American India Pale Ale Page 1
Hoppy and bitter these mid-strength beers showcase North American hop varieties. The fermentation profile is cleaner that British IPAs, they finish dry and have just enough malt to showcase the hops. The balance always leans to the hops.
American India Pale Ales range from 5.5 to 7.5% alcohol by volume, 40 to 70 International Bittering Units and range in color from pale to light amber. Volumes of CO2 range from 2 to 2.5. The foam cap has a foamy texture with good retention. Serve at 50 to 55 degrees F.
American India Pale Ales have more alcohol and hops than an American Pale Ale. The use of American Ingredients distinguishes American India Pale Ales from an English IPA. English IPAs have more malt and yeast character and feature English hops. American India Pale Ales have less alcohol than Double IPAs
Book
To learn more about IPAs read:
Mitch Steele IPA
Joshua M. Bernstein Complete IPA
Food Pairing
Cuisine: Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Szcheuan and Mexican dishes, Southwestern Cuisine
Entrée: Spicy foods, salty fried foods, sandwiches, grilled meats, crab cakes, salmon, seafood, light pastries, curries, grilled lamb, chicken tacos, barbecue beef brisket, Fettuccine Alfredo, risotto. Fatty, salty and fried foods cut the IPA's bitterness.
Cheese: Robust cheddars, fresh cheeses, cheddars, and goat cheeses, English farmhouse cheddar, well aged cheddar, Gorgonzola, cambozola, Stilton
Dessert: Sweet desserts can go well with hops, carrot cake.
Other: Fresh salads
Glassware
Spiegelau, noted for its premium wine glasses, collaborated with Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada to design the perfect IPA glass to showcase the aromas of American hoppy IPAs and to maintain the rich foam cap. I don't know if this is the best IPA glass in the world but it is a very nice one. Its elegant and it fits in the hand very nicely. Give it a gentle tap with a fingernail and it rings like a bell. Its lightweght and fragile - outdoors in a 10 mile per hour wind, do not expect an empty glass to stay on the table.
If you do not want to invest in a Spiegelau glass, the 20 ounce Libbey Craft Beer glass costs less and is more durable.
You can also drink an IPA in a standard pint like the LuminarcTulip Glass, Nonic Pint, the standard shaker pint glass or a tulip glass.