Note: This piece is the drink Essential in Paste Quarterly #1, which you can purchase here, along with its accompanying vinyl Paste sampler.
A lot has happened to the IPA since Anchor Brewing Co. started using Cascade Hops in the 1970s. The style, which has a murky origin in the British Empire, has evolved significantly here in the U.S. Because we’re American, we took the English IPA (equal parts malt and herbal hops) and threw fireworks and boob jobs at it. We scrapped the notion of balance, increased the ABV, decreased it again and created sub-styles from Red IPAs to Brett IPAs. Blame it on our inclination to experiment or the potent hop strains developed in thePacific Northwest, but the IPA in America looks nothing like it did 30 years ago. Here, we map that progress, calling out the signature beer for each evolutionary leap.
West Coast IPA: Russian River Blind Pig
The first popular IPAs in America came from the Left Coast and used new hop strains from the Pacific Northwest. The West Coast IPA is far less balanced than English versions. It’s heavy on the pine and grapefruit, and often bitter as hell with a dry finish. It took some getting used to.
Imperial IPA: Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Take the American IPA and double it. Double the booze, double the bitterness, double the hop character. Just double it. “Intense” is the most common word used to describe this beer.
Black IPA: Grand Teton Trout Hop
Here, we’re flirting with “balance” again, in such that the Black IPA (aka Cascadian Dark Ale or Black Ale) has a hefty malt presence playing counterpart to the hefty hop presence. They’re often roasty, usually high in ABV and just as bitter as a West Coast IPA. Oh, and they’re black.