What is a Micro IPA and a Nano IPA?

In recent years, multiple interpretations of the India Pale Ale style have emerged. We have been hit by a wave of Black IPAs, NEIPAs, Brut IPAs, etc. In the midst of this whirlwind, micro IPAs have appeared, also known as nano IPAs. More and more breweries are labelling their products this way, but do we really know what a micro IPA is?

Like any Yank-style IPA, it starts from a pale ale in the English cask tradition, but with an extraordinary load of American hops. However, they are not as bitter as an American IPA because the hops are used mainly for aroma. Micro IPAs also have a low alcohol content. Most don’t exceed 3% ABV. If all these characteristics sound familiar, you’re right. You were already drinking this beer before.

A micro IPA is nothing more than a session IPA with a new name to… sell more? Project a more modern image? We don’t know for sure what the motivation is. This trend from the United States has also spread to the Iberian Peninsula. Some Spanish microbreweries have quickly changed the designation of their session IPAs. Let’s look at a couple of local examples:

• Castelló Beer Factory - Atomic Micro IPA: 2.7% ABV with lactose, wheat, and oats.
• La Pirata in collaboration with Cervecera Península - Flyweight: the winners of the last Barcelona Beer Festival have joined forces to create this 2% ABV IPA with oats and wheat plus Enigma, Loral, and Citra hops. It only has 25 IBUs. Is it or is it not a session IPA?

There are more international examples (especially in the English-speaking world), but these two are quite representative of the concept. However, if we’re realistic, we’ll notice that most session IPAs on the market don’t go below 3–4% alcohol. In fact, some reach and exceed 5% ABV when they really shouldn’t.

In these terms, we can understand micro IPAs as a reaction to session IPAs creeping up in alcohol. To mark a real difference, most commercial micro IPA releases have less alcohol than session IPAs. We can think of the “micro” or “nano” phenomenon as “session session” or “double session.” Beyond that, there are no other noticeable differences.

This response from brewers gives us a clue as to where the craft beer market will move in the future: flavourful, aromatic beers with a low alcohol content. The savvy consumer is not looking to get drunk, but to drink beer without suffering the effects of alcohol. And the greater the stylistic variety, the better!