Few days ago, the Belgian newspaper La Libre reported that, according to one of its directors, Eric Lauwers, AB InBev will invest 100 million euros in its four Belgian breweries: Jupille, Hoegaarden Louvain, Leeuw-Saint-Pierre.

But the detail that is causing some controversy in the region is that in this investment package there will be the launch of a new beer in Leffe’s traditional line: an IPA!

Thats right, pretty soon we will see a Leffe IPA on the market!

Purists beer lovers such as Philippe Wouters, from the website Bières et Plaisir , believe that this launch is a huge mistake.

IPA, a beer characterized by its bitterness, is originally a British style, with a worldwide success, in large part due to the American craft breweries. And the Belgian purists believe that bottling a beer with this history in a brewery who is one of the main Belgian beers Abbey symbols would be a lack of respect.

Others argue that the launch of such beer and believe that the fact one of the largest breweries in the world print the IPA acronym in a beer is a victory for the craft beer and will greatly help in the education of millions of people to experience the beauty of hops and enjoy more craft beers!

The fact is that AB InBev wants to catch the bitter wave that has been taking control of the craft beers market around the world. The success of the style in the United States led many breweries around the world to create revenue based on this style, even in very traditional countries such as Germany.

Even in Belgium this style is no longer strange and some great breweries already finds revenues with bitter beers other than the traditional Belgian styles, which are more focused on a more sugary flavor and higher alcohol levels. A great exponent of this revolution is Duvel, one the largest Belgian brewery, who has invested strong in recent years in its Duvel Tripel Hop.

And you? What do you think? Is this new beer an insult or it represents only a large company following the market trend?