India pale ale is one of the most popular craft beer styles. Nearly forgotten a couple of decades ago, Homebrewers’ interest in IPA’s unique history revived the type in microbreweries across the nation. Today, IPA is an artisan beer staple.

Join Joe McBane, owner of Rochester’s Tap and Mallet, and Steve Hodos of the Great Lakes Brewing News, for an IPA tasting session Wednesday, January 30, at the Tap and Mallet, 381 Gregory Street, Rochester, NY.

As you quaff your way through both English and American versions of the style, McBane and Hodos will explain the colonial seafaring history of this rugged beer, as well as how IPA has evolved in America. Oh, and they’ll give you cheese and stuff.

Tickets are $9. Only a limited number will be sold and I can’t see this tasting not selling out. You have to go to the Tap and Mallet to buy the tickets, but if an extra trip to the Tap is an inconvenience not a pleasure, then you have no business at the tasting.

This is the first in a series of monthly tastings at the Tap. McBane is planning one for the final Wednesday of every month. More than just a gulpfest, the Tap & Mallet’s tastings are meant to inform, educate, and draw participants deeper into the nature of beer and how it intertwines with our culture.