Thursday, May 11, 2017 @ 03:37 pm
To many beer drinkers, craft beer is defined by the India Pale Ale, or IPA. Everybody makes one, many swear by it, and often, the more bitter, the better. So what's with it?
IPA - What does it stand for?
Many view the rise in popularity of the IPA as a new, hot trend, which is somewhat true, but also not. The history of the IPA actually goes back to the late 1700s. At the height of the British empire, India was one of its most important outposts for troops and travelers alike. These distant subjects of the British empire demanded beer, but India was too warm for brewing.
One London brewer, George Hodgson, dominated the beer export market to the colony, making a veriety of beers One of them was a strong pale ale brewed with extra additions of hops and at higher alcohol levels made specifically to survive the trip to India. Both of those ingredients acted as preservatives during the journey. The long voyage transformed the beer into a beverage soon loved by many. Hence the name, India Pale Ale.
Modern IPAs
Fast foward a few hundred years to the 1970s, and micro-breweries started popping. During these early days, long-forgotten ale styles began to reappear. The use of American-grown ingredients, especially hops, were an eye-opener to those who tasted these beers for the first time.
Over time, as palates acclimated and brewers sought to experiment, a natural progression happened. Brewers started demonstrating their skill with bigger and bigger beers, fortified with massive doses of hops. And why hold back? America had lost its brewing personality 50 years earlier and was due for reinventing. There were no guidelines to follow and no one to answer to.
The Double India Pale Ale (DIPA)
Eventually, the biggest of these beers grew so strong and hoppy, people wondered whether they were IPAs at all. And so a new beer style was born: the Double IPA. This brash new style symbolizes the rambunctious, experimental, and independent nature of microbrewers across the nation.
With such a long journey, the history of this style only stretches back about 33 years. The story goes, that the first double IPA appears to have been brewed by Vinnie Cilurzo in 1994 for the now closed Blind Pig Brewery of Temecula, California. This was followed two years later buy Rogue releasing I2PA in 1996, and Stone followed two years later with their 2nd Anniversary IPA in 1998. It first appeared under its own category at the Great American Beer Festival in 2003.
Circuit Breaker Double IPA
Circuit Breaker has been a project of Founder, Jeff for over a year, now in the hands of Head Brewer, Derek. It has undergone rigerious scrutiny in our Fourier Series experimental program, and came out the other side delicious.
Ringing in at 8.1% ABV and 80 IBU, this DIPA is brewed with a blend of Amarillo and Calypso hops, resulting in an orange, pine, peach, pear and biscuit aroma, with low sweetness of caramel and toffees, cracker and slight sunflower seed. Hop flavors lend flavors of orange peel, peach and slight resin.
JOIN US for the tap release on Friday, May 12th at 3p!
