National IPA Day honors the beer known as India Pale Ale on the first Thursday in August. This year, it falls on August 1. National IPA Day is observed to raise awareness about one of the most popular types of craft beer in the world; the India Pale Ale, or I.P.A.
- 17th Century – Pale ales have been in existence since at least the 17th century. And those who enjoyed these beers weren’t the troops in the British Army, but the upper classes from England and the rest of Europe who had chosen to settle in India.
- 1700s – The IPA began as an idea that adding hops to the beer increased the longevity of the brew.
- 1700s – British sailors traveling to India give I.P.A. its name.
- 1829 – While Australia is not the first place to brew an IPA, they were the first place to call it one. The name East India Pale Ale appeared in an 1829 ad
- 1860 – Demand for I.P.As increases in England.
- 1970s – IPA fell out of favor for lager in the late 19th century but reemerged in California microbreweries in the 1970s.
- 1975 – The first American version of I.P.A. emerges in San Francisco.
- 2011 – National I.P.A. Day is created by Ashley Rousten.
- 2016 – As of 2016, there are more than 5,000 craft breweries in the country, and India pale ale, or IPA, is one of the industry’s most popular varieties.
- India Pale Ale wasn’t created in India.
- Brewers ferment barley to make India Pale Ales. Depending on the length of fermentation, the tannins may cause some bitterness in the beer, even after adding hops. IPAs tend to be crisper than other beers.
- When Vinnie Cilurzo was the brewmaster of The Blind Pig Brewing Co., his first batch of beer had to count. But since he was making beer on old second-hand equipment, he wasn’t sure he could be nuanced with his flavors, so he just decided to add as many hops to the brew as possible. The result was the first commercial Double IPA.
- Since the 1700’s, brewers have gotten quite creative in the craft of IPAs! Today there are four main styles (and several sub-styles). Berghoff’s Beer Blog breaks them down by their differentiating characteristics:
- English-Style IPA The English IPA is what started it all. The English variety tends to be less hoppy in flavor than American IPAs, with medium to strong hop bitterness and flavor. You may notice moderate to very strong fruit flavors and a gold to copper color when you pour. English IPAs can have anywhere from 4.5% to 7.1% ABV. They tend to be crisp and dry, making for a very refreshing brew.
- American-Style IPA Americans revived the withering English IPA style with huge flavors. Hop flavors are strong, with high bitterness, big citrus and/or herbal character and a stable malt backbone. Pine, sulfur and/or floral flavors are common. American IPAs tend to have moderate to very strong fruit flavors. When you pour, you may notice a gold to copper color along with a distinct hop haze. ABVs range from 6.3% to 7.6%.
- Imperial (Double) IPA If you think American-style IPAs are intense, Imperial IPAs will take your tastebuds to the next level. Hop bitterness and flavor are very high, but should still be pleasing and not harsh. You should also notice strong fruit flavors. The point of this type of beer is to show off the fresh and flavorful characters of the hops. There should be a nice alcoholic kick, with ABVs ranging from 7.6% all the way to 10.6%.
- Session IPA Since IPAs are so refreshing, it’s no surprise that brewers started crafting ones that have a low ABV. This way, you can sip on them all day under the sun without getting drunk out of your mind. Sessions can be much less intense than their American-style counterparts, with a medium to high hop bitterness, but strong hop flavor. Fruit flavors are low to moderate along with a low to medium maltiness. Session IPAs pour a gold or copper color and may feature a hop haze. ABVs are kept low, from 3.7% to 5%.
- Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada collaborated in the design of a special glass just for IPAs. Sold on Crate & Barrel’s website for $10.95 each, the Spiegelau IPA Glass is the new standard for sipping this beloved brew.
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