Speaking IPA 101

Remember all the great promises of learning a new language in high school or college? You could travel the world, increase your empathy, enhance your neuroplasticity and maybe even appear debonaire while showing off your skills.

Maybe your teachers implied these things. Or maybe you just imagined it all, says the guy who minored in French.

Well, learning to speak IPA can’t deliver any of that. But it can make you a little bit more knowledgeable next time you’re at the bar. Whether you’re a hophead or hater, it might make you want to branch out from your usual.

As with any language, though, there are disagreements. Sometimes it comes down to specificity — choosing the “mot juste,” as one might say after spending a couple of years and several thousand bucks on a French minor.

IPAs are the dominant style in the U.S. They’re mainstream, and that always generates some disdain. I’ve felt it, too. Recently in a big-box retailer’s liquor store, I struggled to find a mixed pack that wasn’t at least half IPA. In the dead of winter. When all I wanted was a stout.

Depending on your dialect, fine lines could be drawn between what’s an actual term and what’s made-up marketing nonsense. Slapping the term IPA on something that already exists is a leading accusation. I’ve included a couple of controversial examples.

What matters is that you feel more confident in your selections, keep finding things you enjoy and have words to put to them.

An incomplete IPA language glossary

American IPA . My May 2022 column mentioned how IPA as we know it is truly an American invention dating to the start of the craft beer revolution in the ’70s, despite its fabled beginnings in Britain. American IPAs (sometimes called APAs) focus on the floral, fruity, citrusy, piney or resinous characteristics of American hops.

Black IPA . A variety using roasted malts, creating a brownto-black color with roasty notes, first commercially brewed in the early ’90s.

Brut IPA. This bone-dry variety resembles champagne, but is rarely seen anymore.

Cascadian Dark Ale. Same as black IPA. This name was common on the West Coast and Pacific Northwest. Last year, Arbeiter Brewing Co. in Minneapolis released a dip-hopped black IPA with the tongue-in-cheek moniker “It’s Cascadian Dark Ale.”

Cold IPA . This crispy newish variety uses a malt bill and yeast common for lagers, meaning it ferments at a lower temperature than most ales.

DDH . This abbreviation indicates an IPA that has been double dry-hopped. That means the hops were added twice during fermentation, creating a more floral or fruity character, rather than in the boil, which produces the traditional bitter yet clear ale.

Dip-hopped . Pioneered by Japan’s Kirin Brewery Co. in 2012, this style caught fire in 2022. Dip hopping involves adding hops to the fermenter with just a small amount of wort or water, while the majority of the beer is cooling, before pitching yeast and dry hopping. Dip hopping increases floral or tropical notes, suppresses piney or dank notes and speeds up fermentation.

DIPA . A double IPA has a bigger malt and hop profile, along with higher ABV, though it’s not exactly two times what a standard IPA would have.

Fruited IPA. These IPAs don’t just taste fruity from the hop characteristics — they also have fruit purees to add flavor.

Hazy IPA. Again, my May 2022 column covered this extensively, but a hazy IPA relies on dry hopping and the addition of oats or other adjuncts to create a pleasant haziness.

IBU. An International Bitterness Unit measurement is supposed to describe how bitter a beer is. A standard APA should rate between 50-70 IBU, but the IBU doesn’t always tell the full story.

Imperial IPA. Same as double IPA.

IPL . While there are some marginal differences in adjuncts, the India Pale Lager was the forerunner to cold IPA. It was just ahead of its time.

Juicy IPA. A typically quite hazy IPA that has flavors of citrus and/ or stone fruit solely from the hop characteristics, not because any fruit puree has been added.

Milkshake IPA. This variety of hazy IPA includes both fruit puree and milk sugar (lactose) for an extra sweet and dessert-like flavor. The milkshake IPA had a big moment a few summers back but hasn’t maintained its popularity as well as the standard NEIPA.

NEIPA . The Northeast IPA denotes that juicy IPAs originated in New England with brews like The Alchemist’s Heady Topper. Today, breweries across Minnesota are equally adept at producing NEIPAs, in particular BlackStack Brewing in St. Paul.

TDH . An IPA with three additions of hops during fermentation.

TIPA. Like a DIPA, this denotes an ale that’s even stronger, fuller and higher in ABV.

West Coast IPA . In reaction to the rise of hazy IPAs, West Coast styles highlight traditional American hop varieties, with bitter or piney flavors, and a clear appearance.

QIPA . What can I say? Some breweries are getting wild out there with things like quadruple IPAs. Is it innovation, marketing or maybe a cry for help? Only you and your tastebuds can say. But hey, at least now you know the language to do so.

James Figy is a writer and beer enthusiast based in St. Paul. In Mankato, he earned an MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University and a World Beer Cruise captain’s jacket from Pub 500. Twitter and Instagram: @JamesBeered

By Leigh Pomeroy