10 years ago it's unlikely you would have found an IPA (India Pale Ale) for sale in Malaysia. 5 years ago that changed, but the choice was still limited. Today it's difficult to walk down the street without tripping over a stray IPA desperately waving its tiny arms trying to get your attention... if you go to the right parts of town that is.
IPA was a familiar sight in pubs across the UK for as long as there have been pubs across the UK. An archetypal real ale, you would find it in most pubs next to bitter and mild and pale ale. But by the time I was going to pubs in the early 90s nearly all of these fine beers were being ignored by the young of the day who were intent on drinking premium lager or alcopops. (Though being from the North East of England I was brought up on Newcastle Brown Ale so stubbornly refused to give up drinking beers that my University mates called "warm piss" alongside my Stella or Kronenbourg). For me all beer is good beer. Except of course for really bad beer.
But to the delight of many, these old fashioned styles of ale have made a huge resurgence over the past 10 years or so, with stronger flavours, more robust styles; and they are great!
IPAs first became popular at the turn of the 19th century when trading routes across the British Empire were still long, arduous journeys. It was discovered that ale exported to places in south Asia survived the journey better at stronger volumes and when more heavily hopped, hence many of the beers exported to India were stronger more flavoursome versions of a brewer's standard pale ale... they were India Pale Ales.
Now the signature beer in most Craft Brewer's stable, IPA's are more popular than ever before, with a flavour that can be quite a shock to those not prepared. Give someone who has only ever drank Tiger or Carlsberg a double IPA to drink (an even stronger type of IPA) and their face will generally squish between delight, horror and back again as the taste assaults their senses. Then they'll ask for another.
Buxton Axe Edge is a wonderful example of the new modern style IPA, and one of a number of great IPAs and Double IPAs they've produced since they started brewing in the Derbyshire town of Buxton from which they took their name. Since 2009 they've grown from a garage operation to one of the mainstays of the craft brewing scene.
Axe Edge, named after a local geographical feature and not the dwarfish weapon of choice, is a US West Coast style 6.8% IPA. Fruity with an earthy pine note, it's a strong IPA, as with many of the newer brews inspired by the US resurgence in the style; themselves a tribute to the old UK IPAs that were almost forgotten.
Buxton produce a number of extremely good IPAs, another being a favourite of mine, Wyoming Sheep Ranch, a double IPA of worthy note, but a devil to find.
After a consistent few years in the craft beers bars of Malaysia, Buxton ales have been irregular guests to these shores since. My tip is, if you see a Buxton beer, grab it. Whichever it is.
You can check out some other IPAs here.
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But to the delight of many, these old fashioned styles of ale have made a huge resurgence over the past 10 years or so, with stronger flavours, more robust styles; and they are great!
IPAs first became popular at the turn of the 19th century when trading routes across the British Empire were still long, arduous journeys. It was discovered that ale exported to places in south Asia survived the journey better at stronger volumes and when more heavily hopped, hence many of the beers exported to India were stronger more flavoursome versions of a brewer's standard pale ale... they were India Pale Ales.
Now the signature beer in most Craft Brewer's stable, IPA's are more popular than ever before, with a flavour that can be quite a shock to those not prepared. Give someone who has only ever drank Tiger or Carlsberg a double IPA to drink (an even stronger type of IPA) and their face will generally squish between delight, horror and back again as the taste assaults their senses. Then they'll ask for another.
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Axe Edge, named after a local geographical feature and not the dwarfish weapon of choice, is a US West Coast style 6.8% IPA. Fruity with an earthy pine note, it's a strong IPA, as with many of the newer brews inspired by the US resurgence in the style; themselves a tribute to the old UK IPAs that were almost forgotten.
Buxton produce a number of extremely good IPAs, another being a favourite of mine, Wyoming Sheep Ranch, a double IPA of worthy note, but a devil to find.
After a consistent few years in the craft beers bars of Malaysia, Buxton ales have been irregular guests to these shores since. My tip is, if you see a Buxton beer, grab it. Whichever it is.
You can check out some other IPAs here.
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