Typically, IPAs are more heavily-hopped and sit at a higher ABV than a brew going under the Pale Ale moniker - historically, IPAs also have a very romantic (but disputed) creation story - but we’re not here to get into semantics, we’re here to talk about tasty beer!

For everything from a lightly hopped Pale Ale, to a decadently hopped IPA (you know the ones, where the labels have about ten letters that all mean something different) - the quantity, type, and method of hop additions can tell you a lot about what you can expect from a beer.

Hops are a natural preservative, but different varieties are prized for their bittering components, aromatic complexity, resinous characteristics, fruity tang, and even spiced qualities. Depending on what the brewer wants to achieve, they can add their hops at different stages to highlight those bitter, aromatic, resinous, fruity, or spice qualities of their chosen hops.