Harrowsmith Fall 2019 | 55GARDENING: HOPSIPAS: THE
HOPPY BEER
H
oppy is a word commonly
used to describe the type
of beer—IPAs—that has
gotten so popular in the last few
years as craft beer producers have
gained in popularity. These are
generally American-style IPAs,
which have a fruity bitterness that
has been popularized by this new
breed of brewer. But the fact is,
IPAs have a much longer history
than the most recent craft beer
movement, and they come in a
very wide range of flavours.
The name IPA comes from
“India pale ale,” which started
out around 1840 as an ale brewed
from pale malt for export fromEngland. Hops were added for
preservative, which made the
ales bitter by the time they got to
where they were going. “India”
refers to where they were going.
At the same time, IPAs were also
becoming popular around the
British colonies, including Canada
and Australia, where often the “I”
was dropped for “export ale” or
simply “pale ale.”
It is hard to generalize IPAs,
but there are some specific types
that are worth looking out for,
and much of the difference comes
down to the hops.
Session IPAs have less alcohol,
which allows you to drink more