Why These Breweries are Getting off the IPA Bandwagon

Jeremy Wirtes was feeling uneasy as his guests started sizing up the new beer list on a brisk Friday afternoon in January. His brewery, Triple Crossing, had just released its first rauchbier—a smoked lager—and Wirtes was sure they were going to have to dump every last keg of it.

Triple Crossing is known for hoppy beer. Every week, it pumps out another double dry hopped or hazy, juicy brew to offer to the hoards of people coming through its two Richmond, Virginia taprooms. Triple Crossing’s brand has become synonymous with IPAs and, because of this, brewing anything else seemed daunting.

But, as the number of breweries in the country continues to increase, it’s becoming exceedingly apparent to brewers like Writes that they can’t survive on IPAs alone.