vendredi 12 janvier 2018

IPA: The Bitter End



IPA: The Bitter End

Until recently, when someone mentioned beer, we imagined forty-year-old men watching a football match, drinking cheap and tasteless products. But today beer is drawing more and more attention. A new era has begun, and beers are being appreciated as much as fine wines. One example of this kind of beer is the IPA, which stands for India Pale Ale.

IPAs are historical beers, originally produced in Great Britain. Britons wanted to send beer to their colonies in India. As it was too hot to brew in India, they needed to create a beer that could survive the gruelling six-month sea journey from Britain intact. To do so, they increased the percentage of alcohol and added more hops, which kill bacteria. They chose a blond beer - Pale Ale - and IPAs were born. One hundred years later, thanks to the myth behind them and their distinct bitter taste, IPAs are now the hottest trend in microbrewing.

Microbrewery revolution

Today, craft breweries are searching for innovative and genuine tastes. But why did this issue become so important for many people ? With the arrival of refrigeration in the 1950’s, long-lasting beers like IPAs were no longer needed. Beers lost their taste and became generic. But starting in the 1980’s, microbreweries went back to producing beers the old fashioned way. Americans rediscovered their love of brewing and recreated forgotten British styles, like the IPA. 



I want to try one !



Nowadays, most French breweries produce IPAs. If you want to taste one of these beers in Marseille, you can drop by Brasserie de la Plaine, a microbrewery near Cours Julien (5th district) http://www.brasseriedelaplaine.fr/beer/ipa/. Their speciality : craft,  bitter and organic IPAs. Centrale Marseille student Guillaume Lamouroux worked for them for a month, learning every step in the brewing process. Here is his advice for choosing the right beer: “White beers are refreshing, amber beers have a caramelized taste, and IPAs are more particular.” This particular taste comes from the massive addition of hops, which creates the classic bitter taste. “I recommend Mandarin beer by Kingpin and America IPA  by Azimut, which are both available at Bar’bu”. Cheers!



Laurène Tavella


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