{ BJCP Category 14: India Pale Ales SdCCB BJCP Class – October 23, 2013

India Pale Ales, henceforth called IPA’s, are hop- forward pale ales, usually between 6 to 15 SRM, 40 to 120 IBU’s, and approximately 5.0 to 10.0 percent ABV. They are widely considered the most popular style in America among craft beer drinkers but I couldn’t find any data to support that. The common misconception is that IPA’s were originally English pale ales that were over hopped to withstand the voyage from England to India via boat. We will briefly discuss the history of the IPA in the following slides.

Because of its popularity, most craft drinkers know – or think they know – how IPA began. To quote one version of the popular history of the style: "Back in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, England held a large colonial presence in India. The soldiers, sailors and civilians had a huge appetite for beer. Trouble was, the voyage to India was long, and by the time the ship made it there the traditional beers had spoiled. Even when they didn't, the dark porters that were popular at the time weren't quite the ticket in the hot climate of India. George Hodgson of the Bow Brewery in London was the first person to come up with an answer to this problem. He began brewing a lighter style of beer, known as pale ale. Hodgson realized that high alcohol and hop levels would retard spoilage. His process succeeded, and for about 50 years he held a virtual monopoly on the market."

According to Mitch Steele in his recent IPA book, the problem is, almost none of the above is true. Ale and beer were being successfully exported to India – and farther – from at least the beginning of the 18th century, and while there was some spoilage, the beers that were being sent out could easily last a year or more in cask. So nobody needed to invent a new style of beer to survive the journey better. Porter continued to be popular in India through the 19th century, and strong dark beers are still drunk in hot climates, from Sri Lanka to the West Indies. Pale ales were around for at least a century before George Hodgson began brewing.

Certainly Hodgson's Bow brewery, on the eastern edge of London, became the best-known and most popular brewer of pale ales for export to India, though he never had a "virtual monopoly." Other brewers were also shipping beer out east, from London, from Liverpool, from Edinburgh and elsewhere. His advantage had less to do with the excellence of his product and owed more the fact that his brewery was only a short distance from where the East Indiamen, the ships that did the trading with India for the East India Company (the people whose tea led to a well- known riot in Boston), tied up in the Thames.

Pale ale, along with porter from England, made by unnamed brewers, was being advertised for sale in India by Nine years later, Hodgson's pale ale and porter were being advertised in India by name (note, incidentally, that despite what many modern writers will try to tell you, there were no apparent problems about exporting porter to the East). But we don't know whether the Hodgson’s were putting extra hops into their pale ale sent to India in the 1790’s, as brewers were being advised to do in the 1760’s – we have no evidence for Hodgson's pale ale recipe at this time at all.

The commanders of the East Indiamen traded on their own behalves, taking out goods from England to sell to the East India Company's "civil" and "military" servants in Bombay, Madras and Calcutta, and among the items they took out was beer. Hodgson, although a comparatively small brewer, was handily placed to supply that beer, and also granted the ships' commanders extended credit, and that's why they traded with him rather than any of the bigger London brewers.

The first guide to a recipe for pale ale shipped to the East does not appear to have been printed until 1821, when the first American edition of Andrew Ure’s Dictionary of Chemistry said: "It is well known that other things being equal, the liquor keeps in proportion to the quantity of hops. Fresh beer may have from a pound to a pound and a half to a barrel of 32 gallons, June beer two pounds and a half, beer for the month of August three pounds and for a second summer three and an half. For India voyages, four pounds."

Whatever Hodgson's recipe was, the Bow brewery's pale ale was certainly the top seller in the East, even after the brewers of Burton upon Trent began exporting to India as well from In 1829 it was said that “Mr Hodgson’s beer … is by far the best and most sought after in India … In Calcutta Hodgson sold for 50 percent more than Meux, Whitbread, Barclay (three big London porter brewers), or any other brewer.” Ten years later, in 1839, it was described as “Hodgson’s ale, the universal and favorite beverage of our vast Indian territories.”

Meanwhile, Hodgson's brewery was coming under increasing competition from India Pale Ales brewed in Burton upon Trent, competition that grew dramatically when the railway line between London and Burton opened in 1839, allowing the Staffordshire brewers, such as Bass and Allsopp, to reach the growing London market speedily and easily. The Hodgson’s seem to have left the Bow brewery some time between 1845 and 1848, and it went through several changes of ownership until it finally closed in 1927.

At no time, however, did the Hodgson’s, or any subsequent owners of the Bow Brewery, ever claim that India Pale Ale was invented in Bow. It was not until 1869, more than 20 years after the Hodgson’s had departed, that a writer named William Molyneaux declared that "the origin of India ale is by common consent accredited to a London brewer named Hodgson … The brewery where pale ale was first brewed, according to popular opinion, was the Old Bow Brewery." But as we have seen, popular opinion was wrong. Instead, India Pale Ale seems to have developed out of the idea current at least as far back as the 1760s that it was “absolutely necessary” to add extra hops to beer intended to be drunk in hot climates, with no evidence at all that George Hodgson was the first person to discover this.

Now that we’ve discussed the history in detail, let’s sample some IPA’s. Category 14A : English IPA  Aroma is moderate to high hop aroma, but typically less so than 14B or C variants, grassy notes are ok but not required, and caramel-like or toasted malt notes are common  Low to moderate fruitiness is ok, high is not. Some examples will exhibit sulfury notes, so don’t knock them down for this  Color should be golden amber to light copper but typically color falls in the pale to medium amber with a hint of orange tint. Clarity is should be high unless dry hopped, which can lead to a bit of haziness. Strong persistent head.  Hop flavor medium to high, with a moderate assertive hop bitterness. Hop flavor should be similar to the aroma, and malt flavor should be medium-low to medium-high. Hops should be over the malt, not vice-versa. Oak is inappropriate for this style.  Smooth, medium-light to medium bodied mouthfeel.  Overall this is a hoppy and moderately strong pale ale that features characteristics consistent with the use of English malt, hops and yeast.  OG: , FG  IBU  SRM 8-14  ABV 5 – 7.5

Category 14B: American IPA  Aroma is prominent to intense with citrusy, floral, perfume-like, resinous, piney and or fruity character from American hops. Dry hopped versions may also be grassy but is not required. Malt aromas should take a backseat to the hops.  Color ranges from medium gold to medium reddish copper, some versions can have an orange-ish tint, Good head. Clear to hazy for dry hopped variants.  Hop flavor is medium to high and should reflect an American hop character (citrus, floral, resinous, piney, fruity), medium-high to very high hop bitterness (not harsh), malt should be low to medium, and can have a hint of caramel or toast. Medium to dry finish. Oak is inappropriate in this style.  Medium-light to medium bodied without hop-derived astringency, moderate to medium-high carbonation, Body generally less than English examples.  Overall, American IPA’s are a decidedly hoppy and bitter, moderately strong American pale ale.  OG – 1.075, FG –  IBU 40 – 70  SRM 6 – 15  ABV

Category 14C: Imperial IPA  Aroma is prominent to intense hop derived from American, English and/or noble varieties (citrus hop almost always present). Most versions dry hopped and can have additional resinous or grassy aromas. Should never be “hot”.  Color ranges from golden amber to medium reddish copper, some will have an orange-ish tint. Clear to hazy. Good head.  Hop flavor is strong and complex, and can reflect the use of American, English and/or noble varieties. High to absurdly high hop bitterness, but malt backbone is usually enough to support this. Malt flavor low to medium, some caramel or toast is ok. Long lingering but not harsh bitterness in the finish. No oak.  Smooth, medium-light to medium body without hop derived astringency. Smooth alcohol warming  Overall the Imperial IPA is an intensely hoppy, very strong pale ale without the big maltiness and/or deeper malt flavors of an American barleywine.  OG – 1.090, FG –  IBU 60 – 120  SRM 8 – 15  ABV 7.5 – 10.0