Black IPA

India Pale Ales hale from the famous brewing town of Burton Upon Trent and were so successful in the 19th century that they were exported all over the globe. There are many variations of IPA but they are all hoppy with quite high levels bitterness.

CAMRA defines IPAs as having a minimum of 5.5% ABV so these are quite powerful beers. Many products on the market are called or advertised as IPAs but fail a long way short of this strength. It could be said that of all the beer names IPA is one of the greatest misused.

Despite the apparent oxymoron Black IPAs do exist, Pale here is used to describe a type of ale rather than being merely a colour descriptor. Black India Pale Ales (BIPAs) can be seen as a niche product where the skills of the marketing people are tested as much as those of the brewer. Sometimes called Cascadian Darks as they were originally made with Cascade hops but this name has become less popular as the use of other hops grow.

BIPAs have the flavour profile of a standard IPA such as high levels of hop with a bitter bite but presented as a dark beer without the roast flavours usually associated with porters or stouts.