Serve in a nonic pint at 8-12 °C
What it tastes like
English IPA is the older branch of the family, the strong, well hopped pale ale that British brewers sent out to India in the nineteenth century. The story of IPA being invented for the voyage is mostly legend; strong, hoppy beers kept well, and that made them good for export.
What you taste is English hops: Fuggles, East Kent Goldings, Challenger. They give earth, herbs, a little black tea and marmalade, never the grapefruit of the American version. Underneath sits biscuit and toast from British pale malt, often with a touch of caramel. The yeast adds soft fruit, pear or apricot. Bitterness is firm but rounder than in an American IPA, and the finish is dry with a bready echo.
It is a balanced beer by modern standards. If American IPA is a shout, this is a firm conversation. Hard water helps, which is why brewers add gypsum to make the bitterness crisp.
Style profile
- Look
- Gold to copper, clear, with an off white head of good stability.
- Aroma and flavour
- Earthy, herbal and marmalade hops, biscuit and toast malt, a light caramel note, gentle orchard fruit from English yeast.
- Mouthfeel
- Medium body, moderate carbonation, a firm, rounded bitterness and a dry finish.
- Ingredients
- British pale malt such as Maris Otter, some crystal malt, English hops like Fuggles and East Kent Goldings, English ale yeast, sulphate rich water.
In India
The style carries the name of our country even though it was never brewed here at the time, so it is a fun beer to explain at the bar. It is also friendlier to Indian conditions than its American cousin: earthy hops and biscuit malt fade more gracefully than citrus aroma. Toit's house IPA is brewed in this English mould. Serve it a touch warmer than lager to let the malt speak.
At the Indian table
Food pairings contributed by Anuradha Rao
- Chicken chettinadEarthy hops meet black pepper and fennel, and the malt rounds off the heat.
- Baingan bhartaSmoky aubergine likes the toast in the malt and the herbal hops.
- Parsi mutton dhansakLentils, pumpkin and a sweet sour edge suit a balanced, bitter ale.
- CheddarThe classic English pairing, and Indian brands of cheddar work fine.
Brewed in India
- Toit India Pale Ale, Toit Beer Co., Bengaluru source
Want the long read? English IPA