Beer Style Guide: American India Pale Ale (IPA)

The temperatures rise as we push nearer to August.  The rain storms of June have stopped, but the humidity has not.  Now is the season for lawn mower beers.  Today we will talk about what is arguably the most popular lawn mower beer in the craft beer industry:  The American India Pale Ale (IPA). 

As beers go this beer is relatively new on scene, but it parent beers the American Pale Ale, and the India Pale Ale have roots that date back hundreds of years.  The India Pale Ale dates back to the 18^th century at the peak of British Colonization.  Pale ales were very popular at the time.  Now contrary to the name, the “Pale” in pale ales only means that is lighter than a porter (a heavy dark brown or red), and it covered a wide variety of beers we now call by different names.  As Britain colonized east including India there was a growing demand for British made beers, but there was a problem with the delivery service.  It took months for the wind powered ships of the days to make the voyage.  Now it is greatly disputed who was responsible for this, but someone figured out that if you put an abundance of hops in the beer that it would survive the voyage.  Thus IPAs were born. 

American Pale Ales was the beer that launched the craft brewery industry.  New Albion Brewery, started by Jack McAuliffe , was looking to brew something the big national brewers were not.  He started with heavily hopped (at least at the time, compared to today’s standards it’s pretty mild) pale ale.  While the brewery did not last for very long, it started the trend of craft brewing in the US, and it would have an early influence on Sierra Nevada Brewing, a brewery known for its hoppiness. 

The trend of hoppy beers became very popular in the craft brewing scene, creating a sub culture of beer drinkers called “hop heads”.  This lead to extreme breweries like Surly and Stone creating hoppier and hoppier beers.  Thus the American India Pale Ale was born. 

American IPAs generally start out with a caramelish or raisin like base malt.  They are then given a fruity or citrus like aroma hops, usually Cascade.  IPAs tend to be stronger and lighter in color then Pale Ales, but this is not always the case.  IPAs can range from straw gold, to a mid-range red.  Flavor wise, it is usually a characteristically citrus like hops, usually accompanied with a sweeter maltiness.  (Mosher, 2009)

Just about every brewery these days makes some version of an IPA.  So finding a local version of an IPA should not be very difficult.

Minnesota:

MankatoBrewery:  Haymaker IPA

Flat EarthBrewery:  Northwest Passage IPA

Surly:  Surly Furious

Big WoodBrewing:  Bad Axe (Seasonal)

Wisconsin:

LakefrontBrewery Inc.:  IPA

ValkyrieBrewing:  Supernova

Works Cited

Mosher, T. (2009). Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide To The World's Greatest Drink. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing.

Oliver, G. (2012). The Oxford Companion to Beer. New York: Oxford University Press.

Brews and Reviews: On the California Coast!

Just wrapping up a nice family vacation from the West Coast.  We spent a fair amount of days laying on the beach soaking up the sun (and I have the burns on my formerly pale Minnesota skin to prove it), and of course soaking up the local beer offerings.

So I will start with a local that is nationally known an can be found here. Now this is one of those beers I have had before, but this time I could say I was drinking it "local".  It's the legendary Anchor Steam.  Anchor Steam is still one of my favorite beers.  Smooth, noticable, but not overwhelming hops, and overall a well balanced beer.  I can't say for certain that it tasted "fresher" because I was closer to the source.  But it still hit the mark!  Rating 4 out of 3 Stars (Favorite)

Next our stop at BJ's Brewhouse.  For food I ordered their California Burger, and I had an Oasis Amber for a beer.  Now their beer was solid, refreshing, and tasted well.  But at the end of the day, it wasn't all that memorable.  Where I felt the shined was on the food.  Their fries were well cooked and seasoned, my medium rare burger was cooked to perfection, and the topping were fresh and added to the flavor of the burger.  It's really hard to judge a Brewpub on just one beer, but they definatly caught my interest and I look forward to going again.  Great food, and solid beers.

The first  new beer for our review is Bear Republic's Black Race IPA.  This inky black beer didn't let any light escape it.  It had a thick foamy dark head.  It head a thick warm mouth-feel.  There was a heavy cascade hops flavor and a fiery aftertaste (the abv is 8.1%).  There was a touch of smoke in the after taste.  A very different take on Black IPAs then what is available in Minnesota.  It was heavier, darker, and packed a punch.  Rating: 1 1/2 out of 3 stars (Good).

Ballast Point Amber Ale Calico:  This hazy dark red beer had a nice thick foamy head.  The aroma was a white grape followed by a citrusy aroma.  It hit you first with a shock of bitterness.  It was a muddled mixture of cascade hoppiness, but there were others hops noticeably at play in this beer.  It had an almost lavender flavor to it, especially in the after taste.  Nice and bold, a definite drink for the hoppy people in your life.  Rating 1 1/2 Stars out of 3 (Good).

Hanger 24 Amarillo Pale Ale:  This hazy orange beer with white foamy head gives off a faint citrus aroma.  It had ample, but soft, carbonation.  Mild bitterness, it had a nice lingering maltiness to it.  It was a good hearty beer perfect for summer time.  Rating 2 Stars out of 3 (Very Good).

Last and definitely not least is what I'm calling the star of our trip:  Fireman's Brew Blonde Pilsner.  This beer was light golden in color with a slight orange tint.  Head of fine bubbles, nice fresh saaz hops aroma.  The taste reminded me of one of my favorite German Pilsners, Hohenfelder.  Nice crisp bitterness, pleasant nutty maltiness.  It was smooth, crisp, and very good.  I found that you could drink this beer chilled, or just under room temperature and you still had a fine beer.   Overall this was my favorite beer of the trip.  Rating:  3 Stars out of 3 Stars (Excellent).

Overall I has very happy with my beer experience in California.  This state is known for having some of the best beers in this country, and I tend to agree.  Mixed with a fine food culture this is a definite trip to take when you are looking for a new Beer Adventure.

Until next time.  Keep those mugs full!