In the past decades IPA, beyond question, turned into the most exciting and popular beer style of all. Let’s dive into the history and specifics of this beer style.
We all know the story of British settlers, that wanted an ale that could survive the long journey to India. While there might be some truth to that, many historians say Porter was more popular that at that time. These beers were higher in alcohol, so there were less issues with preservability.
Another story is that brewers wanted a strong and hoppy Ale that they could water down to the ABV level of a general English Bitter. As they liked the outcome, they decided to leave the heavier beer as it was.
The truth is that hoppier beers were already brewed in Burton Upon Trent. Most of their products were delivered to Russia, but in the early nineteenth century the tsar banned imports from Britain. Luckily, they found another country to export to. Not surprisingly that was India, and the name of India Pale Ale was born.
The earliest mention of the expression was found in an Australian advertisement in 1829. They called it East India Pale Ale. Unfortunately, the name of the brewery was not mentioned, but it shows that this beer has been around for quite some time. So long in fact, that it was almost forgotten.
Until the end if the twentieth century. In the 70’s and 80’s some American homebrewers were looking for forgotten beer styles to reintroduce. They found and old English IPA recipe and decided to give it a twist. By using more fruity local hops, they created something brand new. No one knew that a global beer revolution had just been started.
As mentioned, modern IPA’s are completely different than the historical English style. Today’s hop utilization was not even known at that time. In the past brewers had bittering and aroma hopping, while these days hop can be added at any stage – during boiling, cooling, fermentation, and even right before drinking. While the old English version is mainly about balancing maltiness and bitterness, the new American IPA is much more hop-forward. It’s all about highlighting the aromas and flavours of various citrusy and fruity hops.
There are many ways to classify IPA beers. Generally an IPA has an ABV level between 5.5% and 7.5%. Stronger IPA’s are called Imperial or Double IPA, while the lighter ones are known as Session IPA. Nowadays, you can even find some non alcoholic IPA’s.
If you don’t look at the levels of alcohol, but at the taste, the American IPA’s can be roughly divided into two groups. West Coast IPA has a clean hop flavour of citrus and pine. The bitterness can be balanced by a sweeter malt base. New England – or Hazy – IPA has a more fruity, tropical and juicy approach. But it doesn’t stop there. Being one of the most popular beers in the world, IPA has a lot of sub-styles. These range from Farmhouse and Sour IPA to Wheat and Milkshake IPA (with lactose). Any ingredient you can think of, an IPA has probably been made of it.
Don’t worry, be hoppy!