Pale Ale or IPA - Confused

[Hebby5]

I am going to be brewing a pale ale that includes dry hopping. It's going to be a clone of New Belgium Brewery's Might Arrow (see separate thread and thanks for all the recipe tips!).

NBB lists Might Arrow as a Pale Ale but has STRONG Hop flavor.

If you dry hop a Pale Ale, is it by definition an IPA?

I'm splitting hairs but I'd kinda like to know anyway.

Thoughts?

Chris

 

[BendBrewer]

The difference between IPA and APA is gravity points and bitterness units and there is some overlap between the 2 styles.

Dry hopping really doesn't add IBUs so no that is not what would make an APA an IPA. Upping the fermentables and IBUs does or simply calling it an IPA if already in the upper end of APA range.

 

[Hebby5]

Ah, thanks!

Chris

 

[Pandaren]

Ya, dry hopping doesn't add a whole lot of bitterness, if any. It's really just for the added hop aroma.

 

[sgillespie]

In "Designing Great Beers", Ray Daniels kind of talks about IPA as the same as a Pale Ale, the only difference being the strength.

 

[mhenry41h]

Also, you can get mixed up in the British style PA's and IPA's which are different from American style PA's and IPA's.

coming soon...to a fridge near you!

 

[unionrdr]

I'm in the middle of ongoing experiments with that myself. We just happened to like the malt forward English style pale ales. I just went a little crazy on my latest,which has a great clear amber color from a pre-hopped LME,plain extra light DME,one 15 min 1oz hop addition. And one 1oz dry hop for 7 days. After three weeks bottle conditioning,I just put 8 in the fridge for their 5 day quiet time. We'll see how the hop additions went next Friday! I like how the English styles lean towards better balance than the American ales. Some of the IPA's we've tried have no malt flavor at all. Put those in the same class as sippin whiskey. But I do like the dead guy! He's awesome!

 

[mhenry41h]

That's what is so cool about the style. I missed my mash on an APA which skewed my bitterness ratio into IPA territory. What is cool about my mistake is that I used no caramel malt and a bit of pils and a bit of Munich so it is a maltier than normal "IPA." I hopped it with Amarillo for bittering and Citra for flavor and dry hopping...turns out...I have people begging me for it! It's a great beer based on a mistake!

coming soon...to a fridge near you!