India pale ale
India Pale Ale, commonly abbreviated to
IPA, is a style of
ale that originally derived from a
British colonial thirst for British-brewed
beers. When shipping beer to the colonies, thought had to be given to the length of the journey. By initially brewing the beer to high gravities, it could continue to
ferment during the journey. In addition, the anti-infective property of
hops was utilized to prevent infection by undesirable wild yeast. The resulting golden beer is, therefore, extremely bitter in flavour.
Commercial examples include Fuller's IPA from London and Brooklyn Brewery's East India Pale Ale from New York.