What is an IPA vs a Lager? How much do you know about the differences between the two? Read on to learn more.
Humans have enjoyed beer for over 10,000 years. The ancient Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Celts all brewed beer. They traded, drank, and bartered our favorite tipple to turn the cogs of civilization.
What would our ancestors think of our beers today?
We have a vast vat of beer styles, but two stand out as our favorites: lagers and IPAs.
But what is an IPA vs a lager? These two beers have been with us for centuries. Both have unique histories, flavors, and styles.
Knowing your lagers from your IPAs puts you in a prime place at your local craft beer bar. Choose your drinks like a true beer-lover. Never order a bland beer again.
Read on for your guide to IPAs vs lagers.
What Is an IPA?
We can all thank the British brewer, George Hodgson, for the explosion of flavor that is an Indian Pale Ale (IPA). In the 1780s, Hodgson created a strong, heavy-hopped beer brewed to survive the voyage to India.
Pale ales and stouts spoiled on the journey, after months on rough seas. Hodgson found that by upping the alcohol by volume (ABV) and amount of hops, IPAs arrived ready to drink. In fact, they matured, like wine in a cellar.
Back on British soil, breweries tried to copy the recipe. Their ales were weaker though and less flavorsome than Hodgson’s. They failed to impress the home market and many Brits stuck to their stouts.
The invention of the fridge meant beer could be chilled. Brewers no longer needed to add lots of hops or up the ABV; lagers took the stage. Fast forward to the 1970s, when USA craft brewers started pouring IPAs back into our beer glasses.
IPA Ingredients and Brewing
Barley, hops, yeast, and water. These are IPA’s foundations, like most beers. The first English IPAs used Goldings hops, while American IPAs used Cascade.
Modern IPAs use new-era hops like Mosaic, Citra, Amarillo, and Simcoe. These create a plethora of lip-smacking flavors, which make IPAs unique. More on that later.
The yeast in IPA brewing is top-forming. The yeast rises and settles on top of the wort, the liquid extracted from the malt mash.
IPAs are happy brewing at 57-68°F (14-20°C). They take about a week to ferment, and fresher is better. IPAs, unpasteurized, last about 3 months.
Flavors and Styles: an Indian Pale Ale Guide
Take a sniff, then a sip of an IPA. Citrus, pine, and fruity-floral flavors jump out and dance on the tongue. Their maltiness offsets their bitter tones, and their high ABV gives them a kick.
Some IPAs are stronger, some are weaker. Modern brewing has given us several types of IPAs to explore.
We have English IPAs, close to Hodgson’s original recipe. West Coast IPAs pack in bitter, fruity pines; East Coast IPAs are sweet with citrus. We have session IPAs to sip all day, hazy IPAs, dark IPAs, and double or triple IPAs.
That’s a lot of IPAs!
Food Pairings
IPAs get on with all kinds of food. In fact, many people find IPAs easier to pair than wines. Check out our favorite beer and food combinations.
What Is Lager?
Lager is the most popular beer in the world. Go to any bar, anywhere, and they will have at least one lager. Lager-lovers savor the crisp refreshment of a chilled beer on a summer’s day.
15th century Bavaria, Germany, is the home of lager. Famous for the Munich Oktoberfest, this southeast region prides itself on its beers. In fact, they even made a law to protect their quality.
Brewers are bound by the Reinheitsgebot (the German purity law). This is the oldest food safety law on Earth. The Reinheitsgebot limits brewers to just four ingredients: barley, hops, yeast, and water.
Safe to say, fifteenth-century Bavarians would struggle to endorse many of today’s lagers. Lager has become synonymous with cheap, keg-swilling parties. But well-made lagers still deserve our love.
Ingredients and Brewing
While barley, hops, yeast, and water are standard, brewers today add grains like maize and rice to their malt. These grains can be cheaper and easier to buy.
Lager derives from the German word for larder or storehouse, erm, lager. Brewers need to store these beers to condition them.
Lager likes a brewing temperature of 45-54°F (7-12°C). Lager yeast forms at the bottom of the wort, and a lager brew takes 4 to 8 weeks.
So, to the storehouse, or lager, we go. Once the lager ferments, brewers store it at 32 to 36°F (0 to 2°C). We call this process, lagering, and it takes anywhere from six weeks to a year for some styles.
Flavors and Styles: a Lager Guide
Most of us know the light, easy-drinking lagers. But there’s more to a lager than fizz. Having been with us since the 15th century, this beer has had time to develop.
Pilsners, from Pilsen, Czech Republic, are true, crisp lagers. Josef Groll brewed pilsner in 1842 with barley, pilsner yeast, and plenty of Saaz noble hops. These hops came from Germany, and so did Groll’s lagering method.
Bocks are mid-to-heavy-bodied, hoppy lagers with ABVs of about 6.5%. We have Helles bock, German for pale, which is lighter and drier. Doppelbocks have higher ABVs and darker bodies; trippelbocks have even more.
Craft lagers use new-era hops for IPA-like flavors in an effervescent body. Amber lagers give us malty caramel tones. Dark lagers are sweet with coffee-chocolate notes.
Food Pairings
Lager’s lighter flavor, and its paler styles, match all sorts of meals. Pair lager with pizza, olives, cheeses, fish, BBQ, you name it! And if you have a hard time deciding, ask your bartender for their food pairing tips.
Ready to order an IPA or is it a Lager you’re craving?
Both these beers have a rich history, and the best have even richer flavors.
Be bold and branch out with your beers. Our team at Upstream Brewing Company, Omaha, NE, will be happy to give you a tour. We love beer as much as you do, and we have plenty of tasty bites to go with it!
Omaha Awards crowned us the best microbrewery and brewpub three years running, 2017 to 2020. We were Readers’ Choice in Best of the Big O’, from 2016 to 2021. We know how to do it.
Try our in-house brews. Bringing friends along? Visit our website or give us a call to book a table: (402) 344-0200.
All set? See you at the bar. Cheers!