6 IPA Styles That Didn't Age Well

The world of craft beer is always evolving. Styles rise to fame, dominate tap lists, and then—often just as quickly—fade away. Nowhere is this boom-and-bust cycle more dramatic than with IPAs. These hop-forward beers are the lifeblood of many craft breweries, and with that popularity comes constant experimentation.

Over the years, brewers have stretched and bent the IPA category in all kinds of ways—some wildly creative, others delightfully weird. Some of those ideas stuck. Others didn’t.

Today, we’re revisiting six once-hyped IPA styles that, for one reason or another, didn’t last. We’ll look at where they came from, what made them interesting, and why drinkers eventually moved on.

Want the cliff notes? Jump to the bottom of the page for a timeline.

♠Black IPA (a.k.a. Cascadian Dark Ale or CDA)♠

What It Was:

Black IPA—or, as it was often proudly called in the Pacific Northwest, “Cascadian Dark Ale”—is exactly what it sounds like: an IPA that looks like a stout but tastes like a hop bomb. It emerged in the early 2000s as brewers began experimenting with dark malts while keeping the hop bitterness and aromatics of a traditional IPA intact.

The style was meant to defy expectations: a beer that poured dark as night, but hit your palate with pine, grapefruit, and citrus rather than coffee and chocolate.

Why It Was Popular:

It was novel. People loved the optical illusion. And in an era when aggressive West Coast IPAs reigned, adding roasted malt complexity to a bitter beer made sense. It felt like the IPA had matured—become moodier, more complex. Pioneers like Stone’s Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale and Deschutes’ Hop in the Dark gave the style legitimacy and buzz.

Why It Fell Off:

Execution was tricky. Too often, the roasted malts used to achieve that dark color would dominate, masking the hops entirely. Many versions ended up tasting like ashy stouts with a hint of bitterness rather than hop showcases with depth.

As hazy, juicy IPAs surged in popularity, drinkers began chasing softness, brightness, and fruit-forward flavors. Black IPAs just didn’t fit the mood anymore. Harsh, resinous, and roasty didn’t cut it in a world of mango-pineapple haze bombs.

Today, you’ll occasionally see a Black IPA pop up as a seasonal or retro release, but they’ve largely retreated from mainstream craft beer.

✨ Glitter IPA ✨

What It Was:

Glitter IPAs were never about the beer—they were about the spectacle. Around 2017, some brewers started adding edible glitter to IPAs (and other styles) to create sparkly, iridescent drinks that lit up social media. They were eye candy for Instagram, often paired with trendy ingredients like hibiscus or fruit puree.

Why It Was Popular:

Simple: the visuals. In an era where presentation matters as much as flavor, glitter beer was a marketing dream. People didn’t order it because they loved the taste—they ordered it because they wanted to take a picture of it.

It also reflected the playful, anything-goes energy of the craft beer boom. Glitter beers said, “We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

Why It Fell Off:

Unfortunately, the novelty wore off fast. Most Glitter IPAs failed to deliver on flavor—they were often thin, under-hopped, or overly sweet. Once the sparkle wore off (literally and figuratively), drinkers were left with mediocre beer. And then there was the glitter itself. While technically food-safe, many consumers were uncomfortable drinking sparkly sediment—especially when it clung to the glass or floated unnaturally. What was meant to be fun started feeling gimmicky, and gimmicks don’t have staying power in a market driven by quality.

🍷 Red IPA 🍷

What It Was:

Red IPAs tried to split the difference between caramel-rich amber ales and hop-driven IPAs. They used crystal malts to give the beer a deep reddish hue and a sweet, toasty backbone. Think piney, resinous hops layered on top of chewy malt. Red IPAs were common in the early 2010s and were often seen as the "big brother" to American ambers.

Why It Was Popular:

It offered balance. Red IPAs appealed to drinkers who wanted hop intensity but didn’t love the palate-wrecking bitterness of West Coast IPAs. The malt sweetness smoothed things out and added depth. Plus, the color was cool—deep amber with ruby highlights. It felt substantial and seasonal, especially in cooler months.

Why It Fell Off:

Tastes shifted. As the market veered toward lighter, hazier, juicier IPAs, Red IPAs started to feel old-fashioned. The caramel malts that once added richness now seemed cloying. Drinkers weren’t looking for balance anymore—they wanted brightness, juice, and hop saturation.

The malt-forward profile became a liability, especially when drinkers began associating darker color with heaviness or sweetness. These days, Red IPAs are rare outside of nostalgia brews or regional one-offs.

🥂 Brut IPA 🥂

What It Was:

The Brut IPA was a crisp, effervescent style inspired by Champagne. First brewed by Kim Sturdavant of San Francisco’s Social Kitchen & Brewery in 2017, it used enzymes (specifically amyloglucosidase) to ferment nearly all residual sugar out of the beer. The result? A bone-dry, sparkling IPA with no sweetness and very little bitterness.

Why It Was Popular:

It was new, it was weird, and it broke the mold. Brut IPAs offered a completely different texture and mouthfeel from hazy IPAs, which were dominating at the time. They appealed to wine lovers and fans of dry, refreshing beer styles.

Some early examples—especially those with restrained bitterness and bright aromatics—were genuinely compelling.

Why It Fell Off:

Consistency issues. The enzyme was hard to dial in, and many brewers ended up with beers that were watery, over-attenuated, or completely devoid of hop character. Others misunderstood the style and brewed ultra-dry beers with crushing bitterness—exactly what the style wasn’t meant to be.

Meanwhile, hazy IPAs were only getting better, dominating the market with pillowy mouthfeels and low bitterness. The dry, prickly Brut IPA couldn’t compete. Within a couple of years, it was largely forgotten.

🇧🇪 Belgian IPA 🇧🇪

What It Was:

Belgian IPAs were a hybrid style that combined American hop profiles with the fruity, spicy character of Belgian yeast. They were part of the great wave of transatlantic experimentation in the 2010s, when brewers were asking: “What happens if we mix this yeast with those hops?”

Some Belgian breweries even began adopting the IPA term themselves (Houblon Chouffe being one famous example), while American breweries like Stone (Cali-Belgique) embraced Belgian strains.

Why It Was Popular:

The idea made sense. Belgian beers are known for their complexity—banana, clove, pepper, bubblegum—so why not layer on American hops for a new twist? When done well, the result was unlike anything else: zesty, spicy, citrusy, floral, and slightly funky.

Why It Fell Off:

Balance was tough to get right. More often than not, the esters from the Belgian yeast clashed with the hop profiles. Instead of synergy, you’d get beers that tasted like banana peels rubbed with pine needles. Not exactly delicious.

Brewing consistency was also a big issue. Some Belgian IPAs were too boozy. Others were under-attenuated or phenolic. Hop-forward drinkers found them messy, and Belgian beer fans found them too hoppy.

Eventually, both camps moved on, leaving Belgian IPAs as a style without a clear audience.

🌾 Rye IPA 🌾

What It Was:

Rye IPAs were part of a broader movement in the late 2000s to experiment with alternative grains. By subbing in a portion of rye malt—anywhere from 10% to 30%—brewers introduced a spicy, earthy character to their IPAs.

Why It Was Popular:

The rye added a dry, peppery edge that stood out in a sea of sweet or citrusy IPAs. For drinkers looking for something different—but not too weird—Rye IPAs hit the spot.

The spice also paired well with piney and resinous hops, creating a flavor profile that was bold without being overwhelming.

Why It Fell Off:

That peppery rye character turned out to be polarizing. Some drinkers loved the bite. Others found it too dry, too sharp, or just plain odd. And as hazy IPAs took over, with their smooth, lush, fruit-forward profiles, Rye IPAs started to taste… aggressive.

The grain was also tricky to work with in the brewhouse. Rye is gummy and prone to clogging mash tuns, adding extra complexity without a clear reward.

Today, Rye IPAs are a specialty style, mostly found at breweries that enjoy bucking trends or playing with grain bills.

📊 IPA Styles Timeline & Storyboard 📊

🧠 Final Thoughts 🧠

These six IPA styles—Black, Glitter, Red, Brut, Belgian, and Rye—each had a moment when they felt fresh, exciting, and full of potential. They pushed the boundaries of what an IPA could be and helped make craft beer the creative playground it is today.

But they also show that not every innovation sticks. Sometimes flavors don’t align with drinker preferences. Sometimes trends outpace the beers themselves, and sometimes, an idea just doesn’t scale. Still, these beers left a mark. They paved the way for new styles, informed brewing techniques, and kept the IPA category dynamic and unpredictable. So if you spot one on tap, give it a try—it might just remind you of how far we’ve come.