What Is an IPA? 4 Styles of India Pale Ale

India pale ale (IPA) is a style of pale ale that has been around since the early 1800s. It was a popular style of beer in Great Britain in the early nineteenth century and was commonly shipped to the British colonies in India and elsewhere. Today, IPAs are a staple of craft breweries. IPAs are a type of beer that emphasizes the flavor and aroma of hops—the green, cone-shaped flowers that lend beer its signature bitter taste and sweet aroma.

IPAs are considered hoppier than other beer styles and are known for having a higher alcohol content. However, the alcohol by volume (ABV) varies depending on the style of IPA. For instance, a session IPA is typically four to five percent ABV, while an imperial IPA (or double IPA) can be eight percent or higher. When an IPA reaches ten percent ABV, it's considered a triple IPA. IPAs come in many different flavors, including malty, fruity, and citrusy. The flavor of an IPA is largely dependent on the hop variety used in the brewing process. The most common American hop varieties include Cascade, Citra, and Chinook, and Willamette.

IPAs come in a wide variety of different styles, each boasting its own unique mouthfeel, aroma, and flavor. Consider some of the most popular styles of IPA.

1. 1. English IPA: English IPAs are slightly less hoppy than American versions but still hoppier than other types of beer like lagers. They tend to have a fruity flavor with an ABV level of five to seven percent.
2. 2. Belgian IPA: Despite its name, the Belgian IPA isn't all that popular in Belgium. Instead, it gets its name from the Belgian yeast strains that are added at the end of the brewing process. The end result is a yeast-forward beer with a bread-like flavor and aroma.
3. 3. West Coast IPA: West Coast IPAs are known for having bold, fruity flavors. Tropical fruits and grapefruit get a lot of play in this category. Their bitter flavor is balanced with higher carbonation and crisp, fruity notes.
4. 4. New England IPA: Also known as a hazy IPA or East Coast IPA, the New England IPA is known for having tropical, juicy, fruity flavors. New England IPAs don't filter out the wheat grain from the final product, which is what earns this beer variety the moniker "hazy." They have an exceptionally creamy mouthfeel and tend to be on the sweeter side. That said, many New England IPAs strike a balance of bitter and sweet.

IBU is an acronym that stands for “international bitterness nits.” This is a standardized scale for measuring how bitter a particular beer is. Most American IPAs have fifty-five to seventy IBUs. Compare that to a traditional lager, which will typically only have about five to ten IBUs, and you know you're in for a bitter drink. If you come across a beer that smells bitter but has a low IBU, that may be due to a process called dry-hopping. Dry-hopping involves steeping hops in the beer during its fermentation stage to lend it a hoppier aroma without the bitter taste. This technique is most common among IPA brewers who want to emphasize a particular flavor note.

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