According to the Colorado-based
Brewers Association, a trade group responsible for supporting the craft beer industry in the United States, that industry is now worth some $4 billion in Pennsylvania alone.
And the Commonwealth's largest craft beer producer? That would be Downingtown-based
Victory Brewing Company, best known for its wildly popular india pale ale,
HopDevil.
Victory also has a reputation for its limited releases and seasonal brews. They recently announced their upcoming summer lineup, which includes a variety 12-pack known as Summer Selection, as well as the return of Victory's
WildDevil IPA, a Belgian twist on its flagship beer.
But the summer lineup's most unusual offering is a rotating IPA series known as
Moving Parts, which will be released in a staggered series of "batches" -- the recipe will be slightly tweaked every four months.
"We're referring to it as our 'ever-evolving IPA,'" says Victory's Melissa Thomas. "The idea behind it is that in each release in the series, there will be a part that 'moves. [Moving Parts] celebrates the simple yet really cool ingredients in beer. It's kind of fun for consumers, to have an idea of how just one small change to an ingredient can really have a significant impact on the flavor profile."
Along with WildDevil IPA and the Summer Selection 12-pack (which will include the
Visit Philly-commissioned
Summer Love Ale), the first release in the Moving Parts series, MP01, will be available in May.
Source: Melissa Thomas, Victory Brewing Company
Writer: Dan Eldridge