Brut IPA explained

An IPA named after sparkling wine

Brut is the term for dry sparkling wine. Brut IPA borrows the name for an IPA that is bone dry, pale and highly carbonated. The style emerged in San Francisco around 2017 and spread quickly through American craft brewing, partly as a reaction against the sweet, hazy IPAs that were popular at the time.

Where a New England IPA is soft and full, a Brut IPA is crisp, light and effervescent. The two are close to opposites. Our guides to West Coast IPA and New England IPA cover the better established styles.

The enzyme that makes it dry

Ordinary brewing yeast cannot ferment dextrins, the larger sugars left after mashing. Those dextrins give beer some body and a little sweetness. Brut IPA removes them with an enzyme called amyloglucosidase (also called glucoamylase), which breaks dextrins down into simple sugars the yeast can ferment.

The result is a beer that finishes at or near a specific gravity of 1.000, sometimes below. There is almost no residual sugar. Our guide to brewing a bone-dry Brut IPA with amyloglucosidase covers the brewing side.

What it tastes like

Brut IPA is usually very pale, straw to light gold. It is usually clear too. Expect:

• Bright hop aroma, often fruity and floral, from late and dry hopping.
• Very little malt flavour or sweetness.
• Low to moderate bitterness, since bitterness tastes harsher in a dry beer.
• High carbonation and a sparkling, champagne-like mouthfeel.
• A dry, clean finish.

Strength is usually around 6 to 7.5% ABV. Because there is no sugar to soften it, alcohol can feel more noticeable than in a sweeter beer of the same strength.

Why bitterness is kept low

In a normal IPA, residual sweetness balances hop bitterness. Take the sugar away and the same bitterness feels much harsher. Brut IPA brewers usually add few hops early in the boil and rely on late additions and dry hopping for aroma. That keeps the beer aromatic without becoming astringent.

This is a useful lesson for any taster: perceived bitterness depends on sweetness. The same IBU number can taste soft in a sweet beer and sharp in a dry one.

Why the carbonation is so high

Brut IPAs are often carbonated to around 3 volumes of carbon dioxide or more, compared with roughly 2.5 for many IPAs. There is a reason. A beer with no residual sugar feels thin on the tongue. Extra carbonation adds a prickly, lively texture that fills that gap and lifts the hop aroma out of the glass.

It also reinforces the sparkling wine comparison. A Brut IPA poured into a flute shows steady streams of fine bubbles and a white, airy head. The high carbonation makes the beer feel lighter and drier still, which is the effect brewers are after. In the glass, you will notice it as a sharp, almost tingling finish that clears the palate quickly.

Brut IPA among the IPAs

• West Coast IPA: dry, bitter, clear, piney and citrusy.
• New England IPA: hazy, soft, juicy and low in bitterness.
• Brut IPA: extremely dry, pale, highly carbonated, fruity and low in bitterness.
• Cold IPA: lager-like crispness with American hops.

Brut IPA is the driest of the group. If you like sparkling wine or very crisp lagers, it may appeal more than a hazy IPA.

Why the craze faded

Brut IPA had a short peak. Many brewers made one, but few kept it in their range for long. Some drinkers found it too thin. Others missed the malt and body of a standard IPA. The hazy IPA continued to dominate.

The technique lives on. Brewers still use amyloglucosidase to dry out strong beers, low-carbohydrate beers and some lagers. The idea of a sparkling, dry, aromatic IPA has stayed in the toolkit even if the label is less common.

How to serve and taste it

Serve at about 4 to 7 °C in a flute or a tulip. A flute shows off the carbonation and concentrates the aroma, a nod to the sparkling wine name.

When tasting, notice how dry it is compared with other IPAs. Pay attention to how bitterness and alcohol feel without sweetness to soften them. Taste it next to a West Coast IPA if you can.

Brut IPA pairs well with seafood, oysters, fried snacks and salty food, much as sparkling wine does. Try it with Mangalorean prawn ghee roast or crisp pakoras. Drink small pours with water alongside and never drive after a tasting.

Your first step: taste a Brut IPA next to a West Coast IPA and note how much sweetness changes your sense of bitterness.

Common questions

Why is Brut IPA so dry?

Brewers add the enzyme amyloglucosidase, which breaks down dextrins into fermentable sugars, so the yeast leaves almost no residual sugar.

Is Brut IPA bitter?

Usually not very. Bitterness tastes harsher in a dry beer, so Brut IPAs rely on late hops and dry hopping for aroma rather than heavy bittering.

When did Brut IPA appear?

It emerged in San Francisco around 2017 and spread quickly through American craft brewing.