IPA Name Generator

IPA names have a vocabulary all their own. Hop varieties are the first source: Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, Strata and Sabro all turn up in names because drinkers recognise them and know what flavour to expect. Next comes the language of the style itself. Hazy and New England IPAs get juice, pulp, fog, murk and tropical fruit; West Coast IPAs get pine, resin, dank, clear and crisp; double and triple IPAs borrow from rockets, thunder and imperial titles to signal strength, while session IPAs lean on lazy rivers, day drinking and porch pounders.

The other big tradition is the pun. "Hop" and "haze" fit into hundreds of phrases (Hoptimus Prime, Hazed & Confused), and brewing terms like IBU, lupulin, alpha acid, dry hop, whirlpool and cryo make names that beer nerds enjoy decoding. Good IPA names tend to be short, loud and a little irreverent, because they have to compete on a crowded tap list and a small can.

When you pick one, think about the label first. A hazy called Guava Gravity suggests bright fruit artwork; Pine Needle Drop suggests evergreens and a clean, bitter finish. Keep the name honest to what is in the glass, and check Untappd and the TTB database before printing, because IPA names collide more than any other beer style.