Indian Pale Ale carries a terrible deception. For despite its name, India Pale Ale was not brewed on the subtropical subcontinent but under a light English drizzle. We dove into the history books in order to gain a better understanding of this type of beer.
During colonial rule, British civil and military personal stationed in India had grown desperate for home comforts like beer. Unfortunately, it was too hot to brew beer in India and keeping beer fresh on the six-month voyage from Britain to India was a tall order. The British needed a beer that was long-lasting and refreshing in the subtropical humidity.
The story you may know goes something like this: “The ingenious Hodgson`s Brewery knew they could increase the shelf life of their beer by exploiting the preservative quality of hops and alcohol, and thus, they conceived the crisp and bitter IPA. Imbued with hops and exceptionally alcoholic, the mighty IPA was the only beer resilient enough to survive the journey from Britain to India without spoiling.”
Whilst a good pub story, this story, like many historical anecdotes, is steeped in inaccuracy born of oversimplification. Ship captains had been privately selling brandless beer in India for some time before Hodgson’s arrived on the scene. Furthermore, the imported beer ranged from porters to amber ales, demonstrating that a variety of beer could survive the journey to India.
Hodgson’s had diligently tailored their beer - a refreshing October ale - to suit the needs of the Indian market. For those that are unfamiliar with October Ale; it’s a variation of holding beer, noted for being pale, well-hopped and cellared for roughly two years after brewing. Hodgson`s October ale was crisp, light and refreshing: perfect for the humid climate of India. Their efforts paid off, and before long they held a near monopoly on export beers to India.
It was only with Hodgson’s decline that the first IPA came to be. A dispute between the East India Company and Hodgson`s in the earlier half of the 18th century gave brewers in Burton-upon-Trent the opportunity to create their own version of Hodgson`s export beer. This new ale contained more hops and was drier and more bitter than October Ale. It is said to have an even more delicious flavour and a crisper, more refreshing edge when chilled than Hodgson`s October ale.
It proved hugely popular in India, breaking Hodgson`s stranglehold on the market.
Soon, these export beers were sold locally in the UK as well, targeting families returning to the home from India. That’s how this new ale gained its name: India Pale Ale.
IPA was a huge success on the home islands, and for a moment, IPA became Britain’s drink of choice. However, with the turn of the century and the birth of refrigeration technology, beer lovers world-wide tuned to Lager and IPA fell largely out of fashion.
In recent years, IPA has exploded back into global popularity. Craft Breweries sprung up across the world and many offered their contributions to the IPA legacy, often with their own new and regional twists on the classic bitter flavour. It is this IPA renaissance that gave birth to the New England IPA.
A brave pioneer, New England IPA indulges in tropical fruit and is heavily dry hopped, lending it both a deep hops flavour and its characteristic murkiness. It is noted for its smoothness, fruitiness and for being less bitter on the pallet.
Since the NEIPA is making its comeback, we chose to add our page to the IPA story with Bar Bippa: a beautiful cloudy and golden New England IPA. We baptized Bippa a Belgian IPA, because this type of specialty beer has yet to conquer Belgium.
Bar Bippa is a testament to who we are as brewers. An ode to balance, a delicious fruity twist on a timeless classic. It comes alive with a rush of citrus, which dances in harmony the iconic dry bitterness of the hops.
Hints of hops and fragments of fruit combined into a belgian IPA with the characteristic cloudiness and a silky-smooth mouthfeel.
Hints of hops and fragments of fruit combined into a Belgian IPA with the characteristic cloudiness and a silky-smooth taste.
