Research and development has begun. My current reading is IPA:Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale by Mitch Steele. This book examines the history of India Pale Ale from it’s English roots in the mid 1700’s, to it’s more recent American styles. The IPA has gone through many variations to become what today is most popular style of craft beer in the United States.
The original IPA was brewed by a man named George Hodgeson in the mid 1700’s. This beer was just a pale ale, and marketed as such, however, soon after its inception it transformed an industry due to its level of refreshment and high demand. At this time, the East India Company was the most powerful importer/exporter of goods between England and India. Hodgeson among others in England brewed mainly porters and October Beer which was a strong, hopped pale ale brewed in autumn to be sent to India. Both of these varieties shipped well on the six month journey around the southern cape of Africa all the way to India. The rocking of the ships on their voyage generally improved the quality of the beer by expediting the aging and maturing process. The East India ship employees favored the October beer, soon then favoring Hodgesons new pale ale which was lighter, hoppier, and more refreshing on a hot day. Hodgeson’s ale quickly became popular with the captains, port workers, and general public of English in India. This India styled ale with its pale malts was much more refreshing than the porters with their dark malts also being shipped at this time. The popularity if this style grew rapidly, and soon most other brewers in this region were making a similar ale for export. The term India Pale ale did not actually come about the 1820’s, although it was referred to as India beer, and maintained vast similarities between brewers.
It was not until the late 1800’s that IPAs came to the United States. The first American IPA (and only for a long while) was made by Ballantine in 1878 (Date from ballantinebeer.com). This beer was still an old style IPA and would taste very different than the new age of American IPAs brewed present day. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that the first “American style IPA” was brewed. The company Anchor brewing developed a seasonal beer named the Liberty Ale, this ale used the newly researched cascade hop to both add to the boil, as well as dry hop. This beer sparked the consumer desire for piney, citrus filled deliciousness that was the catalyst for the craft and micro brew revolution. Slowly the craze grew for this style, and then in the 1990’s it exploded. Now, current day there are thousands of brewers, many of which still focus on IPA varieties.
Although this book is not finished, the initial reading has lead to further research and a focus on various IPA styles.