Beer Styles

What sets a Pale Ale apart from an IPA? Both are top-fermented, pale in color, and hop-forward. But IPA has more alcohol, higher original gravity, and noticeably more bitterness, making Pale Ale the lighter, easier-drinking sibling.

American Pale Ale ranges from golden to copper in color and smells of citrus, flowers, and pine. Its malt stays in the background while the bitterness is noticeable but never sharp. Original gravity refers to the sugar dissolved in the wort before fermentation; it indicates how strong a beer can potentially become.

American IPA, often called West Coast IPA, is bolder still. IPA stands for India Pale Ale, a pale, heavily hopped export beer that found particular success in India. The story that it was brewed that way specifically to survive the sea voyage is largely a legend. Today, the term mostly signals one thing: lots of hops.

Hazy IPA, also known as New England IPA, hails from the northeastern US and is cloudy in appearance. It carries less bitterness but more juiciness and fruit character. Citra and Mosaic are among the varieties most commonly used for this style.

Fresh Hop, by contrast, isn't a style at all but a brewing method. A Fresh Hop IPA is simply an IPA where the hops went straight from field to kettle; it tends to smell greener, with notes of fresh-cut grass and resin.

These figures come from the BJCP 2021 competition guidelines, a US standard, and represent ranges rather than fixed recipes. Any individual beer may fall outside them; the brewery's own description is what counts.