The 21st century has been a golden age for beer thanks to the proliferation of craft breweries. It’s been lauded for bringing underrated beer styles into the zeitgeist spearheaded by bold and creative brewers (though many “craft” beers these days are actually tied to Anheuser Busch). Amid this new brewing culture no style has garnered more attention than IPA beer. Once obscure it’s become ubiquitous enough that everyone seems to have strong opinions about it. It’s become one of those things you either love or love to hate its bold bitter flavor inspiring fans and detractors in seemingly equal numbers.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
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 Beer By The Numbers | 2017-07-23 16:00:01 |  73,364 Views |
The True History of the IPA – IPA Beer HISTORY
IPA is primarily defined by its hoppiness. Almost every style of beer is made with hops but IPAs have more than the average amount. This trait is central to IPA’s history which dates back to the early 18th century. The most common version of the story goes something like this: When the British colonized India they flooded the country with troops. The British were used to drinking porter a style of beer that spoiled quickly in the hot Indian climate even if it survived the sea voyage from England. To solve this problem brewers began importing beers with more hops which have antibacterial properties for preservation. The brew became synonymous with India and was called India Pale Ale. But like most stories from the past this one is riddled with questionable details and the true origins of IPA are as murky as the brew itself.
The invention of IPA is most often attributed to a British brewer named George Hodgson. Hodgson’s brewery was located just a few miles from the headquarters of the East India Company which was ostensibly a trading company but in reality served as the main driving force behind British colonization using a private army of hundreds of thousands to extract as much wealth from India as possible. Hodgson was given an exclusive contract to supply beer to the East India Company. Initially he sent them the classic porter but when he recognized the problems it caused he realized he had to make a change.
Many stories claim that Hodgson created IPA deliberately for this purpose but it was hardly a unique invention. Rather he took his standard brew and added extra hops for export to India. As with the accidental invention of beer itself luck played a large part in Hodgson’s success. He probably did not realize that when he shipped the beer it had not yet finished fermenting. During the sea voyage to India the beer would be left to mature in the barrel effectively doing the opposite of spoiling and arriving at its destination in even better condition than when it left London. Upon arrival in India Hodgson’s beer became very popular and was soon being advertised in England as well. It’s a nice story but while Hodgson undoubtedly played a major role in popularizing what would later become known as IPA in reality he was far from the first to create it.
