An India Pale Ale (or IPA) is the beer style that pops to mind when you’re craving a hoppy beer. And for good reasons, these beers have complex flavors, and most of them are not shy about alcohol content. Most craft breweries use the IPA as a canvas for combining different flavors.
But it wasn’t always like this. You see, the IPA spawned from a lightly-hopped Pale Ale that was a darling among East India Company traders. So much so that the traders influenced Allsopp’s brewery to develop a strongly-hopped version of the Pale Ale. And this new style adopted the name India Pale Ale (IPA).
But that was in the 19th century. Today the IPA has several offshoots of substyles, including British IPAs, West Coast IPAs, East Coast IPAs, New England Style IPAs, and the list goes on. What do you brew? How do you do it?
Here are 16 IPA recipes that will help you brew some delicious IPAs.
1. Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA Clone
If you’re fond of Chainbreaker White IPA by Deschutes Brewery, here’s your chance to recreate your favorite Belgian IPA. This recipe by the American Homebrewers Association had the rare honor of getting featured in the Zymurgy magazine, the July/August 2012 issue.
Apart from getting you close to the original Chainbreaker White IPA, I love that we have the option for both all-grain and extract recipes. So if you’re just getting your feet wet in matters of homebrewing, you can go the extract route. If you want to jump into the deep end, fire up your grain mill and get brewing.
2. Quarantine IPA by Martin Keen
Every homebrewer ought to know about YouTube homebrewing sensation that is Martin Keen. He has been brewing 99 BJCP beer styles in as many weeks, and he has some interesting recipes.
Following a beer drought in his house while in quarantine (yes, that was a thing in 2020), Martin decided to brew a quick and easy IPA that he called the “Quarantine IPA.
It’s an all-grain recipe, and Martin will hold your hand every step of the way.
3. Summer Dreaming IPA by Zach Trepanier
Our next IPA recipe is also inspired by a Deschutes Brewery beer, the Fresh Squeezed IPA. But this is not a faithful clone.
Zach Trepanier made sure to leave his stamp on his version with several tweaks and adjustments. As its name suggests, Summer Dreaming (the final beer) is a summer beer. Zack made it for those hot summer days and warm summer nights.
Do you want to brew a summer IPA? This could be the one.
4. Tree House IPA by Tree House Brewing Company
This Oat IPA recipe was developed and published by the Tree House Brewing Company. They wanted to brew a juicy and clean IPA that perfectly represents what the company is about and also to debut their new brewing system.
It’s an Oat IPA, so expect a creamy and cozy mouthfeel, perfect for those lazy days when you want a slow sipper.
5. ‘Alaskan Red’ Red IPA Beer Recipe by Josh Weikert
If you’re looking for something a little different from an American IPA, may I suggest brewing a Red IPA? It is slightly sweeter than the American IPA, with pronounced caramel and dark fruit notes.
And if you’re going to brew a Red Ale, I have just the recipe for you, the Alaskan Red by Josh Weikert. His directions are simple and easy to follow. He even offers tips to troubleshoot your brew.
6. GrapeFruit IPA by David Heath
If you’re into Fruited IPAs, then you may want to see what David Heath has been up to. In this video, he presents the recipe for a Fruited IPA, specifically grapefruit. He adds the grapefruit at the tail end of primary fermentation and lets the citric flavors cook.
The final beer is a hazy IPA with a pale orange body, quite similar to grapefruit. How does it taste? You’ll have to brew it to find out.
7. Trillium’s Dialed-In IPA With Wine-Grape Must by J.C. Tetreault
If you love Boston beers, then you have to try a can of Dialled In by Trillium Brewery. What, you haven’t tried it? Well, here is your chance to brew it. On Craft Beer & Brewing, J.C Tetreault demonstrates how to make the New England IPA. Just a heads up, you’ll need half a gallon of sterile wine must.
8. West Coast IPA by TheAppartmentBrewer
To celebrate the beer style that pioneered the craft beer revolution, TheAppartmentBrewer shows us how to whip up a proper West Coast IPA. It only takes eight days for your efforts to yield a golden West Coast IPA with impressive clarity.
A word of caution; expect a lot of strong, earthy flavors when going into this brew. But if you dont mind the pungent citrus-pine odor, go for it!
9. WeldWerks Brewing Juicy Bits Clone by America Homebrew Association
Juicy Bits is the beer that put WeldWerks Brewing on the map. This New England IPA features a prominent tropical fruit and citrus hop character. This is your chance to brew this delicious concoction from Greeley, Colorado.
This recipe features a very intense hop schedule. So, be faithful to the instructions, and you shouldn’t run into trouble. The final beer contains quite a bit of alcohol (6.7% ABV).
10. Hazy IPA by Hops & Gnarly
In an effort to craft the best Hazy IPA recipe, the YouTube channel Hops & Gnarly brewed multiple batches with different treatments. After eight batches of tweaking, the brewing aficionados were confident in their final creation. If you love a hazy IPA, the video below will guide you through the entire brewing process.
11. Double IPA by Grain and Grape
Big alcohol and big flavor; nothing describes a Double IPA like those two phrases. If you’ve ever wanted to brew one, here’s your chance. On Grain and Grape’s website, they have a detailed recipe for a Double IPA. Check out this all-grain recipe, and brew yourself a Double IPA.
12. Citra Double IPA by Clawhammer Supply
Clawhammer Supply has been supportive of the homebrewing community since its inception. They’ve provided us with high-quality brewing equipment and fun ways to put these instruments to use (exciting recipes). In this video, they demonstrate how to brew their Citra Double IPA.
The final beer is bright orange with a hazy character. The alcohol content fails to hit the 7.5% ABV expected of Double IPAs, but, hey, it’s a good beer.
13. Juicy IPA by Kyle Brown
Clawhammer Supply is back with another exciting IPA recipe. This time, it’s coming from the owner of the company himself, Kyle Brown. Juicy IPA, he calls it, due to the beer’s fruity nature. Even though the recipe is presented in text, Kyle Brown offers visual support through two YouTube videos.
14. West Coast IPA by Clawhammer Supply
The West Coast IPA is one of the most popular beers in craft brewing. And who better demonstrate how to brew a West Coast IPA than Clawhammer Supply? From water chemistry to fermentation, the entire Clawhammer YouTube crew shows you how to make a piney West Coast IPA.
15. Russian River Blind Pig IPA Clone
The Blind Pig is an American IPA brewed by the California-based Russian River Brewing Company. Does it have connections to Russia?
Well, that doesn’t matter because we’re only interested in brewing it. So if you love the Blind Pig and would like to recreate it, the American Homebrewers Association has a recipe you’d be interested in.
16. The Dankest West Coast IPA by Trent Musho
If you love a danky beer, you’ll like this West Coast IPA by Trent Musho from the BruSho. To impart that danky/skunky aroma, Trent goes with Apollo and Galaxy Hops.
These additions also add notes of tropical fruit and citrus to balance out the dankiness. In the end, he infuses the beer with CBD oil. It’s an interesting recipe for a delicious West Coast IPA.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a beer that does more than just quench your thirst, an IPA might just be the cure for you. Flavor-wise, it is one of the most complex beer styles.
Even craft breweries use them as platforms to create new flavor combinations. With the 16 IPA recipes above, you can brew an IPA of your own. You could even enter it in a brewing competition.
As a homebrewer, Michael would get frustrated about the lack of brewing information on the internet. After hundreds of gallons of spoilt batches, Micheal had enough. And he founded Unknown Brewing as a resource for homebrewers.