American-Style India Pale Ale
| Location: | North American |
|---|---|
| Category: | Ale |
| BJCP Comparable Category: | 21A - American IPA |
Beer Style Description
This is the description of how the American-Style India Pale Ale style of beer should taste, feel and look. However, there may be perfectly fine beers in this style that fall outside of these ranges and descriptions. This information is just to show the most commonly accepted ranges for the American-Style India Pale Ale beer style.
The use of water with high mineral content may result in a crisp, dry beer rather than a malt-accentuated version. Sugar adjuncts may be used to enhance body and balance. Hops of varied origins may be used for bitterness or for approximating traditional American character. Versions of this style brewed with darker malts, non-traditional ale yeasts, fruits, spices or other flavorings are categorized as Experimental India Pale Ales.
- Color: Gold to copper
- Body: Medium-low to medium
- Malt Flavors & Aromas: Medium-low to medium intensity malt attributes are present in aroma and flavor
- Hop Flavors & Aromas: High, exhibiting floral, fruity (berry, tropical, stone fruit and other), sulfur, diesel-like, onion-garlic, catty, citrusy, piney or resinous character that was originally associated with American-variety hops. Hops with these attributes now also originate from countries other than the USA.
- IBUs/Bitterness: Medium-high to very high
- Fermentation Characteristics: Fruity esters are low to high. Diacetyl and DMS should not be present.
- Common Ingredients: Pale ale or 2-row brewers malt as the base, American or New World hops, American or English yeast with a clean or slightly fruity profile. Generally all-malt, but mashed at lower temperatures for high attenuation. Sugar additions to aid attenuation are acceptable. Restrained use of crystal malts, if any, as high amounts can lead to a sweet finish and clash with the hop character.
- Commercial Examples: Alpine Duet, Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, Fat Heads Head Hunter IPA, Firestone Walker Union Jack, Lagunitas IPA, Russian River Blind Pig IPA, Stone IPA
Brewing Properties of American-Style India Pale Ale
These are the functional brewing properties of American-Style India Pale Ale beers, as descided by the Brewers Association. These guidelines reflect, as accurately as possible, the historical significance, authenticity or a common profile in the current commercial beer market.
| ABV The alcohol by volume is shows the amount of alcohol this style of beer should have. |
6.3 - 7.5% |
|---|---|
| Bitterness The International Bittering Units (IBU) scale is used to approximately quantify the actual (not perceived) bitterness of beer. |
50 - 70 IBUs | SRM SRM is a scale for measuring the color intensity of a beer. Low SRM grains impart a pale straw color while higher values mean it will add a darker color to the wort. Learn more » |
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6 - 12 SRM(12 - 24 EBC) |
| Original Gravity Original Gravity (OG) is a measure of the sugar content in the wort before alcoholic fermentation has started to produce the beer. |
1.060 - 1.070 |
| Final Gravity The Final Gravity (FG) is how much sugar is left over in the beer when fermentation is complete. |
1.010 - 1.016 |
If you see an error in our data, please let us know!
Based on Brewers Association 2020 Beer Style Guidelines with changes. Used with permission of Brewer's Association.