Video Blog 8: Project IPA begins
05.01.2009
Project IPA begins.
here is the background:
At BrewDog some things get us a little bit upset; the catastrophe that is the Portman Group, people who describe themselves as ‘mad' and the abundance of 3.8% IPAs on the British market. How saddening it is to see the great IPA heritage in this country come to stand for nothing more than a sparingly hopped low abv blonde session ale.
So for our 2nd Anniversary beer (to be released in April 2009) we have decided to take IPA back to its roots. Quite literally.
IPA stands for India Pale Ale. The style was developed in Britain in the 1700s to be sent by sea to British people living in India. The beers travelled inside oak casks onboard sailing vessels and would have to evade a variety of perils including storms, pirates and giant squid. However the lack of refrigeration was also a threat and the ocean voyage usually compromised the beer. The brewers realised that the hops and alcohol act as a natural preservative so they came up with a very well hopped high alcohol brew that was able to withstand the sea voyage and arrive in good condition. Thus India Pale Ale was born.
At BrewDog we found a 210 year old recipe of a traditional India Pale Ale; a malty 8% ale loaded with classic English hops. We have now brewed this beer and are transferring it into oak casks. The oak casks are then going to spend January and February strapped to the deck of James' dad's North Atlantic Trawler (pictures above in heavy seas), James will also spend January at sea on the boat. So our 2nd Anniversary beer will be the first IPA aged in oak casks at sea for 200 years!
The whole process is going to be filmed and shown on the blog and we will keep you up to date with how the casks fare at sea. Expect to see images of them taking waves in stormy seas, covered in snow and even ice as we venture North, sailing into the beautiful Norwegian fjords and perhaps even with some Killer Whales in the background. We are hoping to avoid the pirates and the giant squid.
We are going to have about 8 oak barrels in total aboard vessel. After the ship returns we are going to bottle the IPA. It will be bottle conditioned in champagne bottles. We truly believe this will be the first genuine IPA for centuries. It is the closest thing we have got to a time machine.
Posted in - video-blog
Comments
- Need more info about Multi stress syllable word? You are welcome! on http://metacures.biz Waineeamany13.03.2009
- Brilliance! Dan From TheFullPint.com14.02.2009
- Any of you folks over there interested in trading for what I can get here in California?
That beer sounds like heaven in a bottle.... Mark Kregel14.02.2009
- Erm, guys? Apart from directing the naysayers to my previous posts y’all win a prize for posting some of the funniest comments I’ve read on this blog so far...I feel like a relatively well balanced and forward thinking individual reading some of this stuff so thanks! And the prize? The prize is a nice pint and a hug if you’re based in Edinburgh G Dunbar18.01.2009
- Thanks for the spell check on Deuchars,seems like my blog was wiped though,pity,since it described how a genuine 19th century IPA was made.Not the ersatz version by Brewdog brewed from innapropriate materials and stored in decrepit whisky barrels. sam adams17.01.2009
- Deuchars IPA. Not a Troll14.01.2009
- Wow i know more about the history of a beer style and you do. I just cant hear you all crying over the sound of my own awsomeness. magic_dave609.01.2009
- Not so, and no records and hence no recipe exists of whatever this beer was. However records and recipes exist from 1830, thus anything else is purely conjecture,or hype. Alphonso08.01.2009
- Pale ale, (light and excellen) was being sold in India alongside cider and London porter by at least 1784.. You can win any argument with facts.08.01.2009
- I think Barrys points are all good ones and valid too and hes got a bit of unfair treatment on here. I felt obliged to Google Pete Browns beer blog and its a very interesting wee read. David07.01.2009
- Fair enough Barry, I wouldn’t claim to have the history of IPA at my fingertips but at the end of the day you don’t have to drink BrewDog beers (prospective or not) if you don’t want to... G Dunbar07.01.2009
- Just thought you anoraks who believe the drivel that emanates from Brewdog learned some facts rather than be taken in by the fantasy. Barry Jones07.01.2009
- Get laid barry, seriously. Tess07.01.2009
- Crikey Barry, you are a right barrel of laughs. OK , maybe you are correct and the boys got there sums wrong but its the spirit of the endevour that counts.
Da Vinci drew designs for a helicopter in the 1480s but the first Helicopter flight wasnt until 1906. Perhaps the recipe they have was from a brewing visionary who foresaw the onset of IPA and produced a recipe just in case Kev G07.01.2009
- IPA was first brewed in 1830 by a london brewer George Hodgson, so there can be no 210 year old recipe as claimed by Brewdog. Also a real voyage to India with IPA has been already done by Pete Brown and he is writing a book about it. Barry Jones07.01.2009
- Correct, Barry – James & co should actually have been wearing period costume when winching the casks aboard in the dead of night. Thanks for making me laugh at this late hour but seriously – lighten up man... G Dunbar06.01.2009
- This will be no more genuine than any of the currently available UK IPAs as it is not making a sea journey to India under tropical sea and weather conditions. Barry Jones06.01.2009
- Awsome, just awsome! magic_dave606.01.2009
- Brilliant idea lads!! andy mogg06.01.2009