The only way is IPA!

To celebrate the launch of our two new limited-edition beers, Tropical IPA and New England IPA, we’ve delved into the history of the beer style, and have also written a guide on some beer and food pairings, yum! 

The IPA is currently a popular beer style and has rapidly risen in popularity over the last 15 years. Although it is not a new beer, far from it, IPA actually dates back to the 1780s! This is from when the British wanted to brew their own beer in India but found that the conditions were much too hot to do so. So, realising they’d have to import their beloved beer, they found a way around this. By adding a vast number of hops to the brew and increasing the alcohol levels, which acted as a preservative, the beer managed to survive the huge six-month journey across the sea.

This original IPA recipe was gradually refined, into a lighter and paler version of the brew. This new balance and flavour perfectly complemented the sweltering Indian climate and was a refreshing change from the dark porter the army was first stuck with. But just as fashions come and go in the clothing world, the same thing happens within the brewing industry, and unfortunately, these beers sadly died out in popularity.

But in the 1970s, some curious American craft brewers brought back the style, creating their own unique version of IPA in the process. Adding bigger, punchier flavours, compared to the original recipe, these brewers created a new strand of IPA, which was imaginatively titled American IPA. This style is more synonymous with what most people know and love today and is what most craft breweries are now currently producing, as mass-market taste buds have embraced these bolder flavours. 

However, there continues to be further developments in this area, as people look to push the boundaries in search of new flavours. DIPAs and SIPAs, or Double IPAs and Session IPAs, are gaining in popularity. Double IPAs generally have a stronger taste due to the larger amounts of malt added, and as a rule of thumb, anything over 7% is considered as a DIPA. Whilst session IPAs contain the same great hoppy flavour of a regular IPA, but have a lower alcohol percentage compared to the standard version, meaning that you can comfortably sip away a SIPA without the fear of a high ABV percentage looming over you.

There are numerous other IPA styles, Coffee, Eclectic, Fruit, Coffee, West Coast, Wood-Aged, Wheat and far too many more to name! With an ever-growing array of styles and flavours to choose from, it’s an exciting time for IPAs, and it’s the drinkers who are benefitting from these exciting flavour developments.