The British IPA

300 years is stretching it a bit. http://zythophile.co.uk/2011/08/04/four-ipa-myths-that-need-to-be-stamped-out-for-ipaday/

 

Surprised no one has mentioned https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worthington's_White_Shield it is certainly the first IPA I drank back in the late 60's. Not too many British Breweries brew IPA's with British Hops, I guess Shane at Cheshire Brewhouse is one but I struggle to think of one that's not full of USA or Antipodean Hops, but we do have around 1600 Breweries so it's somewhat impossible to keep up.

 

You guys would know better than us how the style has morphed over the years, but starting with this definition it would seem that the BJCP English IPA is more of an idealized 19th century beer than one you normally see out of commercial brewers. I'm quite fond of Fuller's Bengal Lancer, though, and that one comes across as solidly English.

 

For your consideration below is something I posted three days ago in a New Beer Sunday thread:

“Some of the traditional beers they had going that I enjoyed: Wells & Young Eagle IPA, Greene King IPA, Ruddles County IPA, Tributary ESB, Saint Benjamin Foul Weather Jack English Mild, Sly Fox Chester County Bitter, Yards Brawler, …. The first three beers in this list were what I would classify as Bitter Ales despite the IPA label.”

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-585.414721/#post-4751122

Cheers!

 

There have always been plenty of IPAs brewed in Britain. Charrington's IPA was a big seller in 1970's London.

 

Yeah that's the thing. From a "modern" style perspective or how terms are used from a "craft" context, they are called bitters. BUT as ron mentioned here and there, aren't they historically derived from IPAs or just how IPAs developed in the UK due to costumer's demands and tax regulations and so and so on? That's what fascinates me about IPA, the disconnect and confusion. And yes I head several "IPAs that are more like bitters" and "IPAs that are closer to what Americans think an english IPA should be like".

 

I have had White Shield recently and it was lacking that spicy pepperiness I remember from supping the 330ml bottles in the 80s. It's not just me is it or are the tastebuds on the wain as well as the grey cells?

 

Historically there's no clear dividing line between Pale Ale, Bitter and IPA. The terms weren't used consistently. Some brewers had an IPA that was stronger than their Pale Ale, but other brewers had it the other way around. Whitbread's IPA was much weaker than their PA. Other brewers called all their Pale Ales IPA, in Scotland, for example. At least internally. The brewhouse name for Boddington's Bitter was IP in the 1980's.

Saying a beer can't be an IPA because it's too weak just doesn't cut it, historically. Plus it's unfair to compare a post-WW II IPA with one from the 19th century. Beer gravites fell around 40% between 1890 and after WW II. What's Greene King IPA now? 1036? Add 40% to and you get an OG of 1050.

 

As Ron has already discussed the term of "British IPA" is a multidimensional thing: varied with time, varied with geography, varied with specific breweries and varied with...

Your statement of "disconnect and confusion" is apropos here.

Cheers!

P.S. FWIW I share the vision that @Hoppsbabo has here: "...high ABV, English hop-heavy pale ales...".

 

High ABV is hardly traditional for an IPA. As Ron mentions , often IPA was the weakest beer in the range and none seems to have been much over 7% ABV. Indeed , brewers kept IPAs above 5.5% mainly for tax reasons , although they desired to brew weaker they couldn't claim the tax back on exported beer.
Like many beers (mild is a very topical one at the moment) , the names stay the same but the liquid they represent do not. Who would have imagined a 6% saison back in the day?

 

At the 2015 National Homebrewers Conference Mitch Steele discussed the Historical British IPA of 1820 – 1900. He stated:

· An original gravity of 1.065 – 1.070

· Very dry (i.e., a low final gravity)

· 70 IBUs

· Hops: 100% East Kent Goldings

· Malt: 100% Extra Pale (White) Malt

An OG of 1.065 and a final gravity less than 1.010 would result in a beer of 7+ % ABV.

Cheers!

 

Mitch got lots of his gen from Ron , and Ron gives a different impression. But of course he actually looked at brewing records.

 

Yes, Mitch Steele listed Ron's name in the Acknowledgments section of his IPA book (along with many, many, many others).

The IPA book by Mitch Steele was thoroughly researched. Have you read it yet?

Cheers!

 

I have never read or heard of this but an important aspect here is that IPAs were not the beer of choice for the British troops stationed in India. IPAs were mostly consumed by East India Company folks (and other British non-troop folks). The beer of choice for the British Troops was Porter (a hoppy Porter).

Here is an example of the Porter they would drink: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18371/68662/

Cheers!