Posted on 05/15/2014 12:59:39 PM PDT by ghost of stonewall jackson
INDIA pale ale (IPA) had a good claim to be the first global beer, before lager took a grip on the world’s tipplers. Now IPA, an amber, hop-laden brew, high in alcohol, is regaining its global footprint. Britain’s territories on the Indian subcontinent were generally too hot for brewing. So a couple of hundred years ago, to keep army officers and officials of the East India Company away from the fearsome local firewater, beer was exported from Britain to take its place. What is clear is that hops, which act as a preservative as well as a flavouring, combined with a hefty dose of alcohol for added robustness, ensured that the beer survived the long sea journey to India. Indeed, the months jiggling in a barrel onboard seemed only to improve the flavour.
IPA’s popularity waned as the brewing industry changed. After the second world war, big brewers in Britain and America bought smaller competitors and flooded the market with bland, mass-market beers as old styles were abandoned in favour of a pint that would not offend anyone. In the 1980s brewing began to change again. The craft beer revolution, which started in America, was a reaction to the domination of the market by these dull and flavourless brews. Small beermakers, encouraged by tax breaks and an urge to drink a beer with some character, set up to produce small batches of more adventurous ales. The taste for these beers caught on. The result is that America is now home to some 2,500 breweries, compared with about 50 in the 1970s. Beer drinking is in overall decline as wealthy boozers switch to wine and spirits, but craft beer is growing fast, as consumers turn against the mass market to savour more expensive and exclusive brews.
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
I always go with "kind-of-a-sewer"...
So do I - I'm drinking one now. It is, however, the Lagunitas Maximus, a double Imperial coming in at 8.2% ABV. I don't expect to drink two of them this evening.
Same here, and the brewery is about a mile from my house!
Andechs
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