That Time When IPA Almost Disappeared
The beer we know as IPA had its beginnings in the late 1700's and had many twists and turns from that point onward into the early 20th century.
Then Prohibition came for a lengthy visit and breweries across America closed. Some were able to pivot and found new ways to keep the lights on. Some like Yuengling turned to dairy products. Others shifted to soft drinks while some, Schiltz, Miller and Pabst, began manufacture of malt extract which they marketed as being for home bread making. Wink, Wink.
By the time Prohibition was lifted in 1933 however only a handful of the nations 1,300 breweries were still around. To add insult to injury for IPA and most other ales, American beer drinkers tastes had shifted to the lighter bodied and refreshing Lager styles brought over by central European immigrants.
One brewery that bucked the trend was Ballantine Brewery in New York. In addition to a lighter beer they also had one with a specific gravity of 1.070 and and fairly bitter at 60 IBU AND it was dry-hopped. If that doesn't sound like an IPA I don't know what does!
This IPA was fermented in open wooden vessels for up to a year. Something that may not sound familiar to contemporary beer drinkers but is actually a process familiar to brewers of English IPA's in the 1800's. With the exception that Ballantine's did not use Brettanomyces and the English brewers did.
How many brewers of IPA do you know who would even consider: A) fermentation in wood... B) aged for 12 months... and C) employ a secondary fermentation with Brett??
Ballantine's IPA went through many changes over the years and soon became a mere shadow of its 1930's self. Nevertheless from 1933 to 1979 it was the only example of the style anywhere in America.
By the time the craft movement dawned however Ballantine was ignored. It was so watered down... and those early craft pioneers were too young to remember its heyday that they turned to other inspiration.
Liberty Ale: Anchor Brewing Co. Created by Fritz Maytag in 1975, Liberty Ale was a relatively strong pale ale which used American hops and was dry-hopped. It was a direct reaction to a research trip that Maytag took to England looking for inspiration for his new brewing product. He was surprised to discover that traditional English brewing practices had been largely abandoned stating: "There was very little hopping going on, and they weren't dry-hopping". Upon his return to San Francisco, Fritz Maytag set about creating two dry-hopped beers... Old Foghorn and Liberty Ale.
Although Liberty Ale had a bold hop profile using American Cascade hops it did not reach the threshold of an IPA and Anchor didn't market it as such. Even though many homebrewers and craft brewers point to it as one of the first of the modern era it actually falls (or fell) somewhere between and IPA and a Pale Ale. Still, it cannot be denied that Liberty Ale established a template for a bitter, hoppy, and flavorful ale that had not been seen in America since the prime of Ballantine IPA.
Grant's IPA: Yakima Brewing Co. This was a new one on me. I had not heard of Grant's until I began my research for this article. No one argues whether or not this one is an IPA or not. Head brewer Burt Grant designed his beer as an IPA from the very beginning in 1981. Like Fritz Maytag, Grant made a pilgrimage to England where he not only observed what they were doing at the time - but did much research into the history of what they once did. The resulting beer he created he considered to be a historical beer... not one shaped by contemporary English IPA or anything made in America. Grant wanted his beer to be an original product based on his UK investigations.
Grant wasn't satisfied with simply bringing back a classic and nearly lost style. He wanted his IPA to have a distinctly American twist and to do this he chose to use hops grown by the local Yakima Valley hop growers. Grant's IPA touted a bitterness of 60 IBU reminiscent of Ballantine's but with an OG of just 1.048 which some may consider low for and IPA but it slots in quite nicely with many of the historic UK versions.
Celebration Ale: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Arriving on the scene in 1983 as a seasonal winter beer, Celebration, like Liberty Ale, was not conceived as an IPA. Even today it is not marketed as one. It has however won medals at the Great American Beer Festival in the IPA category.
Like Liberty Ale, there is much discussion amongst brewers as to whether Celebration should be considered an IPA. Some say it has too much caramel character to qualify. Others claim it belongs more to the Extra Special Bitter family. There is no doubt however that Celebration Ale has been the inspiration for other IPA's that came later.
Jim Bush at Victory Brewing Company says that in designing their Hop Devil IPA Celebration was most definitely their inspiration.
In the end: There is no denying that Liberty Ale, Grant's IPA and Celebration Ale are three pioneering IPA's and can be credited as forerunners in the modern revival of IPA as a distinct style. All three have had considerable influence on craft brewers that followed and each deserves its place in that history.
Beer styles are ever evolving and are never static. Beer styles also fade in popularity. Porter once died out but has made a comeback. Mild was once wildly popular and may never see a revival save for a few homebrewers. So too IPA almost slipped away until a few determined brewers rescued it from obscurity and brought it back into the American consciousness. Today, craft brewers have stretched the boundaries of IPA to make it the most popular style of ale on several continents.
This IPA was fermented in open wooden vessels for up to a year. Something that may not sound familiar to contemporary beer drinkers but is actually a process familiar to brewers of English IPA's in the 1800's. With the exception that Ballantine's did not use Brettanomyces and the English brewers did.
How many brewers of IPA do you know who would even consider: A) fermentation in wood... B) aged for 12 months... and C) employ a secondary fermentation with Brett??
Ballantine's IPA went through many changes over the years and soon became a mere shadow of its 1930's self. Nevertheless from 1933 to 1979 it was the only example of the style anywhere in America.
Grant's IPA: Yakima Brewing Co. This was a new one on me. I had not heard of Grant's until I began my research for this article. No one argues whether or not this one is an IPA or not. Head brewer Burt Grant designed his beer as an IPA from the very beginning in 1981. Like Fritz Maytag, Grant made a pilgrimage to England where he not only observed what they were doing at the time - but did much research into the history of what they once did. The resulting beer he created he considered to be a historical beer... not one shaped by contemporary English IPA or anything made in America. Grant wanted his beer to be an original product based on his UK investigations.
Grant wasn't satisfied with simply bringing back a classic and nearly lost style. He wanted his IPA to have a distinctly American twist and to do this he chose to use hops grown by the local Yakima Valley hop growers. Grant's IPA touted a bitterness of 60 IBU reminiscent of Ballantine's but with an OG of just 1.048 which some may consider low for and IPA but it slots in quite nicely with many of the historic UK versions.
Celebration Ale: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Arriving on the scene in 1983 as a seasonal winter beer, Celebration, like Liberty Ale, was not conceived as an IPA. Even today it is not marketed as one. It has however won medals at the Great American Beer Festival in the IPA category.
Like Liberty Ale, there is much discussion amongst brewers as to whether Celebration should be considered an IPA. Some say it has too much caramel character to qualify. Others claim it belongs more to the Extra Special Bitter family. There is no doubt however that Celebration Ale has been the inspiration for other IPA's that came later.
Jim Bush at Victory Brewing Company says that in designing their Hop Devil IPA Celebration was most definitely their inspiration.
In the end: There is no denying that Liberty Ale, Grant's IPA and Celebration Ale are three pioneering IPA's and can be credited as forerunners in the modern revival of IPA as a distinct style. All three have had considerable influence on craft brewers that followed and each deserves its place in that history.
Beer styles are ever evolving and are never static. Beer styles also fade in popularity. Porter once died out but has made a comeback. Mild was once wildly popular and may never see a revival save for a few homebrewers. So too IPA almost slipped away until a few determined brewers rescued it from obscurity and brought it back into the American consciousness. Today, craft brewers have stretched the boundaries of IPA to make it the most popular style of ale on several continents.
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