What Is an IPA?
IPA stands for India Pale Ale — a hop-forward style of pale ale characterized by pronounced bitterness, hop flavor, and hop aroma, typically balanced over a relatively light, dry malt base. It is the best-selling craft beer style in the United States and the defining beer of the modern craft movement.
#The Defining Characteristics
An IPA is recognizable by four traits, all of which trace back to Hops:
- Bitterness — measured in IBU, from a restrained ~40 in a Session IPA to 100+ in a Double IPA.
- Hop aroma & flavor — citrus, pine, tropical fruit, resin, floral, and dank notes, driven by Hop Oils and Terpenes and thiols.
- A supporting malt base — usually pale and dry, designed to let hops lead. See Base Malts.
- Moderate-to-high strength — most sit between 5.5% and 7.5% ABV, though the style spans 3.5% to 11%+.
#What an IPA Is Not
- Not simply "a strong beer" — strength is incidental; hops are the point.
- Not always bitter — a New England IPA can be aromatic yet mild in bitterness.
- Not a single recipe — the IPA is a family of styles. See the IPA Family Tree.
#Where the Name Comes From
The "India" in India Pale Ale reflects the style's (heavily mythologized) association with British beer exported to colonial India in the 1800s. The popular story — that extra hops and alcohol were added to survive the sea voyage — is largely a legend. The real history is more interesting and is told in The October Beer Myth and Hodgson and the East India Trade.
#A Style in Constant Motion
No beer style has evolved faster. The IPA has, in roughly two centuries, gone from a British pale ale to a bitter American showcase to a soft and hazy juice bomb — and continues to spin off novelties like the Brut IPA, Cold IPA, and Milkshake IPA. Understanding the IPA means understanding a moving target.
#Continue Reading
- IPA Family Tree — how the styles relate
- History of IPAs — the full origin story
- IPA Styles — the complete style map
- How to Taste an IPA — put theory into practice