American IPA
AMERICAN INDIA PALE ALE
OG = 1.050 FG = 1.012
IBUs = 40 to 60+ SRM = 8 to 14
India pale ale originated in England in the late 18th century. These beers were shipped overseas to the troops and the rulers of the British Empire in India. They were brewed with a high gravity and hop rate in order to survive the trip from England. (Hops and alcohol are natural preservatives.) The beer was stored in wooden casks, which acted as ballasts for the ship. Still fermenting when the trip began, the beer matured at sea. Because of the extreme temperature changes and the listing of the ships during rough weather, when the beers arrived they were highly attenuated. The constant motion roused the yeast and kept it in solution and the higher temperatures promoted fuller fermentation.
A Scottish brewer named Ballantine came to the United States in the early 1800s and began brewing beer in Albany, New York. One of his beers was Ballantine IPA, aged in wood casks, which emulated the English IPAs. Americans adopted this style of beer, producing a version that was a little lighter in color, drier and hoppier than its English counterparts. This style of beer showcases American hops to the fullest. It pairs well with a wide variety of foods, from fiery Indian curries to standard backyard barbecue fare.
Our IPA has a dense, off-white head that sits on a pale amber beer. The aroma is fresh and citrusy, with a nuance of malt. The first sip is loaded with hop flavor, but a well-balanced malt profile softens the blow. The finish is long and dry, with a hop presence. This beer is a well-calibrated mix of malt and hops that complement and don’t overpower each other.
Commercial Beers To Try
Almost every brewery has an IPA on its roster. Some of the more popular examples are Sierra Nevada Celebration, Anchor Liberty Ale, Bert Grant’s India Pale Ale, Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA, BridgePort IPA, Magic Hat’s Blind Faith, McNeill’s Dead Horse IPA, and Victory Hop Devil IPA.
The beer should have a prominent hop aroma with a low level of caramel or toasted malt. Fruitiness may also be detected. The color is medium gold to deep copper, with a slight haze at cold temperatures acceptable. Hop flavor is medium to high, with assertive hop bitterness. Malt flavor is low to medium but should balance the hops. It is important to have sufficient malt flavor, body and complexity to support the hops and maintain the balance of the beer. Low levels of diacetyl are acceptable and fruitiness should add to the complexity of the beer. Warming alcohol may be present in stronger-gravity beers. The mouthfeel is smooth and medium-bodied without astringency.
Hops, Malt and Yeast
Bittering varieties can be Chinook, Cluster, Eroica, Galena, Nugget, U.S. Northern Brewer, Yakima Magnum, or even combinations of bittering hops such as Cascade and Centennial. The most popular flavor hops are Cascade, Centennial, Willamette, Perle, Progress and Columbus. Aroma and dry-hop varieties include Cascade, Centennial, Crystal, Liberty, Ultra, Willamette and a newcomer to the market, Ahtanum. Ahtanum is grown in the Pacific Northwest and has a rich, spicy, floral character. Many brewers combine hops for a more complex IPA.
The base malt can be well-modified U.S. two-row or British two-row pale malt. Specialty malts include crystal (20° to 80° Lovibond), Munich, cara-Munich, torrified wheat, Victory and small amounts of roasted barley or chocolate malt.
Our favorite yeast choice for an American IPA is American Ale (Wyeast 1056) because it ferments dry and finishes soft, smooth and clean. Many other strains can be used successfully, such as American Ale II (Wyeast 1272), Northwest Ale (1332), British Ale (1098), British Ale II (1028) London Ale (1335), and California Ale (White Labs WLP001).
Serving Suggestions
Serve at 55° F in a pint glass with sea scallops quickly sautéed in lemon butter. Place the scallops on a mound of whipped Yukon Gold potatoes and surround with a broth of roasted garlic, carrot and ginger curry.
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American IPA
5 gallons, extract with grains; OG = 1.065; FG = 1.017; IBUs = 51
Ingredients:
- 10 oz. U.S. crystal malt (60° Lovibond)
- 4 oz. U.S. Victory malt
- 4 lbs. Alexander’s pale malt extract syrup
- 4 lb. Muntons extra-light DME
- 4 oz. malto-dextrin
- 13 AAUs Chinook (1 oz. of 13% alpha acid) (bittering)
- 5 AAUs Cascade (1 oz. of 5% alpha acid) (flavor)
- 2.5 AAUs Willamette (0.50 oz. of 5% alpha acid) (flavor)
- 1 tsp. Irish moss
- 5 AAUs Cascade (1 oz. of 5% alpha acid) (aroma)
- 1.25 AAUs Cascade (0.25 oz. of 5% alpha acid) (dry hop)
- 2.5 AAUs Centennial (0.25 oz. of 10% alpha acid) (dry hop)
- American Ale (Wyeast 1056) or California Ale (White Labs WLP001)
- 1-1/4 cup Muntons extra light DME for priming
Step by step:
Bring 1/2 gallon of water to 155° F, add crushed grain and hold for 30 minutes at 150° F. Strain the grain into the brewpot and sparge with one gallon of 168° F water. Add the malt extract syrup, dry malt, malto-dextrin and bittering hops. Bring the total volume in the brewpot to 2.5 gallons. Boil for 45 minutes, then add the flavor hops and Irish moss. Boil for 14 minutes, then add the aroma hops.
Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Cool wort for 15 minutes, then strain into the primary fermenter and add water to obtain 5-1/8 gallons. Add yeast when wort has cooled to below 80° F. Oxygenate-aerate well. Ferment at 68° F for 7 days, then rack into secondary and add dry hops. Ferment until target gravity is reached and beer is clear (approximately 3 weeks). Prime and bottle. Carbonate at 70° to 72° F for 2 to 3 weeks. Store at cellar temperature.
Partial-Mash Option:
Acidify the mash water to below 7 pH. Mash 2.25 lbs. U.S. two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 1 gallon water at 150° F for 90 min. Sparge with 1.5 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. Follow extract recipe, omitting 1.75 lbs. of Muntons extra-light DME in the boil.
All-Grain Option:
Acidify the mash water to below 7 pH. Mash 11.25 lbs. U.S. two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 4.25 gallons of water at 152° F for 90 minutes. Sparge with 5 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. The total boil time is approximately 90 minutes. Add 9.5 AAUs of bittering hops for the last 90 minutes of the boil. Add the flavor hops, Irish moss, aroma hops and dry hops as indicated by the extract recipe.
Helpful Hints:
If your water is soft (below 50 ppm hardness), add 2 tsp. gypsum, 1/4 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1 tsp. Epsom salts to adjust your water for the style. If your water is moderate (between 50 to 200 ppm hardness), add 1.25 tsp. gypsum, 1/4 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1 tsp. Epsom salts. If your water is hard (greater than 200 ppm hardness), add 1/2 tsp. gypsum, 1/4 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1 tsp. Epsom salts. Parts per million (ppm) is the unit used to describe the mineral content of your water.
This IPA is ready to drink 1 month after carbonation. It will peak between 1 and 3 months and will last for up to 7 months at cellar temperatures.
