BJCP 21A · IPA
American IPA
| Stat | Range |
|---|---|
| OG | 1.056 – 1.07 |
| FG | 1.008 – 1.014 |
| ABV | 5.5% – 7.5% |
| IBU | 40 – 70 |
| SRM | 6 – 14 |
Appearance
Pale gold to medium amber. Hazy is acceptable in some sub-styles (modern/hazy) but classic West Coast versions are brilliantly clear.
Aroma
Prominent American hop aroma — citrus, pine, resin, tropical fruit. Moderate malt support, usually clean and neutral. Light fruity esters from clean fermentation.
Flavour
Strong hop flavour and assertive bitterness. Malt is present but secondary; finish is dry to slightly dry. The interplay of hop varieties is part of the style's identity.
Mouthfeel
Medium-light to medium body, medium-high carbonation. Hop oils can produce a smooth, almost creamy sensation in dry-hopped versions.
History
Born in California in the early 1980s as American craft brewers reinterpreted English IPA with native American hops. Sierra Nevada Celebration and Russian River Pliny the Elder shaped the modern template.
Commercial examples
- Russian River Pliny the Elder
- Bell's Two-Hearted
- Sierra Nevada Torpedo
- Stone IPA
American IPA is the style that built American craft beer. The recipe template is straightforward — pale base malt, modest specialty malt, a generous helping of one to three American or New World hops — but execution decisions (when to add hops, how long to dry-hop, fermentation temperature) make the difference between a memorable IPA and a forgettable one.
If you’re brewing your first IPA, start with a single-hop bittering addition for clarity, then 60-90% of total hopping in the last 15 minutes of the boil and the dry hop.
Recommended ingredients
- Cascade HopsThe hop that defined American craft beer in the 1980s. Bright grapefruit, citrus peel and floral notes — most useful late in the boil, in whirlpool and dry hop.
- Centennial HopsOften called "Super Cascade". Higher alpha makes it a more efficient bittering hop, and the citrus/pine flavour pushes harder at late and dry-hop additions.
- Fermentis SafAle US-05The dry-form American ale workhorse. Clean, neutral, high attenuation — the right choice when you want your malt and hops to do all the talking.
- Maris Otter Pale MaltThe classic British base malt. Rich, biscuity wort with enough enzymatic power to convert itself and an adjunct or two alongside.
Example recipes
Learn more
- Using hops — bittering, flavour, aroma, dry hopWhen to add hops in the boil and after, why timing matters, and how to substitute one hop for another.
- Fermentation basicsHow yeast turns wort into beer, what temperature and pitch rate do, and what to watch for during primary fermentation.
- Water chemistry — a practical introductionWhy brewing water matters, how to read a water report, and target profiles for the styles most homebrewers attempt first.
- Choosing a yeast for your beerHow to think about yeast strains by attenuation, flocculation, temperature range and flavour profile.