India Pale Ale vs. Pale Ale

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nabs478

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This probably will seem like an odd question, but I see heaps of people brewing IPAs, so I want to know what the fuss, and cistinction, is all about.

What are the key differences between an IPA and an regular Pale Ale?
 
IPA will have a higher OG, more IBU's, and will have a liitle more sweetness to the finish......basically a hopped up APA.
 
Damn Squirrels said:
IPA's usually add at least a quarter teaspoon of curry powder into the secondary.

I see why they are so popular....

I think I might need to get a few commerical examples into me to see what I think.
 
For among the finest of commercial examples, try out the Dogfish Head IPA's, and I'm also big fan of Great Divides IPA's. Then head on over to the recipe section and brew yourself one, because you are sure to love them.
 
If you notice though, APA and AIPA ranges have quite a bit of overlap. You can brew a single beer that could technically qualify as either by making a bigger and more bitter APA.
 
I'd also recommend Harpoon IPA as a good starter IPA for someone who has never had one before. Dogfish Head 60 minute might be okay, but the 90 minute is probably too much for someone just checking out the style.
 
^^while DFH 60 min is one of my favorite brews I don't agree that it is a good indicator of style or is a good "first IPA" for most people...

BJCP examples include Sierra Nevada Celebration, Stone IPA, Anchor Liberty, Harpoon IPA... etc
 
Not sure if you guys have experienced this, but I've had a few experiences of inconsistency with commercial IPAs. Specifically the DFA 60 min, and Brownsville Hop Ottin'. Both times it was the same thing-the bitterness is there, but it lacks that initial explosion of semi-sweet fruitiness that it had on a previous occasion. Anyone else had that happen?
 
I've noticed some inconsistency with a local micros best bitter occasionally. Sometimes I find the hop flavour is lacking. That's about the most I've noticed though.
 
BrewDey said:
Not sure if you guys have experienced this, but I've had a few experiences of inconsistency with commercial IPAs. Specifically the DFA 60 min, and Brownsville Hop Ottin'. Both times it was the same thing-the bitterness is there, but it lacks that initial explosion of semi-sweet fruitiness that it had on a previous occasion. Anyone else had that happen?

Another thing to consider is that recipes can be re-tooled based on hop selections and availability, introduction of new varieties, preferences, ect. Take Simcoe for example.
 
Not talking about today's style but the history of it.

Pale ale is common or garden English bitter.
To send it over to India it made sense to brew it stronger to take less space and water it down at destination. The concentration of alcohol and hops actually increased the life of the beer as well. Some say the original was also flavoured by the barrels and possibly tar.

The Officers tended to drink the undiluted ale or not as diluted and the ranks got a weaker version.

Today's version is just a hoppier stronger version of a British beer.
Originally it was Predominately brewed in Burton on Trent then later in London.
 
orfy said:
Not talking about today's style but the history of it.

Pale ale is common or garden English bitter.
To send it over to India it made sense to brew it stronger to take less space and water it down at destination. The concentration of alcohol and hops actually increased the life of the beer as well. Some say the original was also flavoured by the barrels and possibly tar.

The Officers tended to drink the undiluted ale or not as diluted and the ranks got a weaker version.

Today's version is just a hoppier stronger version of a British beer.
Originally it was Predominately brewed in Burton on Trent then later in London.

It was also more highly hopped since hops acted as a natural preservative during the long trip to India.
 
orfy said:
Originally it was Predominately brewed in Burton on Trent then later in London.

Terry Foster commented on this in a recent BYO article on IPAs and something to the effect that it was first brewed in London and later Burton on Trent.
 
Another great one is your own IPA. Talk about smack me in the face fruitalisciousness and Flavaflave. Best damn Beer you can ever brew!

Woo Hoo!:drunk:

-WW
 
TheJadedDog said:
I'd also recommend Harpoon IPA as a good starter IPA for someone who has never had one before.

Absolutely - I was recently in CT. on a business trip and had a couple of draft Harpoons from a fresh keg and it was fantastic. Great color, aroma and mighty tasty.
 
Beware. Once you go to the world of IPA's, your other kegs (or bottles) of beer will sit in the corner...unloved...unwanted and forgotten.

I just brewed a light ABV (I know, I know) IPA and nothing tastes good to me except this beer.

Anyone need some Bass? Or Redhook ESB? or Guiness?
 
OK here’s my little history. (Warning entirely subjective opinion follows)

Beer had been brewed in Europe, and England for centuries. What you drank was, like what you ate, brewed within walking distance of your house. (Or at least your Donkey’s walking distance.)

One of the important innovations of the Industrial Revolution was the ability to have large scale industrial brewers and effective distribution networks. Although we look down on it now, actually industrialization was a big step forward as it led to a great increase in the science (and the hygiene) of brewing. The big winner of styles in England was the Pale Ale. (Bitters didn’t become the main English beer until after the war) But when they tried to ship it to the troops in India (mid 1800’s) it usually went off. Some smart guy (some smart guy here will fill in the blank for me) realized that if you “over hopped” the beer it would last until India. The troops came back with a taste for that beer and the rest is history.

recently, IPA became a big American varietal with the advent of MicroBrews in the 80’s/90’s, (Much bigger than it ever was, or is, in England) In America the bully brewers made minimally hopped slop, so a significantly hopped beer was immediately distinguishable. Thus IPA became the big varietal. When I say hopped I mean Alpha Acid hopped.

So to sum. IPA a beer in the English Pale Ale tradition but with slightly more alcohol and significantly higher hopping. The American variation of it has even more hopping than the English.

To further sum You like hops, you like IPA.


Rudeboy

(Personally I like hops but I find, as of late, some people/breweries can take it too far.)
 
Rudeboy said:
OK here’s my little history. (Warning entirely subjective opinion follows)

Beer had been brewed in Europe, and England for centuries. What you drank was, like what you ate, brewed within walking distance of your house. (Or at least your Donkey’s walking distance.)

One of the important innovations of the Industrial Revolution was the ability to have large scale industrial brewers and effective distribution networks. Although we look down on it now, actually industrialization was a big step forward as it led to a great increase in the science (and the hygiene) of brewing. The big winner of styles in England was the Pale Ale. (Bitters didn’t become the main English beer until after the war) But when they tried to ship it to the troops in India (mid 1800’s) it usually went off. Some smart guy (some smart guy here will fill in the blank for me) realized that if you “over hopped” the beer it would last until India. The troops came back with a taste for that beer and the rest is history.

recently, IPA became a big American varietal with the advent of MicroBrews in the 80’s/90’s, (Much bigger than it ever was, or is, in England) In America the bully brewers made minimally hopped slop, so a significantly hopped beer was immediately distinguishable. Thus IPA became the big varietal. When I say hopped I mean Alpha Acid hopped.

So to sum. IPA a beer in the English Pale Ale tradition but with slightly more alcohol and significantly higher hopping. The American variation of it has even more hopping than the English.

To further sum You like hops, you like IPA.


Rudeboy

(Personally I like hops but I find, as of late, some people/breweries can take it too far.)

According to Ray Daniels book it was Hodgson's at Bow Brewery that first started extra hopping the beer in the late 1700's/early 1800's. In addition they reduced the gravity, this was to leave less residual sugars in the beer available for spoilage. The resulting dry (less sweet) and hoppy beer was considered a better "restorative" and became popular both in England and abroad. Hodgsons tried to corner the export market but failed, the Burton brewers figured out how to make IPA's and with their water profile got it right and the rest is history...
 
Coming from a hop-head: once you get into the hoppy beers, you'll start craving more and more hops. Russian River Brewing (Pliny the Elder) has what they call a "lupulin threshold shift:" 1. When a once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian. 2. The phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer.
3. The long-term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will occur. 4. When a "Double IPA" just is not enough.
 
What about balanced IIPA's? Not balanced in terms of hops and malt, but balanced in between hop bitterness and hop aroma?

Two of my favorite beers are from Lagunitas. One is their Hop Stoopid (made with hop extract) and the other is Maximus (a double IPA or imperial IPA). Hop Stoopid definitely leans towards more bitter while Maximus definitely leans towards more aroma.

But back to the original discussion: when talking about American pale ales and American inda pale ales, it really comes down to strength and amount of hops.
For instance, some of my friends consider Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale an IPA even though it's only at 5.6% ABV and about 37 IBUs just because of how much hop aroma it has.

Hell, it just about fits into the BJCP guidelines.
 
Consistency issues with commercial APAs and IPAs are due to the fact that hop flavor fades over time. That's why I don't buy them, ever. Homebrewed hoppy beers are simply much better.

Also, if you've ever brewed a hoppy beer you might have noticed that hop flavor fades if you don't drink it fast enough. For any hoppy beer I brew, it gets at least an ounce's worth of hop tea added right before kegging. On my last batch, I'm experimenting with zero aroma hops additions during the boil. I made an imperial wheat with 1 oz of warrior at 60, and 4 ounces of cascade/citra hop tea before kegging. I'll post how it turns out.
 
I think people over-do hops more than any other aspect of brewing. Like, whoever mentioned the balance between flavor and aroma hops, was on the mark. If you aren't a homebrewer i would recommend Latitude by Sam Adams or Goose Island IPA. . . I heard an article about the anti-viral qualities of hops in beer. The radio personality said, "but you would have to drink a whole case to get enough.," I'm thinking in my homebrew IPAs ... I'm getting enough. It is a cannabinoid. The brewers brew and the people choose. Thanks.
 
Not talking about today's style but the history of it.

Pale ale is common or garden English bitter.
To send it over to India it made sense to brew it stronger to take less space and water it down at destination. The concentration of alcohol and hops actually increased the life of the beer as well. Some say the original was also flavoured by the barrels and possibly tar.

The Officers tended to drink the undiluted ale or not as diluted and the ranks got a weaker version.

Today's version is just a hoppier stronger version of a British beer.
Originally it was Predominately brewed in Burton on Trent then later in London.
Aaah!
Early 19th-century IPA wasn't brewed "stronger", it was actually quite a low gravity beer for the standards of the day. It wasn't watered down on arrival, it wasn't drunk by ordinary soldiers in India (they drank Porter). And it definitely wasn't flavoured with tar.

IPA pre-dates Bitter. The Pale Ales of the 18th-century were completely different from IPA and 19th-century Pale Ale. They were barely hopped.
 
Coming from a hop-head: once you get into the hoppy beers, you'll start craving more and more hops. Russian River Brewing (Pliny the Elder) has what they call a "lupulin threshold shift:" 1. When a once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian. 2. The phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer.
3. The long-term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will occur. 4. When a "Double IPA" just is not enough.

This is why you dry hop the serving glass. Crush a little hop pellet and put it right in the serving glass or maybe just eat a few pellets of magnum or columbus. That way you have that herbal assault happening in your mouth at the same moment the beer hits it.
 
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