Always Bet On Black, IPAs (Part One)

Much like Wesley Snipes’ character, John Cutter, in the 1992 action-thriller Passenger 57, the Black IPA has shown a bold, unshakable confidence even in the face of being hijacked by the rise of Hazy IPAs. In the early 2010s, brewers made aggressive bets on this marriage of two seemingly contrasting styles, dark stouts and hoppy IPAs. Pushing their rich maltiness and aggressive bitterness into year round portfolios, the Black IPA went full throttle, well beyond the market’s actual demand for this niche style. By the late 2010s, Black IPAs had disappeared from radar screens, but like Cutter famously told hijacker Charles Rane on the phone after asking him if he ever plays Roulette, “Always Bet On Black.”

Craft beer is currently in a cycle where nostalgia is playing the role that innovation was driving for so long. The pendulum will eventually swing back the other way, but it's a great time to revisit and remind fans of their favorites that got us here. Despite the added stress we’re all under, here is still an awesome place, so let’s not forget that.

The rise, fall, and re-rise of the Black IPA is just one example, but serves as an important case study for trends, seasons, cycles, the role nostalgia is playing across beverages, and strategies to approach these niche styles that may not be volume leaders, but bring much needed air support to core brands.

After reaching out to Firestone Walker regarding the elevated role of their iconic Wookey Jack in late 2024 (More on this in Part 2), Brand Director Hannah Barnett shared:

“Our seasonal strategy is primarily used as an “add on” in our core markets. We focus a lot on keeping the main thing the main thing – 805, Cali Squeeze, Mind Haze, and our Firestone IPA Mixed Packs are what drives our business. However, in certain markets where we’ve got good saturation – seasonals can be a fun way to keep it fresh and bring back brands our customers pine for.”

Pine for…I see what you did there, Hannah. And she’s right, the core needs the focus, but failing to consistently find new ways to gain attention and excitement from a fanbase can lead to staleness, or missed opportunities to shine a spotlight on the entire portfolio by connecting back to its origins. Welcome to a massive, multi-part deep dive into the Black IPA chronicling its 2020 comeback (Part 1), next level surge unfolding here in 2024 (Part 2), and the various strategies taken to give one of craft beer’s most divisive styles a second spin of the roulette wheel.