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IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale
Explore the evolution of one of craft beer’s most popular styles, India pale ale. Equipped with brewing tips from some of the country’s best brewers, IPA covers techniques from water treatment to hopping procedures. Included are 48 recipes ranging from historical brews to recipes for the most popular contemporary IPAs made by craft brewers such as Pizza Port, Dogfish Head, Stone, Firestone Walker, Russian River, and Deschutes.
350 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 10, 2013
The history in this book is absolutely fascinating, and Mitch writes in a conversational style that's extremely approachable while remaining authoritative. The section on specific brewing techniques for the various styles of IPAs is great, but the big disappointment for me was the recipes.
IPA has a couple dozen recipes for everything from the historical British IPAs of the 1800s to the modern craft brew American IPAs and double IPAs we all love today. Unfortunately, the recipes aren't very easy to follow, especially for an inexperienced homebrewer.
I imagine that most homebrewers make 5 or 10 gallon batches, and every recipe book I've ever seen (and I have seen a lot of them -- I own too many to ever brew all of the recipes in them) presents the malt bill and hop schedules in amounts that typical homebrewers use. IPA presents the malt bill as a percentage of the total rather than simply giving the totals needed for a 5 or 10 gallon batch. It's not the end of the world (it's easy enough to calculate using brewing software or a calculator), but it's a bit of a pain in the ass. Where the recipes [i]really[/i] fall short, though, is with the hops schedules. Most of these recipes don't tell the brewer how many ounces of hops to use, instead just listing something like "a combination of CTZ, Amarillo, and Simcoe" or "37% Cascade at 60, 14% Chinook at 30" etc. This is freaking book about brewing IPAs, and the most important component of the IPA isn't even clarified in the recipes! The only thing I can figure out is that we're expected to calculate a hops schedule by working backward from the target IBU, which is really goddamn difficult and makes me want to use any one of the other dozens of recipes I have on my shelf instead of figuring out how to do Blind Pig. It's a real shame, because the recipes given are for some of the greatest IPAs ever, including Stone Ruination and Sublimely Self-Righteous. I really wish this book, like Stone Brewing Co.'s Guide to Craft Beer: Recipes and Techniques from the Leading American Microbrewery, gave recipes for a 5 gallon batch of homebrew, with the percentages in a sidebar for those who wanted to scale up or down.
As a historical text, and as an addition to the homebrewer's library, IPA is a great book. As a collection of recipes that you can brew yourself, though, it falls very disappointingly short. If you're looking to get some understanding of the style, as well as augment your basic knowledge of brewing the style, it's great. If you want to open it to a recipe and head to the homebrew supply, you're going to be very disappointed.
IPA has a couple dozen recipes for everything from the historical British IPAs of the 1800s to the modern craft brew American IPAs and double IPAs we all love today. Unfortunately, the recipes aren't very easy to follow, especially for an inexperienced homebrewer.
I imagine that most homebrewers make 5 or 10 gallon batches, and every recipe book I've ever seen (and I have seen a lot of them -- I own too many to ever brew all of the recipes in them) presents the malt bill and hop schedules in amounts that typical homebrewers use. IPA presents the malt bill as a percentage of the total rather than simply giving the totals needed for a 5 or 10 gallon batch. It's not the end of the world (it's easy enough to calculate using brewing software or a calculator), but it's a bit of a pain in the ass. Where the recipes [i]really[/i] fall short, though, is with the hops schedules. Most of these recipes don't tell the brewer how many ounces of hops to use, instead just listing something like "a combination of CTZ, Amarillo, and Simcoe" or "37% Cascade at 60, 14% Chinook at 30" etc. This is freaking book about brewing IPAs, and the most important component of the IPA isn't even clarified in the recipes! The only thing I can figure out is that we're expected to calculate a hops schedule by working backward from the target IBU, which is really goddamn difficult and makes me want to use any one of the other dozens of recipes I have on my shelf instead of figuring out how to do Blind Pig. It's a real shame, because the recipes given are for some of the greatest IPAs ever, including Stone Ruination and Sublimely Self-Righteous. I really wish this book, like Stone Brewing Co.'s Guide to Craft Beer: Recipes and Techniques from the Leading American Microbrewery, gave recipes for a 5 gallon batch of homebrew, with the percentages in a sidebar for those who wanted to scale up or down.
As a historical text, and as an addition to the homebrewer's library, IPA is a great book. As a collection of recipes that you can brew yourself, though, it falls very disappointingly short. If you're looking to get some understanding of the style, as well as augment your basic knowledge of brewing the style, it's great. If you want to open it to a recipe and head to the homebrew supply, you're going to be very disappointed.
September 17, 2024
Equal parts history and technical, the book goes through all the things an IPA is (and a few things it isn’t). Steele’s treatment of the subject is clearly reverent, but not without a certain practical stance (as should be the case from anyone whose livelihood depends on making and selling beer). I appreciate that he acknowledges so many myths about the style, but appreciate more that he did the legwork to bust those myths.
And really: who better to tell the story of the IPA than Mitch Steele?
And really: who better to tell the story of the IPA than Mitch Steele?
January 11, 2014
A great history and overview of the IPA style and its variants from the beginning. Where the book falls down, in my opinion is in the recipes. I realize the reason for not including specific amounts of ingredients for home brewers of 5/10 gallon batches, but the percentage recipe style is simply too cumbersome for me to deal with. The Craft of Stone Brewing Co. had recipes with 5 gallon versions as well as proportional ones for scaling the recipes. I wish Steele's book had done the same.
October 25, 2024
Interesting, but a bit of a letdown to be honest. The history part is well-written, but I expected more from the brewing techniques and recipes. Go for it if you are looking for a breakdown of the history of IPA, but brewers are better served with something like For the Love of Hops by Stan Hieronymus.
October 4, 2020
A nice review of the history of the IPA. Although te brewing techniques chapter is already a bit outdated (the IPA world is moving fast), the recipe collection at the end is a nice addition with lots of classical IPAs.
March 31, 2018
It’s a nice read that goes nicely with “Hops” to compliment
October 25, 2018
Great history of IPAs and details on how to brew them.
March 20, 2019
Great for history and evolution of IPA but not much else.
August 12, 2020
A must have.
March 9, 2015
Really disappointing. The title of this book should read "The evolution of the India Pale Ale", because it is very little else. The majority of the book is about the historical IPA, a radically different beer from what's brewed today. That's fine, but the title and packaging of the book is very misleading. There is very little actual insight into modern IPA brewing techniques, which is what I think most people would buy this book for. The little insight there is, is absolutely nothing special, and you can easily pick it up from other places.
Furthermore, the book is rather poorly edited. There are many passages in the historical section that are repeated over and over again. I swear, the sentence about the temperance movement must be in there over 10 times. There are multiple occasions where you read two pages, come to a new section, and have that exact same information repeated in different words. There's a part where the author's notes are obviously copy-and-pasted in there, because they still have the fragmented numbering from his unformatted version! They forgot to take it out! There's a couple of disjointed pictures that come 3-4 pages before text they complement (for example, the image of Marston's cooper).
This book is a great (if in desperate need of revision) history of the IPA, but that's all it is. The recipes are critically missing hop volumes making them almost useless, the information about modern IPA brewing is easily found in other places, and very brief.
If, like me, you were looking for more in-depth techniques on brewing a modern hoppy beer, I suggest you read Stan Hieronymus's "For the Love of Hops", which includes things such as focus-group studies of hopping techniques, and interviews with many well known craft brewers about their hopping techniques. Hilariously, Steele actually contributes more valuable information on brewing modern hoppy beers to that book than this one.
Furthermore, the book is rather poorly edited. There are many passages in the historical section that are repeated over and over again. I swear, the sentence about the temperance movement must be in there over 10 times. There are multiple occasions where you read two pages, come to a new section, and have that exact same information repeated in different words. There's a part where the author's notes are obviously copy-and-pasted in there, because they still have the fragmented numbering from his unformatted version! They forgot to take it out! There's a couple of disjointed pictures that come 3-4 pages before text they complement (for example, the image of Marston's cooper).
This book is a great (if in desperate need of revision) history of the IPA, but that's all it is. The recipes are critically missing hop volumes making them almost useless, the information about modern IPA brewing is easily found in other places, and very brief.
If, like me, you were looking for more in-depth techniques on brewing a modern hoppy beer, I suggest you read Stan Hieronymus's "For the Love of Hops", which includes things such as focus-group studies of hopping techniques, and interviews with many well known craft brewers about their hopping techniques. Hilariously, Steele actually contributes more valuable information on brewing modern hoppy beers to that book than this one.
February 21, 2017
If your homebrewer and a hop head you have to read this book. Everything you could want to know about craft beer geeks favorite drink. From history, to a thorough study of the ingredients, to a great selection of recipes, this book will not leave you bitter!
December 22, 2013
A bit of a mixed bag. An interesting look at the history and culture of the IPA, as well as a general history of British brewing, with some IPA recipes. It confirms what I have suspected for a while, which is that the current craft beer boom is in fact a return to an older native tradition of brewing. Partizan and Kernel both produce stouts that are about 9% which are in fact late Victorian recipes which they found and revived. This book shows that the original IPA's were around 10% ABV. Beer became watered down and weaker in this country through a combination of raised taxes for higher ABV beers, pressure from temperance societies and the increasing popularity of lagers. Whenever a typical traditional ale drinker sneers at this upstart American import of strong craft beers it's good to know that you can point out that in fact this is real traditional British beer, the traditional CAMRA style ale is the upstart, and that their great-great-Grandads weren't such a bunch of pansies.
February 24, 2014
This is a great book covering the history of IPAs and offering up recipes for many different commercial IPAs. The history portions of the book are top notch and a great read. The recipes are for many interesting beers, but like many others I wish they had been formatted a little differently. Listing the malts as percentages is not too big a deal. With the hops though it's a lot more calculations for the brewer. Sure, it can be done, but it feels unnecessary. Also, a lot of the recipes leave out vital information. I understand the sources did not provide things here and there, but I wish the author would have further questioned them to get more complete recipes. All in all, it's still an amazing book. A must for IPA fans.
January 23, 2014
Great book on the history of IPA with a ton of stuff I didn't know. I guess I have to stop telling people the story that this stuff is called India Pale Ale as it was brewed to survive the long sea voyage to India; the author notes that before that name was in use, beers of several styles were already successfully making this trip.
Part history lesson, part brewing guide, this book is full of information, but at times it's repetitive, filled with minutia, and reads like an encyclopedia. The last 1/3 of the book has brewing recipes and notes that will be over the head and abilities of anyone but the most committed of home brewers.
It's not bad - just REAL specific.
Part history lesson, part brewing guide, this book is full of information, but at times it's repetitive, filled with minutia, and reads like an encyclopedia. The last 1/3 of the book has brewing recipes and notes that will be over the head and abilities of anyone but the most committed of home brewers.
It's not bad - just REAL specific.
December 24, 2013
A good solid book on the history and evolution of the India Pale Ale style of beer. Written for advanced homebrewers and craft brewers alike, this book really delves into what makes this style. Steele pretty much covers everything you need to know to get you on track to making a better IPA, assuming you know how to make beer. I like the fact that this is not just a collection of recipes, but, suprisingly, a historical and technical guide to todays most popular craft beer style.
May 28, 2014
This is the best IPA history book I've read so far. However, it offers little information beyond what you can find online if you want to to elevate your IPA brewing and recipe formulation to the next level.
You would expect Mitch Steele to at least reveal some useful trade secrets but you will find none in this book besides the obvious "Dont use a lot of crystal malt in a Double IPA" "Use dark malts with no roasted flavors like Carafa III in a Black IPA".
You would expect Mitch Steele to at least reveal some useful trade secrets but you will find none in this book besides the obvious "Dont use a lot of crystal malt in a Double IPA" "Use dark malts with no roasted flavors like Carafa III in a Black IPA".
January 3, 2013
While I enjoyed reading this book based on the title I thought it would be more of a focus on recipe and technique process. The majority of the book (at least 60-70%) is focused on the historical roots and evolution of the IPA style and modern process, technique and recipes are a much smaller focus of the book. Still a very enjoyable read for any craft beer enthusiast or brewer.
April 7, 2013
An enjoyable read on the history of IPAs. Appears to be well researched and gives insights into the social reasons why IPAs have changed over the centuries. Surprised to see Pliny the Elder as a recipe but welcomed all the same. Only wish they'd managed to get the recipe for Thornbridge Halcyon in....
October 2, 2013
This is a fascinating journey through the history and development of the IPA along with some interesting recipes towards the end of the book.
Very accessible and enjoyable for anyone who enjoys the history or beer and a full flavoured beer
Very accessible and enjoyable for anyone who enjoys the history or beer and a full flavoured beer
May 7, 2020
An interesting walk through of the history followed by a better walk through of brewing issues followed by recipes from both old and new brews. A good resource from an extremely knowledgeable writer and brewer.
July 1, 2015
A very in-depth view of the history of the IPA style of beer from its clouded origins all the way through the modern spins on the style. It is very clear that the author is extremely passionate about this style of beer and that makes it a joy to read!
May 4, 2013
Wonderfully detailed history of IPA. Great tips on the art of crafting the perfect IPA. A must read for any true hop head, or any brewer for that matter.
January 20, 2013
Both a good history of the IPA along with a modern breakdown of all the impacts of the ingredients on the various types.....oh and some nice recipes.
December 28, 2013
A crash course in the history, brewing techniques, and modern iterations of the India Pale Ale.
August 19, 2014
Outstanding review of the evolution of IPA and the techniques used to brew it over time. Good selection of recipes for popular IPAs toward the back of the book.
October 24, 2014
Et par interessante opskrifter (Pliny the elder DIPA!), men for historisk til min smag.
June 6, 2015
Very enjoyable and entertaining history on IPA.
August 11, 2015
Nice book, shame about the recipes. Clear as mud.
August 20, 2015
interesting and informative.... made me want to brew a Burton IPA ASAP!
January 4, 2017
So much great information about the history of IPA, the techniques of making them, and lots of great recipes for the homebrewer.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews