What does the IPA in the beer stand for?
India Pale Ale though it was originally Imperial Pale Ale. It is a distinct style of beer and is characterized as a sparkling pale ale with a high level of alcohol (modern day versions are usually 5.5% to 6.3% by volume, though the original versions were considerably higher) and hops, thus having an increased bitterness (in modern times typically 35-48 on the IBU scale, though originally probably more than 60 IBU). The creation of India Pale Ale (IPA) during the early 1700s was the result of tremendous efforts by British brewers to overcome a difficult problem: beer did not keep well on long ocean voyages, especially into hot climates. These hot environments resulted in the arrival of flat, sour beer. The answer to the great beer problem finally came from a recipe created by George Hodgson at the Bow Brewery in East London. India ale was a variation of his pale ale, which Londoners had been drinking since the mid-1750s. Hodgson began shipping Hodgson’s India Ale during the 1780s. By 17
