What Is an Imperial IPA? The Ultimate Guide to the Most Popular Beer

If you find yourself wondering, “What is an Imperial IPA?” and why is it the world’s favorite beer style, then you have come to the right place. An Imperial IPA is one of the most popular beers in the craft beer community. It is bold, bitter, fruity and extremely hoppy, and another term for it is Double IPA.

Continue reading as we are here to tell you everything about this beer style in our expert guide.

What Is an Imperial IPA?

Imperial IPAs, or Double IPAs, are IPAs with amplified aromas, higher bitterness levels and higher alcohol content. These are hop-forward beers with fruity or floral aromas and whose tastes are extremely popular across the world. Imperial IPA alcohol content is usually up to 7 percent.

Everything About Imperial IPAs

The American Craft brewing community looks up to this style of beer as a hail mary of beers. Almost every brewer has a different take on this highly experimental beer type.

This beer type is a recent invention and brewers still have scope to innovate and experiment with the style. The craft brewing scene has grown immensely over the last couple of decades in America, thanks to the curiosity and creativity of American brewers.

America loves the classic IPA, and the Imperial IPA is America stepping up to build more on the classic American IPA. Its substantially higher hoppy character and stronger aromas, fruitier taste, darker color and medium-heavy body are what make this beer highly irresistible.

– Taste

This beer has an intense taste. When it comes to appearance, these beers have an orange-yellow color and have a good head. There is enough obvious alcohol presence that can be felt in the very first sip. There is also a healthy dose of bitterness thanks to the double quantity of hops, so one cannot escape the bitterness of this beer style.

However, the extra malt character gives the beer a slightly-sweet base, only enough to balance the hoppy bitterness. Hops overpower almost every other flavor or aroma in this beer type. But once the palate gets used to the initial flavors, there is a gentle fruity and grassy aftertaste.

– Characteristics of an Imperial IPA

Here is a quick table of an Imperial IPA’s notable characteristics:

Aroma	Intense hop aroma, malty sweetness, fruity to floral esters, some grassy aroma on the back
Appearance	Golden amber to reddish copper,
Flavor	Hop-forward, high hop-bitterness, low-medium malt character, no diacetyl, medium-dry finish
Mouthfeel	Smooth, medium body, very low hop derived astringency, moderate-high carbonation. Some alcohol warming
IBU	60 – 120
ABV	7 – 10.5 percent
OG	1.070 – 1.090
FG	1.010 – 1.020
SRM	8 – 15

– Behind the Name

Imperial IPA is also called Double IPA, which means extra booze. Double in this context also refers to the extra hops that go into making these beers. Also, in terms of alcohol, the ABV percentage is almost double any regular beer.

– A Quick Imperial IPA Recipe

If you are planning to brew this beer style yourself, follow this easy recipe guide for a successful output.

Ingredients

• Boil Time: 60 minutes
• Batch Size: 5.5 Gallons
• Pre Boil Size: 7.3 Gallons
• Malt: American Pale Two-Row malt, American Red Wheat, Corn Sugar, Caramel Malt
• Hops: Cascade, Chinook, Citra
• Yeast: Safale – American Ale Yeast US-05

Method

Add the respective hops (0.5 oz) at intervals of 60 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes and 5 minutes into boil, then add 2 oz of each hop into the whirlpool at 200 F at 30 minutes. Finally, add 2 oz of each hop after 3 days as a dry-hopping technique.

– Imperial IPA vs American IPA

The main difference between Imperial IPA vs IPA is that an Imperial Indian Pale Ale is an IPA cranked up a notch to achieve a darker color and slightly higher bitterness levels. The alcohol by volume content also varies between these two styles.

An IPA becomes an Imperial when the ABV crosses seven percent. The hops in the former are higher in quantity (as the name “Double IPA” suggests).

– Imperial Stout vs Imperial IPA

The main difference between these brews is that Imperial Stouts are higher in ABV and portray more toasty, roasted flavors of caramel, chocolate and nuts compared to Imperial IPAs. Also, some of them are lactose-induced. They are maltier instead of hoppier like the IPAs.

– A Quick History About Imperial Beers

Imperial IPA history dates back to a time when an American brewer accidentally added too much malt to the mash.

This led him to add excess hops simply because he didn’t want to waste all the hard work. He thought adding excess hops to excess malts will balance the overall beer profile and give him his resulting beer.

However, as a result, he got a highly hop-forward beer, which has become one of the best-selling beer styles in the world.

Other Types of India Pale Ales

IPAs have a separate fan following altogether, and if you’re wondering what the whole fuss is about, the answer is one word: hops. India Pale Ales are the most aggressively-hopped beers. There are even Double India Pale Ales that require double or sometimes triple quantities of hops compared to other types of IPA beers.

So if you like floral, fruity, or loud beers with less malt character and high hop flavor, this is your go-to beer. There are many sub-categories under the classic IPA. Some of them are listed below.

• Hazy IPA

Like the name suggests this type of IPA is hazy or cloudy in appearance. It isn’t transparent or clear like some other beers, but it is so much more than just appearance. Hazy beers are left unfiltered, which gives them a translucent look. Its signature haze comes from barley, oats, and wheat.

• West Coast IPA

Classic WC IPAs are known for their high hoppy character, citrusy and piney notes, and high bitterness. They are brewed with a high quantity of hops in the boil kettle, which gives it high bitterness. It is orange to copper in appearance with an off-white head. These have an ABV of up to 7 percent.

• Belgian IPA

This beer is usually cloudy and pale gold to light amber in color. It is inspired by the American IPAs and not consumed by the Belgians, unlike what the name suggests. The flavors are primarily derived from malt and yeast. It is a hybrid between Belgian beers and IPAs, and these have an ABV of 6 percent to 12 percent.

• English IPA

This beer was made as an error in judgment. Some Britains overloaded their beers with extra hops on their way to India by sea, which resulted in a beer with much higher alcohol content and extremely high levels of bitterness. This was one of the initial styles of IPAs ever founded and aggressively popularised across Europe and America. These have an ABV of 5 percent to 7.5 percent.

• Black IPA

This is also referred to as Cascadian Dark Ale. It is a relatively new sub-style that is dark brown to black in color — one of the darkest IPAs ever seen. The color is achieved by highly roasted grains and the use of specialty malts like chocolate and coffee.

• Rye IPA

This beer type is as simple as it gets. While making this beer, some rye is added to the malt, resulting in slightly aggressive flavors alongside the spiciness of rye. The combination of high-intensity hops and rye makes this beer full of complexity. This beer is mahogany in color with 4 percent to 7 percent ABV.

• Session IPA

This is a sub-category of the India Pale Ale made with the idea of achieving the look and taste of an IPA but with the alcohol content of a Session beer. Session is a term used to describe a beer under 5 percent ABV.

These beers are supposed to be refreshing and easy to drink. Fullers India Pale Ale is an American-style IPA and Founders All Day IPA is their best-selling Session IPA.

Must-try IPAs in America

Almost every other brewery in America has a special IPA listed under their menus that is poured throughout the year. Some of the best ones are Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA with an ABV of 9 percent, Russian River Brewing Pliny The Elder with an ABV of 8 percent, and Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA from the New Belgium Brewing Company with an ABV of 9 percent.

Hop JuJu from Fat Heads Brewery and Furious by Slurry Brewing Company are also some excellent examples of a classic Imperial IPA. Aside from these, there are a lot of other must-try Double Imperial IPAs in the U.S.

Conclusion

This style of IPA is old yet remains young. With America’s craft beer revolution, brewers are coming up with new experimental combinations of IPAs, and there is so much to explore in this category of beer.

• Imperial IPAs, or Double IPAs, are IPAs with amplified aromas, higher bitterness levels and higher alcohol content.
• These beers are higher than English or American IPAs in terms of overall hop character and ABV.
• They are less malty, more bitter and less rich than Barleywine.
• An IPA with ABV higher than 7 percent comes under the category of Double IPA.

So now that you know everything about this style of beer, are you waiting to grab one and try it yourself, or are you willing to stick to the easier and lighter beer types?