India pale ale
India Pale Ale, abbreviated IPA, is an ale that is light amber to copper in color, medium to medium-high alcohol by volume, hoppy, bitter and sometimes malty.[1] IPA is a style of beer that is usually included in the broader category of pale ale. It originates in England in the 18th century and was one of the first beers made exclusively with pale malt. Today, IPA is a popular style of beer among American craft brewers.
History
Early IPA
IPA decends from the earliest pale ales of the 17th century, when the term "pale ale" probably simply distinguished ales which were light in color compared with brown ales of that day.[2] By the mid-18th century, pale ale was mostly manufactured with coke-fired malt, which produced less smoking and roasting of barley in the malting process, and hence produced a paler beer.[3] George Hodgson managed to dominate the beer trade with India shortly after he began exporting pale ale there in 1790.[4] Hodgson's dominance of the Indian beer trade faded in the 1820s, and several Burton breweries began exporting to India as well. They exported pale ale in the style of Hodgson's, partly at the behest of the East India Trading Company, though the exact reasons for this choice remain a mystery.[5] Demand for the export style of pale ale, which by that time was known as "India Pale Ale," developed in England around 1840 and India Pale Ale became a popular product in England.[6] Many brewers dropped the term "India" in the late 19th century, but records indicated that these "pale ales" retained the features of earlier IPA.[7] American brewers manufactured beer with the label IPA as early as 1900, and records suggest that these beers were similar to English IPA of the era.[8]
Hodgson's style of brewing is probably responsible for term India Pale Ale. His beer was lower in alcohol than most beer brewed in his day, but a greater proportion of the wort was fermented, and the beer was strongly hopped.[9] The common story that early IPA were stronger than other beers of the time, however, is a myth.[10] Moreover, porter shipped to India at the same time survived the voyage, and common claims that Hodgson formulated his beer to survive the trip and that other beers would not survive the trip are probably false.[11] By the 1860s, India Pale Ales were widely brewed in England, and they were much more attenuated and highly hopped than porters and other ales.[12]
Modern IPA
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The IPA style is now common in the United Kingdom; many beers labeled IPA in the UK are by and large indistinguishable from ordinary session bitters, for example Greene King IPA and Charles Wells Eagle IPA. Among the traditional examples still brewed are Meantime Brewery IPA, Young's Special London Ale, Dark Star IPA and Freeminer Trafalgar IPA.
In 2002, Caledonian Brewery 'Deuchars IPA' took the title of CAMRA Supreme Champion Beer of Britain at the GBBF in London. This was an IPA brewed in the modern weak APV style in the UK.
In New Zealand, Tui is the brand of a popular beer famous for advertising more than beer with the "Yeah, Right" line, said to be IPA, though now is more properly described as a lager. In Canada, Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale, brewed in Halifax from 1820, is popular, however, unlike its modern American cousins, it is not a true IPA but rather one which has been toned down for modern tastes and is by all accounts a basic lager. By contrast, Halifax's Propeller, Garrison, and Granite microbreweries produce excellent traditional IPAs. Other IPAs more reminiscent of the historical flavour are available from smaller breweries. There are also micro-breweries producing IPA in NZ, such as Peak Brewery, in Wairarapa, in the southern North Island.
In Israel there is an IPA from a microbrewery called Dancing Camel.
In the USA, the original highly hopped and long aged (one full year in wood before bottling) Ballantine IPA was a beer of great distinction and a part of the Ballantine stable of brews since the early part of the 20th century. It now enjoys a legendary status despite the fact that it ceased being brewed to its original formula in the 1980s, and has not been brewed at all since the mid 90's. Within the USA, there is even a distinct type of IPA called the "West Coast IPA," which goes for a much more bitter, hoppy character than other IPAs, although the east coast brewed and Ballantine IPA was just as highly hopped as(and in some cases, more highly hopped tan) as many so called "West Coast" IPAs.
There has since the early 1980s been a movement to true Craft Brewing, where "real" IPA (a term open to wide interpretation) has been the goal; in fact, the once relatively rare style has become very commonplace. At least partly because of Ballantine IPA's legendary status in American brewing, the style has been attempted in recent years by numerous microbrewers. Among the dozens of current attempts at the tradition is the Hurricane IPA of Storm Brewing.
In the USA, IPA has gradually evolved into a distinct variant sometimes called American India Pale Ale (A few examples are Anchor Brewing's Liberty Ale, Lagunitas Brewing's IPA, Victory Brewing Company's HopDevil Ale, Hop Ottin IPA by Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Hoptical Illusion by Blue Point Brewing Co., Two Hearted Ale by Bells Brewery, and Stone Brewing Company's Stone IPA). Although some are made to traditional recipes, many American IPAs are brewed with citric American hop varieties such as Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, and Columbus. For example, Lost Coast's INDICA IPA which uses Columbus, Cascade, Willamette and Chinook hops. A few American brewers have also altered the style to increase the bitterness of the beer to well over 100 IBUs and the alcohol levels up to 10 or even more than 20% alcohol by volume. It should be noted that examples this "extreme" are generally referred to as Double or Imperial IPAs, though some argue that they are not IPAs at all but rather an entirely separate style. American IPAs are typically between 40-60 IBUs and a few max out at around 7.5% ABV (although the much missed Ballantine IPA was around 75 IBU and approx 7.5% ABV).
Double India Pale Ale
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Double India Pale Ales (also abbreviated as Double IPAs or IIPAs) are a strong, very hoppy style of pale beer. Also known as Imperial IPAs, perhaps in reference to the Russian Imperial Stout, a much stronger version of the English Stout, these beers are essentially India Pale Ales with higher amounts of malt and hops. Double IPAs typically have alcohol content above 7% by volume. IBUs are in the very high range (60+). Such "style" labels can seem arbitrary however, since the aforementioned Ballantine IPA in its original formulation was certainly well above these benchmarks.
There are some brewers that believe the name should be San Diego Pale Ale, since the style most likely started near San Diego, CA [13] -- specifically a Double IPA brewed in 1994 by Vinnie Cilurzo[1] of the failed Blind Pig Brewing Company of Temecula, CA[citation needed]. Vinnie claims he "accidentally" created the style by adding 50% too much malt to his mash tun. He then "corrected" this mistake by adding 100% more hops. This metric (50% more malt, 100% more hops) is the basic guideline behind the style.
Ales Brewed in Northern California such as Lagunitas' Maximus IPA, Bear Republic's Racer 5, as well as others in the San Diego area have taken to the double IPA style, including Stone Brewing Company, Oggi's Brewery, Alpine Brewery, Alesmith, Ballast Brewing Company, and Port Brewing Company, etc. However, others attribute the creation of this style to the Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon, and its I2PA beer, brewed in 1990. [2]
Many of the stronger DIPAs could be alternately classified as American barleywines or Triple IPA's. As a relatively young style, it is still being determined. It is one of the fastest growing styles in the craft beer industry, and a favorite among hopheads.
References
- ^ Foster, Terry. Pale Ale Brewers Publications: 1999. Chapter 2.
- ^ Foster, Terry. Pale Ale Brewers Publications: 1999. p. 12
- ^ Foster, Terry. Pale Ale Brewers Publications: 1999. p. 13
Daniels, Ray. Designing Great Beer Brewers Publications: 1996 p. 154 - ^ Foster, ibid., says that there were about 1,400 barrels of beer exported to India in 1750; that number increased to 9,000 by 1800, and Daniels, ibid., notes that nearly all of those nine thousand were produced in Hodgson's Bow Brewery.
- ^ Foster, Terry. Pale Ale p. 26
- ^ Daniels, Ray. Designing Great Beer p. 155
- ^ Foster, p. 65
- ^ Daniels, Ray. Designing Great Beers p. 157-58
- ^ Foster, Terry. Pale Ale p. 17-21 discusses the hopping rate; Daniels's Designing Great Beer p. 154 discusses the high level of fermentation.
- ^ Foster, Terry. Pale Ale p. 21
- ^ Myth 4: George Hodgson invented IPA to survive the long trip to India
- ^ Daniels, Ray. Designing Great Beer p. 156
- ^ SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro > Peter Rowe - Some believe bitter brew should be renamed to reflect San Diego roots
