Imperial Pale Ale?

In my opinion Imperial Pale Ale should be lighter for its body than Double IPA, but pretty much at the same ABV level.

 

This is 'Merica brofus, everyone says it that way even though it is incorrect. Why you nitpicking on a beer forum? anyway?

 

The only beer I've heard of with such a name is Deuchars Imperial Pale Ale, a stronger version of Caledonian Brewery's Deuchars IPA. It's 5.2%.

Imperial Pale Ale's just a name though, isn't it? Even more so than other beer names.

 

Is there anything with differences in alcohol percentages for the difference between Indian Pale Ale and Imperial Pale Ale?

 

I'll raise your "imperial saison" to "SUPER saison:" http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3818/120781/
and southern tier is not the only brewery calling their souped up saison a "super."

 

Saison means "season", not "session". They are NOT to be a low ABV sessionable beer! Do a little research.

 

It derives from the military , in case an interview is recorded verbatim the record does not show insubordination.
There;s little point in using it any other time, it just sounds silly.

 

You might be interested in knowing that the original Saison beers (several centuries ago) were lower ABV beers:

“The backbreaking labor dictated that special consideration be given to the beer offered to saisonniers. Like their English counterparts, Belgian farmhouse brewers made brews of differing strengths (the weakest were used as table beers), but the strongest farmhouse ales rarely exceeded 5 percent ABV. Often consumed throughout the day, casks were kept cool in streams or by nestling them in shaded soil. Tipsy, dehydrated farm hands would be counterproductive to efficient harvesting, and effectively reduce the work force. Toeing the line on nourishment, refreshment, and thirst-quenching was ingeniously necessary. The strongest of the bunch were robust enough to keep for months, or until they were needed for harvest. A lactic character upon aging would have augmented their refreshing nature.”

Some of my local brewpubs make Saison beers in the 3-5% ABV range and label them as being Tabel Saison beers.

Cheers!

 

Call Southern Tier, they'll make it. They love to do Imperial Anythings.

 

I would love to know more about the "Imperial Pale Ale." The best reference I can find for it is in Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing. He says it is an American style from the late 19th c., describing it, "Imperial Pale Ale is a variation of... stock ale - strong, hoppy beers designed to be stored some time before drinking." He also gives stats for the style, from gravity (1.066-1.079 O.G.), to IBUs (70-100), to sugar amounts in the recipe ("up to 25 percent").

He also says:
"Imperial Pale Ale is a testament to the genius of American brewers of old, and also to American beer marketers... This willingness to inventively bend beer recipes and names to fit the times continues to this day."

Unfortunately, this is the only detailed reference I can find on the 19th c. American Imperial Pale Ale, and as the book is now ten years old, we might want to hold it to scrutiny until we can find more historical backing. Regardless, his statement still rings true: American brewers enjoy inventively bending beer recipes and names, and that is part of our identity.

 

As for the saison issue, I don't have Markowski's Farmhouse Ales with me, but I'm pretty sure he mentions that over the past few centuries saisons have covered a huge variety of color, ABV, and taste. They were often refreshing, blonde, low alcohol beers, but there were strong, dark, spiced saisons as well. Speaking historically, I don't think the term saison indicated any hard-set stylistic qualities.

 

Phil Markowski wrote the Saison section in The Oxford Companion to Beer (pgs. 711 – 712).

He ‘repeats’ the history of this beer: “According to legend these brews were the drink of the “saisonniers” migrant workers who came to help with the harvest.” It would be an imprudent farmer-brewer who made a high strength Saison beer ‘back in the day’.

Cheers!

 

Yeah...no.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/637/1717/
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/637/1716/
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/637/2430/

 

Thank you for your post. I had no idea that the term “Imperial Pale Ale” was an American historical beer.

I did a quick web search and found this verbiage from Randy Mosher:

“Variation on Stock Ale

Imperial pale ale is a variation of an American ale style called stock ale--strong, hoppy beers designed to be stored (stocked) some time before drinking. The Wahl Henius American Handy Book (1901) lists these at somewhere between 16 and 19 degrees Plato, or 1066 to 1079 original gravity (OG). Hopping was high at 2 to 3 pounds per barrel, or 1 to 1.5 ounces per gallon, not including the dry hops. This calculates out at about 70 to 100 IBUs--lip-peelingly bitter. As a warped point of reference, British Burton ales of the day were hoppier still, at an astonishing 3.5 to 4 pounds per barrel!

The addition of up to 25 percent sugar was the rule with stock ales. Dumped in the kettle with the last hop addition, sugar reduced the flavor intensity as well as the bottom line. This is a good thing, as some sugar in the recipe keeps strong beers from being overwhelmingly rich and malty, making them lighter on the palate, and reasonably quaffable.

Fermentation of stock ale was with ale yeast, at a fairly high 70 degrees F, which would have produced a beer with some seriously fruity aromatics.

Similar beers were routinely brewed in England during the 19th century, but I have seen no reference in any book or piece of breweriana that the Imperial designation was ever applied to anything but stouts and porters there. British beer names to this day tend to be a bit understated--quaint, even--lacking the brash hyperbole for which we Americans are so infamous. I mean, only in America could even a lowly corn-oil margarine be crowned with such a majestic title.”

It seem to me that this is likely in the wheel house of @jesskidden

Jess, do you have any more information on this topic?

Cheers!

P.S. Maybe Ron (@patto1ro) also has some knowledge on this?

 

They made one for a while, starting in 2007, and I was a big big fan.

On topic: there's no difference, just another way of naming an IPA. I do recall arguing with a few people who felt it was a recognized, traditional style when Troeg's Perpetual came out (and even going so far as to specify differences, lol), but I'm too lazy to look up the thread.

Edit: looks like there is some traditional use of the term, but that is certainly not what modern American brewers are making and calling Imperial Pale Ale. They're just making IPAs.

 

Craft beer naming conventions have become a joke.
"Imperial" somehow means high in alcohol and "India" somehow means hoppy.
Garrett Oliver was right for calling people out on this years ago. Now we've gone past the point of no return.

 

I'll say they've 'nuked the fridge' once Imperial Shandys become a thing.

 

Maybe they should team up with Stone and do an Imperial Black Kolsch .