India Pale Ale – The IPA it’s Origin

Historically, the style IPA started with the British Empire’s need for beer in India. For temperature reasons the British could not brew beer in India, and therefore started to import it by boat. The problem here is that the long journey influenced the flavours of the beer. The problem was then solved when one brewer decided to put much more hop in his beer, which increased its flavour stability and made it fit for the long journey ahead. This style is typically referred to as English IPA.

India Pale Ales – Nowadays

IPAs which most people are interested in today vary significantly from the origin of the style. These beers rely on significant quantities of hops (and much more) similar to it’s ancestor the British India Pale Ale. However, they differentiate themselves through the use of other varieties of hops called aroma hops. Moreover, the hops are used not only at the end of the boil, but in a process called dry hopping. Here the hops are left for a couple of days in the beer after it has cooled down. This process infuses the beer with hop aromas and flavours without adding unnecessary amounts of bitterness.

Different styles of IPAs

Modern IPAs are grouped in different categories to take into account aspects such as alcohol content, appearance or/and mouthfeel.

Session IPA

The lower alcohol India Pale Ales are celled session IPAs, their alcohol content varies typically from 3 to 4.5 %.

American Pale Ale

The American Pale ale, turns around 5 to 5.5 % ABV.

India Pale Ale

An IPA has typically an ABV of 6.5 to 7.5%.

Double IPA / Imperial IPA

Stronger IPAs are called Double India Pale Ales, or Imperial IPAs. These range from 8 – 8.5 %.

TIPA / Triple IPA

Last but not least is the TIPA, or Triple India Pale Ale which ranges from 9% up to 12%.

Latest trend in Pale Ales

The craft beer scene is so rich today, with so many good breweries constantly trying to improve the quality of their beers, and who are not afrait to try something new. Therefore Hoppy beers such as the ones describe above have evolved a lot in the last years, and they are bound to continue their development.

Double Dry Hopping / DDH

One of the newest trends in the industry is called Double Dry Hopping. Here the dry hopping process is repeated one more time which increases the intensity of the hop aromas and flavours in the beer. This is typically referred to as DDH in the craft beer jargon.

New England IPA / NEIPA

The New England IPA has taken over the hoppy beer scene in the recent years. The style evolves around the idea of producing the juiciest beers possible. These beers not only taste and smell like tropical fruit juice, they also borrow their appearance. NEIPAs are typically very hazy with a colour ranging from yellow to orange, which makes them look like Orange juice. These beers are typically less bitter than the typical IPA, and vary also by their mouthfeel. They are usually thicker on the mouth, a bit like an unfiltered fruit juice.