The Origins of India Pale Ale (IPA)

India Pale Ale, better known simply as IPA, is probably the most recognisable style in modern craft beer. It is known for its prominent hop flavours and aromas, although that description barely scratches the surface. One IPA might be clear, dry and sharply bitter, while another could be hazy, soft and packed with sweet tropical fruit.

Its origins can be traced back to England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, although the history is not quite as neat and straightforward as it is sometimes presented. The familiar story combines British brewing, colonial trade and the challenge of sending beer thousands of miles by sea.

Early British Brewing:
British brewers were already producing pale ales long before anybody began calling them India Pale Ales. These beers were made using paler malts than the darker porters and mild ales that were widely consumed at the time.

They should not necessarily be thought of as weaker or less interesting versions of today's IPA. Brewing records suggest that some pale ales were already fairly well hopped, and brewers understood that both hops and alcohol could help beer remain stable for longer periods.

Exporting Beer to India:
During the British colonial period, there was a growing market for beer among British soldiers, officials, merchants and expatriates living in India. Getting beer to them was not an easy task. The journey could take several months, with the barrels travelling through changing temperatures and difficult conditions along the way.

The often-repeated version of the story says that ordinary English ales spoiled during the voyage, so brewers suddenly invented a much stronger and hoppier beer. The reality was probably less dramatic. Different types of beer, including porter, were successfully exported to India. However, well-attenuated pale ales with a generous amount of hops were particularly suited to ageing and long-distance travel.

George Hodgson and the Bow Brewery:
George Hodgson, who operated the Bow Brewery near the East India Company docks in London, is frequently credited with inventing IPA. He certainly played an important part in making pale ale popular in India, but it is probably more accurate to say that he helped establish the market rather than creating the style from nothing.

Hodgson offered favourable credit terms to East India Company ship captains, who bought beer privately and sold it after reaching India. His brewery's location also made it convenient for ships preparing to leave London. This helped Bow Brewery pale ale become a familiar sight in the Indian market.

Eventually, Hodgson's business practices upset some of the merchants involved in the trade, and other breweries were encouraged to produce competing beers. Brewers in Burton upon Trent were particularly well placed to do this. The town's mineral-rich water helped create pale ales with a dry finish and a crisp, clearly defined bitterness.

Hops, Strength and the Long Voyage:
More hops were useful because of their antimicrobial qualities, but they also gave the beer its bitterness, aroma and flavour. The beer was generally brewed to finish dry, leaving fewer fermentable sugars behind and making it more stable during storage.

It is also worth questioning the idea that every early IPA was unusually strong. Some were certainly robust, but strength alone was not what defined the style. Dryness, pale malt and assertive hopping were just as important.

The journey itself may even have helped the beer develop. Months of movement, warmth and ageing could soften the rawest hop character and allow the flavours to settle before the barrels arrived. Whether every shipment benefited is another matter, but the beer that reached India was not necessarily identical to the beer that left England.

Other beer reviewers won't agree with me as they beers aren't fancy enough, but if you want to try an old English IPA, then try the Greene King IPA, Marstons Old Empire IPA or even the Thornbridge Jaipur.

Evolution and Popularity:
Other British breweries soon produced their own versions, and India Pale Ale became popular in Britain as well as overseas. Over time, however, tastes changed. British IPA generally became weaker and less aggressively hopped, eventually overlapping with styles such as pale ale and bitter.

The modern IPA revival was largely driven by American craft brewers, who used intensely aromatic hop varieties to create beers with flavours of grapefruit, pine, resin and citrus. From there, IPA split into an enormous number of variations, including West Coast IPA, New England IPA, Session IPA, Black IPA, Cold IPA, Double IPA and Triple IPA.

For me, that variation is the main reason IPA continues to dominate the craft beer scene. The style can be polarising. I speak to plenty of people who love IPAs, but probably just as many who will not touch them because they expect every one to be aggressively bitter.

That is understandable if their first experience was an old-fashioned hop bomb that tasted like chewing grapefruit peel and pine needles. However, IPA now covers such a broad range of flavours that saying you do not like IPA is almost like saying you do not like cheese. There may still be a particular version that changes your mind.

An IPA can offer mango, pineapple, peach, orange or lemon. Others lean towards pine, flowers, herbs, grass or earthy bitterness. Some are clear, crisp and dry; others are hazy, sweet and soft. There are light, sessionable versions for warmer weather, as well as strong Double and Triple IPAs that are better treated with a little more respect.

Of course, variety does not automatically mean quality. I have had hazy IPAs that were wonderfully juicy and balanced, but I have also had examples that were overly sweet, thick and almost difficult to finish. Equally, a bitter West Coast IPA can be brilliantly refreshing when the malt and hops are balanced, but harsh and tiring when bitterness is the only thing it offers.

I did consider recommending a few IPAs here, but the category has become so vast that I genuinely would not know where to begin. Recommending a soft, tropical New England IPA to somebody who prefers dry, bitter beer would be fairly pointless, and the reverse is equally true.

The best approach is probably to try a few different interpretations rather than judging the entire style by one bottle or can. Look beyond the letters IPA and check whether the beer is described as hazy, juicy, West Coast, session, double or traditional. Those extra words often tell you far more about what you are about to drink.

IPA may have started as a British export beer, but it has become something much bigger and less clearly defined. That occasionally makes the style confusing, but it also makes it one of the most interesting areas of beer to explore.