Nighttime view of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, California

India Pale Ale

Taking hops to the next level
IPA
Our Brews / India Pale Ale
IPA
SHOP NOW

Torpedo

Full Hops Ahead

Atomic Torpedo

Now An Imperial IPA

Hazy Little Thing

Hazy IPA

Big Little Thing

Imperial IPA

Tropical Little Thing

Limited Time Hazy IPA

Juicy Little Thing

Limited Time Hazy IPA

Powder Day IPA

Double Dry-Hopped

Celebration IPA

Fresh Hop IPA

Hoptimum

Triple IPA

Barrel-Aged Torpedo

Barrel-Aged Ale

Cryo Fresh Torpedo

Wet Hop IPA

Ruthless Rye

Bold and bright

Hop Hunter

Distilled hop oil

Flipside

Red IPA

River Ride

Limited Time IPA

PUSHING THE LIMITS OF HOP FLAVOR

We introduced a generation to the glory of hops with our Pale Ale, but we kept pushing the limits of hop flavor. India Pale Ale generally leans even more into hop character, with alcohol content (ABV) sometimes rising with it. (Substyles like “session IPA” certainly expand the definition, but we’re not here to split hairs.) Today, Sierra Nevada IPAs represent a constant hop exploration, and the lineup includes double IPAs, imperial IPAs, and more.

THE QUICK HISTORY OF INDIA PALE ALE

During the 18th century, a best practice emerged among British brewers who exported beer: extra hopping could help maintain flavor and freshness on long ocean journeys. Hops, it turned out, contain compounds that prevent spoilage. Shipments increased, taste for hops grew, and essentially what emerged among the various beer styles was a pale ale made for the East. In time the moniker “India Pale Ale” surfaced and stuck.

IPA has evolved a lot since then, and it’s worth noting that English-style IPA differs from its American counterpart. Stateside we’ve come to emphasize hop intensity, whereas English brewers historically weave in more pronounced malt character and use subtlety with hop aroma and flavor.

Today, IPA has a fairly broad interpretation. But at its core, IPA shines the spotlight on unique aromas and flavors only hops can accomplish.

HOW DO HOPS WORK ANYWAY?

Hops are cone-shaped flowers whose leaves (called bracts) protect a jackpot of tiny yellow lupulin glands housed within the cone. These glands hold the resins and oils responsible for hop flavor, aroma, and bitterness in beer.

Brewers can manipulate all of those things when making IPAs—using more or less hops, boiling them in the kettle, steeping them in cold fermentation tanks, and so on. There are dozens of hop varieties, and each has a unique flavor and aroma character, much like wine grapes.

Brewers can manipulate all of those things when making IPAs—using more or less hops, boiling them in the kettle, steeping them in cold fermentation tanks, and so on. There are dozens of hop varieties, and each has a unique flavor and aroma character, much like wine grapes.

EXPLORE DIFFERENT IPA SUBSTYLES
Craft brewers have limitless imaginations, and we’ve collectively taken IPAs on a real ride. Whether it’s unexpected ingredients, process experiments or style hybrids, there’s no shortage of IPAs to capture your curiosity.
infographic

WEST COAST IPA

The West Coast IPA typically showcases big aromas of citrus and pine, and perhaps additional fruity character, with an emphasis on creating a clean yet assertive bitterness. There should be enough malt body to balance the hops, yet the overall drinkability remains crisp. Try our Torpedo Extra IPA, or Celebration IPA today.

TORPEDO EXTRA IPA
infographic

EAST COAST IPA

Sometimes referred to as East Coast or New England-style, these IPAs have a hazy appearance, their bitterness is faint, and the hop flavors tend to be more tropical and “juicy” on the fruit spectrum. And let’s not forget these brews require specific grains (oats and wheat are key) to help generate that soft and silky-smooth flavor. Try our Hazy Little Thing

Hazy Little Thing
IPA STYLES
FRUITY

BELGIAN IPA

Belgian IPAs have extra layers of complexity thanks to Belgian yeast, which can impart hints of spice, herbal notes, and additional fruit character. Often dry on the finish, Belgian IPAs draw you back for more.
OVILA ABBEY ALE
TART

SOUR IPA

Pairing hops and tartness can make for an exciting Sour IPA. Many brewers use a technique called accelerated “kettle souring” to get a base beer with their desired tartness. Then come the hops, building out a beer that grips your senses. And while Wild Little Thing is not an IPA, it’s a slightly sour ale brewed in much the same way.
WILD LITTLE THING
BOLD

DOUBLE & IMPERIAL IPA

Turn the dials way up on both malt and hops, and you’re approaching the realm of Imperial IPA. Lots of malt gives yeast the sugar it needs to create high alcohol content (ABV), and abundant hops create in-your-face aroma and flavor.
HOPTIMUM IMPERIAL IPA

WHAT IS DRY HOPPING?

Dry hopping is a way to give beer more flavor and aroma, not more bitterness. A traditional method is filling nylon sacks with hops and suspending them in fermentation tanks. But we found that sometimes we’d remove those sacks—even weeks later—and they’d be dry in the middle!

So we created a device called the Hop Torpedo to maximize every hop. Beer circulates out of a fermenter, flows through the column of hops, and back into the tank. By adjusting the time, temperature and speed of circulation, we can control the aromas and flavors in a finished beer.

So we created a device called the Hop Torpedo to maximize every hop. Beer circulates out of a fermenter, flows through the column of hops, and back into the tank. By adjusting the time, temperature and speed of circulation, we can control the aromas and flavors in a finished beer.

GET OUT THERE WITH US @SIERRANEVADA