Differences between Pale Ale and IPA

By April 3, 2014Beer

When you’re running through the list of beer you have on tap you encounter the same problem about 75% of the time. And that is patrons asking what is the difference between a Pale Ale and IPA is. Hopefully this sheds a little more light on the topic.

Both beer styles originate from England which some consider to be one of the kings if not the king of the hop world. Pale ales aren’t actually consider “pale”, they were called pale to differentiate from porters and stouts. With the wide array of English hop variety giving flavor and bitterness, pale ales have a low to medium maltiness. Pales ales often have more commanding flavors than a large percentage of beers in the category of “Bitters”.

The IPA came to fruition out of necessity during the British colonization of India. English brewers had to add a robust amount of hops and alcohol to help with the preservation of their beer on the long sea voyage from England to India. In todays beer world it is hard to find a true form IPA from England because more and more brewers do more than just follow the style instead pushing the envelope with strength and bitterness.

Written By Kyle Bauer

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