Beer Style: India Pale Ale
Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyBell’s flagship IPA is brewed with 100% Centennial hops from the Pacific Northwest and named after the Two Hearted River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s Celebration clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyFirst brewed in 1981, Sierra Nevada explains that Celebration Ale is one of the earliest examples of an American-style IPA, and it’s still one of the few hop-forward holiday beers. The intense, hop-heavy beer features Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade hops.
Saint Arnold Brewing Co.’s Elissa IPA
FREE“A traditional India Pale Ale, the Elissa IPA is very hoppy with a properly balanced malty body. Elissa has huge hop additions in the kettle that give it a wonderful bitterness and is then dry-hopped in the fermenter to create the pleasant floral, hoppy nose. Our reverse osmosis water makes the bitter very soft with no harsh notes to it. The maltiness is derived from British Maris Otter malt. Its rich flavor stands up to the hops that would otherwise dominate this beer. The Elissa is an authentic version of an India Pale Ale (IPA) style.”
North Coast Brewing Co.’s Acme IPA clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyNorth Coast Brewing Co.’s Acme IPA clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) OG = 1.062 FG = 1.011 IBU = 56 SRM = 7 ABV = 6.6% Ingredients 11.33 lbs. (5.1 kg) Great Western 2-row pale malt 1 lb. (0.45 kg) Vienna malt 0.33 lbs. (0.15 kg) Munich malt 0.33 lbs. (0.15 kg) Carapils® malt 3.3 AAU
Lagunitas Brewing Company: Lagunitas IPA clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe flagship IPA that Lagunitas built their brewing name on is a well-rounded West Coast IPA with lots of hop complexity and a solid malty balance.
Bear Republic Brewing Company: Racer 5 IPA clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThis full-bodied West Coast IPA is one of America’s most medal-winning IPAs.
Alesmith Brewing Company: Alesmith IPA clone
FREEThis well-balanced West Coast IPA is a San Diego classic that is filled with aromas of grapfruit and tangerine, fresh pine, and tropical fruit.
Specialty IPA
Digital and Plus Members OnlyWhen I started brewing, there was only one style category for India pale ale. Just a single category, no subcategories. Several years later, people had begun talking about the differences between English and American IPA, and eventually double IPA entered the mix. It stayed that way for quite some time. Years went by and people
Double IPA
Digital and Plus Members OnlyLike many people, when I was new to craft beer I favored beers that had a maltier balance, ones that were not so bitter. At that time, a homebrew shop owner told me that most people start out preferring malty beer styles, but eventually everyone craves hoppy beers. He was right and it didn’t take
American IPA
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) has distinguished four different IPA styles: English, American, double, and specialty (which has numerous sub-categories). Some people further specify American IPAs as being a “West Coast” IPA. Count me among those who believe West Coast IPA is its own unique style, a creative outgrowth from brewers and drinkers that
English IPA
Digital and Plus Members OnlyIndia pale ale was first created when an enterprising brewer crafted a beer to better survive the long sea voyage from England to India in the late 18th century. It is said that the beer had more hop bitterness than other beers of its time to help preserve the beer against spoilage. Today, English commercial
American IPA
Digital and Plus Members Onlyby the numbers OG: 1.056–1.075 (13.8–18.2 °P) FG: 1.010–1.018 (2.6–4.6 °P) SRM: 6–15 IBU: 40–70 ABV: 5.5–7.5% All IPA sub-styles are “hoppy,” but there is a vast difference in the level of hops between them. On the lower end is English IPA, which, while hoppy, does not have quite as bold a hop character as