No question, people love IPAs. A prime reason is that they are supreme showcases for the heady aromatics of hops: resin, pine, herbs, citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit, and more. As most of this vocabulary describes food, a question arises: If these food flavors are so delicious in IPAs, why don’t we just add them directly? Despite some purists out there, many brewers have done exactly that.
Adding “other” things to beer besides the Reinheitsgebot trio of malt, hops, and water is a practice that must be as old as beer itself. In most places, for centuries, brewers have used any and every handy thing to add flavor and satisfy local tastes. Fruit would either spike the alcohol with extra fermentable sugars or add seasonal, local flavors. Spices were widespread early on; hops didn’t make it to the brewery until about A.D. 900. Today, spices are traditional in some Belgian beers and a tool of creative craft brewers the world over. Wood can act as a sort of spice, too. Until the end of the 19th century, contact with wood was the norm because there wasn’t much else to put beer into.
Adding fruits and seasonings to IPA, however, is new. This market trend started about 2010 with citrus versions. Being so driven by hop flavors, IPAs offer both challenges and opportunities for creative brewers—but whatever they decide to brew with, it has to play nice with the hops. Fortunately, the flavor chemistry of hops offers bountiful possibilities.