Not everything is an IPA
Although craft beers (amatalus, kraftiņš, craft beer, tasty beer) have been around in Latvia for at least 5 years (not counting even longer in specialised shops and among homebrewers), the general public’s understanding of beer styles is still very limited. Independent brewers or industrial ass-kickers have added to this awareness by emphasising the letters IPA on every bottle. For the big breweries, ‘IPA’ became a buzzword to try to catch the craft wave. As a result, in the mind of the average beer lover, IPA has become synonymous with every beer with a distinctive taste, a small bottle and a premium price.
IPA is probably the most popular style of craft beer in the world. It is often the first beer released by a new brewery and the first sip with which a budding beer enthusiast explores the world of craft beer. India pale ales (and pale ales in general) are a great start to getting to know beer – light, light body, the usual amber colour followed by an unusual, bright hop flavour. I would go so far as to say that pale ale as a species is the first Latvian beer drinker’s encounter with hops – the bitter taste and the resinous aroma. After IPAs, lagers that previously seemed bitter suddenly become sweet and malty. The IPA sip is important in developing a growing understanding of beer – it becomes clear what counts as sweet and what counts as bitter (the wider this spectrum of flavours remains, the more nuanced the beer can be enjoyed).
First there was coke!
IPA stands for India Pale Ale. If there is an Indian pale ale, there are non-Indian pale ales. PaleAle is a styleof beer that originated in England in the mid-17th century and became popular in the early 18th century. This beer was the result of technological progress. Before pale ale, malt was dried by wood burning. Unstable temperatures and smoke produced a dark colour and a roasty-smoked flavour. A new fuel material, coke – charcoal – allowed brewers to produce an unprecedented pale malt without the presence of smoke. This is how Pale Ale was born – an amber-coloured ale with a strong hop flavour, no longer dampened by smoking and roasting.
From the first day of their creation, the pale aisles began to take on new shapes and forms. The style quickly gained popularity and soon every British brewer was brewing this pale and bitter beer. But it turns out that geography – the water used – plays a key role in the taste of pale ales.
The most famous pale ale was brewed in Burton, where the local water is naturally harder (than in London, for example). The hardness of the water affects the way the bitterness of the hops opens up in the beer, so the water created the variety of flavours in pale ales. !NB: Pale ale used to be called bitter by English enthusiasts. It is still unclear where pale ale ends and bitter begins – as with porters and stouts. Rumour has it that the difference is in the serving – from the cask (bitter) or from the bottle (pale ale).
What does India have to do with it?
The Indian light ale was created as a result of British colonialism. British colonists in India refused to drink the local rice beer apo and could not brew their own in the heat. The only solution to this beer shortage was to import beer from England. The only way to send beer across the ocean was to brew it stronger and boil it with more hops (alcohol and hops preserve the beer and prevent it from spoiling). This beer launched a new style, distinguished by its unusually high alcohol content and a wide bouquet of hop flavours. Today, India pale ales have a surprising number of variations, which we will briefly try to outline.
IPA (India Pale Ale) – a pale beer with a dry body (not much sugar is left after sipping, so the beer is low gravity/light and not sweet). The taste is hoppy – bitter and resinous.
English IPA – A dry amber-coloured beer brewed with wood-malted malt that has travelled to a colony. A balanced style of beer with more emphasis on hops than malt. American West Coast IPA – probably the most common type of IPA. A distinctly bitter and brightly hopped beer, favoured by ‘hopheads’. West Coast breweries are closer to the US hop fields, so they are not shy about ‘overdoing’ the hop character – hops were added even during fermentation, not adding extra bitterness but opening up the aroma. The hop varieties bred in the 1970s with high levels of Beta acids (Alpha acids give bitterness, Beta gives aroma) also played a major role.
The main measure of style is aroma and IBUs (International Bitterness Units) – the higher the number, the creamier the IPA. If a glass of beer becomes an endurance test, it’s probably a West Coast -style IPA.
American “East Coast” IPA – Cousin of the English IPA. A light, bitter beer that carefully balances hops with malt. If the beer seems bitter and you start to taste bread or caramel in the half glass, it’s probably an East Coast IPA.
Dark Indian Light Eagle or Cascade Dark Eagle (Cascadian Dark Ale) – Despite the illogical name, this is a distinct style of beer that belonged in the IPA category because of its distinct hoppiness. It is a dark beer with a base of roasted and caramelised malts and an uncharacteristic amount of hops – the illegitimate child of porter and West Coast IPA.
Imperial Indian Pale Ale (Imperial IPA) – also known as IIPA, DIPA and Double IPA. A particularly strong type of IPA, darker in colour, denser in body and with a higher alcohol content masked by a higher hop bitterness (higher IBU number).
Milkshake IPA – a modern take on the IPA, which tastes like a fruity milkshake. Lactose and fruit are added during the boiling process. Lactose is a non-fermentable sugar of milk origin which gives IPA a fuller, milder mouthfeel. Lactose hides the bitterness but leaves the aroma. As a result, an ‘exaggerated’ amount of hops can be added – as with sugar and a slice of lemon. Combined with fruit, this style stands out for its fruitiness and leaves the bitterness in the background. This type of IPA will appeal perfectly to people who normally shy away from bitter beers, missing the hop flavour and aroma.
NEIPA (New England IPA) – a new type of IPA , not yet bureaucratically accepted as a style, but widely brewed. A hoppy beer with a distinctly cloudy body. This cloudiness can be achieved by manipulating ingredients – yeast that does not settle for long, wheat malt or oats that create a cloudy body or a dilute amount of hops added during fermentation (‘dry hopping’).These hops do not particularly increase the bitterness but leave a distinct hop aroma. The style itself is not particularly bitter as a result and is characterised by an exotic, resinous hop flavour and aroma.
Juicy IPA – this style is still disputed by scientists whether it is a synonym for NEIPA, maybe Milkshake or a separate recipe. Similarly aromatic and fruity as NEIPA, but not necessarily cloudy. The flavour focus is on the fruity hop notes, which give the impression of juicy fruit. Lactose is also added to this style to increase the aroma and flavour, without adding bitterness. If the fruitiness is lacking, the more adventurous brewers add a splash of fruit or berries.
Session IPA – A term for a low-alcohol IPA for longer tasting sessions. The low alcohol content often implies a moderate bitterness.
Belgian IPA – a beer hopped with Belgian yeast and containing an unusually high amount of hops for the style.
Wheat IPA (WIPA) – a heavily hopped wheat beer. Usually a hopped version of Belgian Wit, with overseas spices in the style.
Brut IPA – A modern IPA to which amylase has been added. Amylase (amyloglucidase) is a special enzyme used by brewers to make thick stouts drinkable rather than spoonable. This enzyme breaks down the complex sugars that normally remain in the beer after fermentation. The yeast is capable of producing more sugar and the beer is drier ( less sweet, less dense) as a result. 2017. In 2009, a San Francisco brewer decided to add the same enzyme to IPA. Brut IPA is a very dry but aromatic and bitter beer, reminiscent of brut champagne in body. There are bound to be other variations of IPA – people like hops and the creativity of brewers is endless. An IPA is an island of safety when friends have dragged a hipster into a beer bar. It’s something you can always order and feel like you fit into the modern beer world. But sending an IPA should not be an end in itself – it’s not one constant beer, every pub, every brewer creates their own IPA, playing with hops or style as such. The beer world is wild, there are no rules and only recommendations.