American IPA

The American IPA is the craft-era reinvention of the style and the broad parent category from which the West Coast IPA and New England IPA descend. Where the English IPA is earthy and balanced, the American IPA is unapologetically hop-forward: citrus, pine, and tropical fruit lifted high over a lean, clean malt base. It is the best-selling craft style in the United States and the beer most drinkers picture when they hear "IPA."

#Birth of the Style

The American IPA emerged from The American Craft Beer Revolution of the late 1970s and 1980s. The pivotal beer was Anchor Liberty Ale (1975), the first modern American ale to showcase the bright, grapefruit-citrus Cascade hop. Through the 1990s breweries pushed hopping rates ever higher, and the style crystallized into a recognized category — see Rise of the West Coast IPA.

#What Makes It American

The defining ingredient is the American hop. Pacific Northwest varieties — grown across the Hop Growing Regions of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho — carry terpene and thiol profiles bursting with grapefruit, orange, pine resin, and tropical fruit. The malt bill is deliberately lean: pale base malt with only a touch of crystal, engineered to get out of the hops' way. See Base Malts and Hop Oils and Terpenes.

#Sub-Styles It Spawned

The American IPA is less a single recipe than a launchpad:

#Sensory Profile

• Aroma — assertive citrus, pine, resin, and tropical fruit.
• Flavor — hop flavor matches the aroma; bitterness is firm and clean.
• Finish — dry to medium-dry, inviting the next sip.
• Yeast — typically a neutral American ale strain so hops dominate; see IPA Yeast Strains.

#Continue Reading

• West Coast IPA — the clear, bitter expression
• New England IPA — the hazy, juicy expression
• The American Craft Beer Revolution — the historical context
• Hops — the ingredient that defines the style
• IPA Family Tree — where it sits in the genealogy