A Brief History
On August 3, 2023, as with every First Thursday in August, Americans celebrate National IPA Day. If you are not a connoisseur of fine brewed malt beverages, namely beer and ale, you might not be familiar with IPA.
Digging Deeper
IPA is a product of the 1700s when long voyages to and from India were made by unrefrigerated British sailing ships. In order to have their precious brewski stay fresh, brewers, especially George Hodgson, concocted a brew that was bitter, hoppy, and crisp, that could survive the long voyages in wooden casks. The brew became known as India Pale Ale, and remains with us today, as a favorite of many craft and micro-breweries as well as the author of this article!
Obviously, the best way to enjoy National IPA Day is to break open a cool one and enjoy the bubbly brew, with or without your favorite food or snack accompaniment. What is your favorite IPA?
Question for students (and subscribers): What is the best beer or ale? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Janish, Scott. The New IPA: Scientific Guide to Hop Aroma and Flavor. ScottJanish.com, 2019.
Steele, Mitch. IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale. Brewers Publications, 2012.
The featured image in this article, a 19th-century poster for Phipps India Pale Ale showing the Northampton Brewery on Bridge Street, now the site of Carlsberg UK, is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.
