Mitch Steele - IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale

I was continually amazed by the kindness and generosity I received as I requested time for interviews and discussions from people I consider experts on the subject of IPA and historical brewing. Almost without fail, the people in the business whom I contacted to ask questions for this book responded enthusiastically, and generously gave me some time and shared a lot of information. Not only was it extremely gratifying, but it cemented my belief that we all work in the very best business in the world, and that brewers, by and large, are simply just good people.

This book wouldnt have been possible without the help and support of so many. Please accept my apologies in advance for anyone I may have inadvertently left out:

All the brewers in England who hosted me, submitted to interviews, gave me tips on where to find some great information, and in some cases, provided recipes: IPA Hunters Mark Dorber, Roger Putman, Ray Anderson, Tom Dawson, Paul Bayley, Steve Brooks, and Steve Wellington; Emma Gilliland, Des Gallagher, Paul Bradley, and Gen Upton of Marstons Beer Company; Bruce Wilkinson and Geoff Mumford of Burton Bridge Brewery; Alastair Hook, Peter Haydon, and Steve Schmidt of Meantime Brewing Company; John Keeling and Derek Prentice of Fullers; John Gilliland, Gill Turner, and William LeesJones of J. W. Lees Brewery; James Watt and Martin Dickie of BrewDog; and Kelly Ryan, Stefano Cossi, Alex Buchanon, and James Harrison of Thornbridge Brewery.

The American brewers who helped me find information, submitted to interviews, and in some cases, submitted recipes: Neil Evans and George de Piro of C. H. Evans Brewing Company; Peter Egelston, J. T. Thompson, and David Yarrington of Smuttynose Brewing Company; Mark Carpenter of Anchor Brewing Company; Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company; Teri Fahrendorf, Vinnie Cilurzo, Adam Avery, Tomme Arthur, Jeff Bagby, Doug Odell, and Garrett Oliver; Al Marzi and Charlie Storey of Harpoon; Tim Rastetter of Thirsty Dog; John Maier of Rogue; Larry Sidor of Deschutes; Mike Roy, Fred Scheer, Bill Pierce, Sam Calagione, and David Kammerdeiner of Dogfish Head; Matt Cole of Fat Heads Brewery; Greg Hall and Brett Porter of Goose Island; and the amazing Vermont brewers Steve Polewacyk of Vermont Pub and Brewery, John Kimmich of The Alchemist, Shaun Hill of Hill Farmstead Brewery, and Sean Lawson of Lawsons Finest Liquids.

The writers, beer bloggers, and beer historians: Pete Brown, Martyn Cornell, Ron Pattinson, James McCrorie, Roger Protz, Gregg Smith, and Ray Daniels; Bil Corcoran of MyBeerBuzz.com; Brad Ring of Brew Your Own; Don Marshall of the Oxford Brookes University Library; Alex Barlow; Philip Withers of Thunder Road Brewing Company in Australia; Nate Wiger and Corey Gray of BeerLabels.com; Dennis Robinson of Seacoast New Hampshire; Richard Adams, former president of the Portsmouth Athenaeum; and homebrewers and beer researchers Christopher Bowen and Kristen England.

I also want to thank those who, over the years, have supported me, taught me, and inspired me as a brewer. Without them, I wouldnt be where I am today to have this wonderful opportunity: Michael Lewis, my brewing professor at the University of California, Davis; Bill Millar, who gave me my first professional brewing opportunity at San Andreas Brewing Company; Judy Ashworth, who was the first publican to pour one of my beers; Marty Watz and John Serbia, who first hired me at Anheuser-Busch in 1992, and Greg Brockman and Doug Hamilton, who showed me the ropes in my first job there; Mike Meyer, Doug Muhleman, Paul Anderson, Tom Schmidt, Dan Driscoll, Frank Vadurro, and Hans Stallman, who gave me many great opportunities and mentored me through several positions at Anheuser-Busch.

The brewing business is largely about friendship, and I want to thank those brewing friends of mine not already listed who have been there for me over the years and whom I respect for their most excellent brewing skills: Jim Krueger, Kevin Stuart, and Peter Cadoo; Anheuser-Busch buds George Reisch, Jim Canary, Otto Kuhn, Paul Mancuso, Dan Kahn, Rick Shippey, and John Hegger; Paul Davis, Scott Houghton, Jaime Schier, and Will Meyers; and my Brew Free or Die friends, Phil Sides, Shaun OSullivan, Andy Marshall, and Tod Mott.

Thanks also goes to the Brewers Association team who have supported me throughout my career, no matter whom I was brewing for: Charlie Papazian, Bob Pease, Nancy Johnson, Paul Gatza, and Chris Swersey. And to Team Stone for always being amazing: Michael Saklad, who carted me all over New England to learn about the origins of black IPA; Todd Colburn and Tyler Graham, who helped with all the photos in this book; our awesome Brew Crew; and photographer John Trotter.

Some very special thanks go to Kristi Switzer of Brewers Publications for giving me this opportunity and for being a never-ending source of encouragement; Ron Pattinson, Martyn Cornell, Steve Parkes, and Matt Brynildson for doing a technical fact check of the material presented here; Steve Wagner, for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to join him and Greg Koch at Stone Brewing Co., for being my research and traveling partner for the material presented here, and for being a continual inspiration and mentor as a brewer.

Finally, I want to thank my family: my parents, Bud and Fay Steele; my in-laws, Pat and Kathy Coleman; my kids, Sean and Caleigh; and most especially my wife, Kathleen, for her love and support, and for never complaining while I spent many weekends and vacation days at work on this book.

Table A.1 Analysis of Various IPAs from the 1800s

Table B.1 Whitbread IPA: 19011944

Table B.2 Barclay Perkins IPA: 19281956

Table B.3 Worthingtons IPA: 19211957

Table B.4 Other U.K. Brewers IPAs