In the previous chapter we talked about the main styles of beer from the American School. Today we bring you a selection of the best national beers made following these recipes.
But before we begin, and given that today American styles are the most popular in the craft beer market, we want to explain to you the differentiating features of two American styles that are sometimes confused: APA and American IPAS .
What is the difference between APA and American IPA?
American brewers in the 1970s and 1980s redesigned British styles that had hops as the main protagonist. New varieties of hops that had been developed in the country were incorporated into these classic recipes: Cascade, Citra, Centennial and Columbus.
In this way, the Pale Ale and IPA styles "became" American Pale Ale (APA) and American IPA . To summarize, we could say that the American IPA is a bitter and intense beer, while the APA is less bitter and has a malt with more character, and therefore more refreshing. But let's take a closer look (and give you some beer suggestions)
American Pale Ale
Today's American Pale Ales (APA) bear little resemblance to their English ancestors, but share a dry profile and clean bitter finish with them. They are pale beers, medium carbonation. Its degree of alcohol is moderate (4.5-6.2%) and it has a balanced flavor, although with an inclination towards bitterness due to some hops that provide intense aromas of pine, citrus and tropical fruits.
If you are looking for those flavors so characteristic of American hops, we recommend Ordio CO! , an APA with good carbonation and an intense fruity aroma in which apricot and citrus stand out. It goes great with burgers, pizzas or cheddar cheese. And another APA beer that also pairs great with pizza is Dougall's 942 , an APA with light toasted touches and a super fruity aroma.
American IPA
If you had to choose which has been the reinterpretation of a traditional recipe that craft beer consumers liked the most, it would undoubtedly be the American India Pale Ale .
Don't forget that the original English IPA had all but died out after the World Wars , but US craft brewers reinvented it in a new style of intense bitterness. The balance is achieved with a good base of malts that provide a smooth sweetness and a graduation between 5.5 and 7.5% ABV, while the aromatic hops added in the "dry hopping", during the maturation of the beer instead done during cooking, they provide a refreshing and exotic aroma.
If you want to bet on a sure value of this style, be sure to try the Ordio Skunk Diaple , which is a manual American IPA : subtle bitterness, exuberant aroma and balance in the malts that culminate with a dry-hopping of Citra and Cascade hops. A classic.
And to continue with the tasting of American hops you can take the Río Azul Pai Pai , a classic-style American IPA with citrus notes thanks to the use of Chinook and Galaxy hops.
Other American-style beers
In 1993, master Vinnie Cilurzo of the Russian River brewery created the first Double or Imperial IPA, which would start a dynasty of new variants in the craft market: IPAs of different intensities ranging from the light Session IPA to the extreme Triple IPA , or different colors and cereals such as white wheat (WIPA) or rye (Rye IPA) , black (Black IPA), red (Red IPA) and many more.
Covering all the varieties is almost impossible, since the breweries also do not stop innovating continuously with these styles. Now that the heat is approaching, we want to talk about two refreshing Session IPAs . The first, Morsa Beer Sunny Sunday Session IPA , with a sweet flavor, great body, slight bitterness and only 4.3% alcohol . Another highly recommended beer of this style is the Peninsula Paseo Session IPA Gluten Free , very fruity with a tropical, herbal and citrus aroma.
And continuing with refreshing American styles, be sure to try the American Lager . Now that the heat is here, nothing better than a very, very cold Sevebrau (which is also gluten-free). Have you noticed the very USA label it has? And it is that this beer it is a tribute to the European settlers of North America who brought the beer culture there from the heart of Europe.
How do you drink an American beer?
Especially with great desire and expectation. But in the United States they do not have much tradition in terms of service and beer glasses. But if you want to be as purist as possible, you can drink your beers in a Samuel Adams glass or a Budweiser glass, yes, always with craft beers ;)
And as always, if you don't know which style to choose (or you want to try them all) we have some wonderful online private tastings of American-style beers . Choose the number of people who will participate and we will send you 5 craft beers carefully chosen by us so that you can live a unique experience. Because is there anything more fun than learning while drinking some good craft beers? We doubt it ☺