Now I know how IPAs are brewed...from filthy socks. Actually I used to be a hobbyist brewer, and I know IPAs are a holdover from the British Empire. They wanted to manufacture as much as possible in the British Isles and not the colonies but the Brits in India wanted beer. The beer often spoiled by the time it made it from GB to India, so they upped the hops which besides adding bitterness is a preservative. Mass market beers tend to be overly light on hops, but when microbrews became trendy, some people over corrected and decided IPAs were more than a historical curiosity. That said, I don't see why IPAs are so popular. I tried a new restaurant with a bunch of local brew selections and 2/3 of the beer menu is IPA. I think IPAs taste like dirty feet. I like wheat beers with a splash of citrus in the Summer, and malty brown ales the rest of the year. IPAs are an abomination.
"when we we're done, half our population had been culled; but what rose from the ashes was unstoppable" -omni man on the spinny discus of death