You either love them or hate them. They can be bitter, hoppy, hazy, citrus-forward, piney, floral, funky and strong. They’re intense India Pale Ales, more commonly known as IPAs, and their strong taste is because they’re brewed with more hops than any other beer.
The history of IPAs began in the late 18th century, during a time when beer was being exported to India for the British East India Company (EIC). Darker ales like porters were popular at the time, especially in London, but brewers were tinkering around with lighter pale ales. One of those brewers was George Hodgson, who owned Bow Brewery in east London. Hodgson’s initial success was attributed to his proximity to the EIC ships docked in the River Lea — and because he allowed EIC to buy his beer on credit. One of his regularly exported beers was known as “October beer,” a pale brew that was loaded with fresh hops and intended to be cellared for two years. It made the long voyage to India well — to Madras, Calcutta and Bombay — and he went on to become one of the most well-known and sought-after brewers of pale ales for export to India. But his pale ales weren’t the first in India or England. IPAs date back to the 1760s, with advertisements for other IPA beers dating back to around 1784. Roughly 9 years later, Hodgson's beers were advertised for sale, and in 1822 his beer was lauded as “fully equal, if not superior, to any ever before received in the settlement." His beer was eventually dubbed "pale ale for India" and was seen in print for the first time as "East India Pale Ale" in 1835. The popular acronym we all use today, IPA, eventually took hold as the beer became more popular and as competition grew. By the 1840s, IPAs were widely available throughout England.
The idea of an IPA-style beer did cross the pond and began at Ballantine in Newark, New Jersey, in 1890. Ballantine brewed an aged, bittered IPA in oak casks and did so into the 1990s. What we know as an IPA today, though, began in the 1970s when the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the Cascade hop: a pleasant, flowery hop with grapefruit characteristics. It's one of the most widely used hops in craft beers brewed in the United States today. The first brewery to use Cascade hops was San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Company, which made the first American pale ale, Liberty Ale, in 1975. The first brewery in the U.S. to pair the style of beer with the nickname IPA was Yakima Brewing and Malting Co. in Yakima, Washington, in 1983. By the mid-1990s, Lagunitas, Stone and Sierra Nevada breweries were creating IPAs that became the blueprint for the West Coast style of IPA: aggressively hop forward with citrus, piney and floral notes and a strong bitterness. Early creators of the East Coast style were Harpoon and Brooklyn breweries: a strong hoppiness with an equally strong maltiness. The latest and most popular East Coast style IPA is what’s known as the New England IPA, or Hazy IPA: an unfiltered beer, often with the addition of wheat or oats, that has aromatic fruit flavors without much bitterness. Bell’s and Goose breweries followed suit to create their version for the Midwest: a lighter-bodied brew with low bitterness and soft maltiness, a balance between what you might find on the East and West coasts.
Today, IPAs are brewed much like other styles of beer, but with a couple of nuances, like the enormous addition of hops (they also generally have a higher ABV, alcohol by volume). After the wort is made, it's boiled, and hops are added at various stages to impart particular flavors. The foundation of an IPA really begins with what hops are selected, like the OG Cascade, Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe add more citrus profiles and Centennial and Chinook hops add more earthy flavors. Usually, brewers also use a specific kind of yeast to handle whatever hop character they've chosen. As fermentation continues, hops keep on being added to accentuate the classic hoppy profile of an IPA. As hops create a bold flavor and high bitterness, malt adds a sweet balance. Malt is used to make the wort, and it helps create a more well-rounded flavor for the final product. And as if IPAs weren’t hopped up enough, there’s a process called dry hopping that can happen late in the brewing process, usually during fermentation. Dry hopping maximizes the hop profile and aroma without adding any more bitterness.
Are you a fan? Some people love ‘em, can’t get enough of ‘em! And others, well, it’s almost like cilantro. Your tastebuds weren’t formulated to appreciate ‘em. But just like we age and change over time, so do our taste buds. If you know you like hoppy beers, or maybe you prefer less hoppy ones, there is another popular acronym to help you distinguish between the two: IBU or international bitterness unit. The lower the IBUs, the less hoppy the beer. And the higher, the more hoppy (hopped-up beers tend to have an IBU of 25 or more). Basically, the lower the IBU, the more approachable the beer. If you find IPAs too bitter, try a Midwestern style with a lower IBU. Love the bitter-hopped hype? Try a West Coast style with a higher IBU. And love a hazy beer that tastes like a glass of juice? East Coast style is the one for you. And there's even more varieties: English-style IPAs, Imperial IPAs, Session IPAs, Belgian, Milkshake, Double, Black, and Rye.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, we’ve got IPAs to tantalize your taste buds or convince you to come to the hopped-up side. Head on down to our taproom and brewhouse to experience our beers on tap. Our Anastasia Island IPA is a hop-forward beer with grapefruit, mandarin and orange flavors alongside earthy and piney hop notes. With a bitter and dry finish, it has 65 IBUs. Come on down for a fresh pint! Cheers!
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