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Colonial period
The history of India Pale Ale begins in India in the 17th century. British colonists settled in droves, while access to imported beer, wine and spirits was limited. Many settled for the local drink Arak, palm juice fermented at sky-high temperatures and possibly distilled in a primitive way. The drink took over, and the average life expectancy for a European in India was as low as 3 years. The need for less alcoholic drinks was obvious. As shipping increased, the availability of imported drinks improved, but not everything that was imported tasted equally good. Beers with lower alcohol content deteriorated during the long, sometimes hot sea voyage. While many of the dark and strong beers did not taste as good in the heat of India as they did back home in mild England. Lighter beer styles with enough alcohol and hops to withstand the 6-month sea voyage therefore became extremely popular, and as early as 1716 Pale Ale was being drunk in India. After this, the style grew enormously in popularity throughout the British Empire. The drink reached its peak in the 19th century, and eventually received the name East India Pale Ale, which later became simply India Pale Ale.
The Fall of the Empire
But with the fall of the empire came India Pale Ale. A growing resistance movement saw stronger beers heavily taxed, and what remained of India Pale Ale were eventually low-alcohol and correspondingly low-bitter versions. In England, the style, except for the name and the memories of the empire's greatness, became inseparable from other Pale Ales.
America saves the world
Despite the fall of the empire, India Pale Ale had managed to sow its seeds in many corners of the world. In the United States, long after the style's decline in its homeland, a relatively correct India Pale Ale with 7.5% alcohol, high bitterness and one year of barrel maturation was brewed. This beer also disappeared over time, but when American microbreweries emerged from the sea of flimsy, bland pale lagers in the 1980s, they began to scout for forgotten beers, and it was this beer, among others, that they found. The microbrewery culture and the focus on India Pale Ale have since spread all over the world.India Pale Ale today
Today, India Pale Ale is the world's most famous craft beer. The beer no longer undergoes a 6-month sea voyage, is rarely aged in barrels, and is mostly flavoured not with British but with American hop varieties that give a distinct aroma of citrus and pine needles. Yet it is a distinctive style that, when properly expressed, offers a sublime balance between high alcohol and a little sweetness from top fermentation and possibly caramel malt on the one hand, and bitterness from hops and freshness from carbonation on the other.
The beer comes in many versions and can range from low-alcohol interpretations adapted for retail sale, which are no different from American Pale Ale except in name, to extra-strong and well-hopped styles like Double and Imperial. Some producers even make something they call Black India Pale Ale, an obvious contradiction.
India Pale Ale and food
With its flavourful, full-bodied, bitter and fresh character, India Pale Ale is excellent for rich dishes with lots of flavour and fat. The flavour and fullness of the beer can match quite rich food, while the bitterness can sharpen against fat that the freshness also cleans up.
Fatty cuts of meat such as pork neck and beef entrecôte, grilled or roasted, are good. The bitterness and freshness of the beer can also be matched by butter or cream-based sauces, herb butter, cream-gratinated potatoes or potato salads made with real sour cream and mayonnaise. For example, try a steak with béarnaise or grilled pork neck with herb butter.
India Pale Ale is also a popular choice for spicy and hot foods. The beer has enough flavour to compete with most spices and enough sweetness to dampen some of the hot mouthfeel. The hot mouthfeel from the food can also dampen some of the bitterness in the beer.
Source: Oxford Companion to Beer