IPA: the richest bitterness

India Pale Ale, the beer style that is popularly "in the mouth" of many who appreciate a good craft beer, either out of affinity because they like it or because they are clear that bitterness is not your favorite flavor in a beer. What we have to acknowledge is that this popularity is quite a positive achievement for all of us :

• It is now known that there are many more beer options than the traditional lagers: there are a variety of flavors to explore in the world of beers;
• At least now many people have the definition of this style of beer a little clearer: "ahhh, okay...IPA is that style of bitter beer...".

But how did this popularity come about?

The search for what is different

If we look back a bit and try to understand what happened to the post-Industrial Revolution (when volume production and consumption began to dominate our lives), we will see that buying began to be an important representation of social status, we will understand also that for a long time we were buying more of the same simply to follow the consumerist logic around appearances and individualism.

But with the arrival of technology and the development of the perception of differentiation, society also understood that this would be a good time to think, consume and act "differently", look for more authentic options to feel unique. In this very summarized way, we believe that IPA is one of the styles of craft beer that awakens in people the satisfaction of discovering different flavors (although the beer that continues to reign supreme in the bars of most bars and restaurants is the pils).

The craft movement

The signature brewer, together with the craft beer movement, has always had the purpose of conquering the consumer's palate with different beers, with greater character, flavor and personality. Initially, the general proposal of this new generation of brewers was to try it through hops, thanks to its great aromatic potential (particularly notable in North American varieties) and the character it transmits to the taste through bitterness.

For this reason India Pale Aale, the style of beer intensely hopped of British origin, has been and continues to be the most popular and consumed style among the public that consumes this type of beer, appearing in a large number of conversations and debates that revolve around craft beer. Furthermore, over the years, IPAs have experimented with different variations or creations of "sub-styles" , as a creative way to reinvent this style and keep it "up-to-date" for the public. It is also an opportunity to adjust the flavor for people who prefer this style of beer but from another perspective: with more fruity or herbal notes, flavors with the addition of fruits, etc. We will talk about all these variations in our next post here. Stay tuned!