Indian Summer

IS tasting

As you will most likely know, the term “India Pale Ale” (or IPA) comes from pale ales exported to India by the British at the time of the Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries. It has come to imply (but may not have originally been) a stronger, more highly hopped beer designed to withstand the rigours of the journey from England to India. So modern IPAs are strong and hoppy.

Indian Summer is no exception to that urban myth.

But then we diverge: using an Australian hop (Galaxy) t0 provide the hoppiness and bitterness. The tenuous excuse for this is that the term “India Pale Ale” was first used in an Australian newspaper (the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser) in 1829. The hop itself is an amazing sticky dark “vegemite” mass with an intoxicating aroma of passion fruit and golden syrup. I just love brewing with it.

The beer is assertively hoppy with aromas of stone fruit. As rich as a bitter but just MORE.

It is a beer to be served cool with strong flavoured foods (game pie, red meats, sausages, cheese (especially strong smelly ones) and that Australian/American/British/Indian favourite … the BBQ).

BTW: the name Indian Summer was used by me before ITV came up with the series Indian Summers (damn them!). And another useless fact for your collection: the term Indian Summer originates from the Native American (Indians) not the Indian sub-continent. So wrong continents and dubious historical oppression all over the place.