What is #IPADay 2013?
THE SUMMER sunshine may have been and gone, but as Andrew Mitchell discovers, the taste of it is about to take over down your local.
Despite the occasional ferocious downpour, as the mercury continues to rise it’s safe to say summer is here – and that can only mean that once again IPA Day is almost upon us.
This Thursday, August 1, will see bars, breweries and beer geeks alike lift a collective glass in recognition of one of the world’s most quintessential beer styles – India Pale Ale.
Starting in 2011, IPA Day is a truly international event, with drinkers the world over turning to social media to connect, chat and, most importantly, drink.
Each uniquely boozy tweet, blog post or Facebook message will be suffixed with the hashtag #IPADay, to allow even the most booze-addled mind to follow the conversation and get involved.
Unbelievably this isn’t some cynical marketing exercise from the big breweries. Instead IPA Day was dreamt up by bloggers and businesses to promote this fantastic style of beer. It’s an opportunity for the beer world to combine forces and share their love.
For many people the humble IPA represents the pinnacle of brewing innovation. The remarkable amount of beers falling into this category goes someway to showing the remarkable amount of regional variations. From true hop scorchers to easy drinkers, it is seen as the perfect beer style to galvanize beer’s social media voice.
Last year, roughly 12,000 tweets from more than 8,000 people were sent out over a 24-hour period, yielding over 10 million impressions for the #IPAday hashtag on Twitter. Impressive stuff. And while the USA make the most noise, the UK isn’t too far behind, so there’s never been a better time to turn to Twitter and get posting.
Getting involved is super simple; the only requirements are an appreciation for great beer and the willingness to spread the word. Anyone can participate by making some noise online with the #IPAday hashtag.