impacted my IPA consumption. I expected a lot of people to agree with me, but the data is what it is.
Comments Roundup
QUESTION: “In brief terms, what would you like to see brewers do with IPAs moving forward?”
The survey included a line for comments. Of the 1,000+ survey participants, over half left comments. I started doing it on my own, but in the end, I cheated and used an AI assistant to analyze and summarize over 600 comments. Here’s what my irresponsible use of CPU, RAM, and natural resources discovered. These were the most significant takeaways.
I did not anticipate this, but, um, wow. The comments were hazy! I mean, overwhelmingly hazy-focused. Like a forum for the anti-haze militia. The most-mentioned word in our comments was “hazy” or some variation of it (haze, hazies, etc). Commenters most frequently noted something like “haze fatigue.” Commenters overwhelmingly want fewer hazy, juicy IPAs and a return to clear, crisp, bitter West Coast styles with balanced malt. They complained about taplists overrun with hazies. Many said they are not entirely done with hazies, but want them to be less sweet and fruity, and more balanced.
The most-mentioned word runner-up was “West Coast” or some variation of it (WC, WCIPA). Commenters want a return to what they called traditional West Coast and NW-style IPAs, with many mentioning words like “clear” and “piney.” Many call for better balance, lower ABV, and more drinkable options. (IMHO, away from this survey, I honestly believe that people simply equate West Coast with not hazy, though they claim to know more than that.)
Commenters want clearer IPA definitions and better labeling. Although the survey showed that people think they understand different IPA styles, the comments suggest they want better education on these styles and clearer labeling.
Many commenters mentioned hop varieties. They want to know more about a beer’s hop bill. They are interested in new hop varieties. In short, they want breweries to continue innovating and exploring different hop flavors.
Conclusions
These survey results come from a group of people who are more beer-focused than the general population. I do not know how different the results would look if it polled random people shopping for beer at the grocery store. Still, there’s value here because beer enthusiasts still matter, even though craft beer now attracts a wider audience.
This survey, and any others like it, provide valuable insight for craft breweries who want to find consumers where they already are. Gone are the days when craft breweries could tell the public what kind of beer is good beer. It’s great for a brewery to have its own favorite, its own niche, but it is also great to sell beer.
