KILDARE BEER COLUMN: India Pale Ale — the perfect match for fish and chips!

For many people, craft beer has become synonymous with one particular style of beer — India Pale Ale.

Good IPA finds a perfect balance between malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness, making this flavoursome beer incredibly popular. As a result, lots people’s first taste of craft beer is a gulp of IPA.

The term pale ale originated in England and referred to a light-coloured ale brewed from pale malt. These early pale ales were gently hopped.

During the mid-18th century, pale ale’s popularity was on the rise as many maltsters switched to using clean-burning, smoke-free coke to fuel their kilns.

This made it easier to produce a pale coloured malt, packet with malty sweetness.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the British Army and the East India Company had troops, officers and civil servants stationed in far flung outposts of the empire.

As it was generally too hot to brew successfully in India, there was a market for beer and this beer needed to survive the arduous six-month journey from Britain.

In the 1780s, a London brewer called Hodgson decided to proffer a solution to this problem by sending a strong, heavily hopped beer called October ale to India.

Normally, this beer would be aged for quite some time, like wine, before drinking.

The ale not only survived the journey, but improved immeasurably and was essentially the first IPA.

In time, the beer gradually became paler and more refreshing to suit the Indian climate. Ex-pats developed a liking for pale ales generously fortified with hops, and wanted these beers when they returned home.

Hops play a number of roles in beer; they impart aroma, flavour and bitterness to beer which balances the sweetness from the malt.

Moreover, hops are an excellent preservative as they offer a double dose of anti-microbial action, having both anti- fungal and anti-bacterial properties. To ensure the beer arrived to India in good condition, brewers heavily hopped their pale ales which matured on the long journey, resulting in a style of beer called East India Pale Ale.

Back in Britain, beer drinkers were acquiring a taste for this beer too and over the decades, English-style IPAs developed distinctive characteristics; they are noted for their floral aromas, caramel, biscuit flavours and pronounced bitterness.

On the other side of the pond, in the past 30 or so years, IPAs have been widely embraced by American craft brewers who have developed their own distinct robust style.

American IPAs tend to be full-bodied, brimming with fruity, citrusy New World hop character, pine resin flavours and lip-smacking bitterness.

IPAs are an incredibly popular beer, style accounting for more than one in four of all craft beers bought in the United States.

They are great food beers, and an excellent match to anything fried, especially fish and chips, as the bitterness and alcohol cuts through oil.

IPA’s aromatic nature also pairs exceptionally well with spicy curries and is robust enough to stand up to lime and coriander infused Mexican food.

Judith Boyle is a qualified chemist (MSc) and accredited beer sommelier. Susan Boyle is a playwright, artist and drinks consultant. See www.awinegoosechase.com.
Both sisters are proud to be fifth-generation publicans. Their family business is Boyle’s bar and off-licence in Kildare town