India Pale Ale has become one of the defining beers of the modern craft brewing era, and for good reason. It is a style with genuine range, a strong sense of identity, and a capacity to surprise even experienced drinkers who think they have it figured out. One IPA can be bracingly bitter and resinous. Another can be soft, hazy, and full of tropical fruit. A third can be as dark as a stout while still delivering a hop punch that unmistakably says IPA.
That breadth is both the appeal and the occasional source of confusion. If you have ever stood in front of a well-stocked fridge wondering what separates a West Coast IPA from a New England IPA, or why a Double IPA costs more and hits harder, this guide is for you.
If you want to buy IPA from some of the best breweries currently producing in Australia and beyond, the full IPA range at Beer Cartel is one of the most comprehensive you will find anywhere online.
A Brief History Worth Knowing
The IPA's origin story is one of the more repeated tales in beer culture, and like most good stories it has been embellished over the years. The most widely accepted version is that heavily hopped pale ales were shipped from Britain to India during the colonial era, with the extra hops acting as a preservative during the long voyage. Whether that is the complete picture or a partial one, the result was a style defined by hop character, bitterness, and a dryness that made it intensely refreshing.
That foundation has been built on, pulled apart, and rebuilt by brewers around the world over the past three decades. What the craft brewing movement did with the IPA template is one of the most creative acts in the history of the category.
What Actually Makes a Great IPA?
Before diving into specific styles, it helps to understand what separates an exceptional IPA from a forgettable one. The answer is balance.
Not balanced in the sense of everything being neutral. Balance in the sense of every element in the beer doing something purposeful, and none of them being so dominant that everything else disappears.
The components that define a great IPA:
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Hops: The obvious one. Hops provide bitterness, aroma, and flavour. The variety of hop used, when it is added during brewing, and how much of it goes in shapes everything else about the beer's character. Citrus, pine, tropical fruit, dank earthiness, floral notes: all of these come from hops.
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Malt: Often overlooked in IPA conversations, the malt base provides the sweetness, body, and structure that hop bitterness needs to push against. A great IPA has enough malt presence to keep the beer feeling substantial rather than thin.
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Yeast: The yeast strain affects both the fermentation character and, in hazy styles, the soft and pillowy texture that defines the New England IPA.
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Water chemistry: Serious brewers adjust their water profile specifically for IPA production. Higher sulphate levels accentuate bitterness and dryness. Chloride levels affect softness and roundness.
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Freshness: Perhaps most importantly, IPAs are highly time-sensitive. The hop compounds responsible for aroma degrade quickly after packaging. A great IPA drunk fresh is a completely different experience from the same beer three months old.
The Main IPA Styles Explained
West Coast IPA
The original American IPA template. Dry, clear, and assertively bitter, with pronounced resinous, piney, and citrus hop character. The malt is present but deliberately restrained, keeping the focus firmly on hops and finishing dry. This is the style that built the modern IPA category.
New England IPA (Hazy IPA)
The style that rewrote the rulebook. Deliberately hazy or opaque in appearance, soft and juicy in texture, and built around aroma rather than bitterness. Tropical fruit, stone fruit, and citrus dominate. The bitterness is low relative to the hop intensity. This style has become enormously popular in Australia and produced some of the most exciting craft beer of the past decade.
Everything turned up. More hops, more malt, more alcohol, typically between 7.5% and 10% ABV. The flavours are intense and the beer has a weight and richness that a standard IPA does not. Not for the faint-hearted, but extraordinary when the balance is right.
A fascinating hybrid: the dark malt character of a porter or stout combined with the aggressive hop profile of an IPA. The result is a beer with roasted coffee and chocolate notes sitting alongside citrus and pine. Unexpected, complex, and genuinely rewarding.
The lower-alcohol answer to the question of how to drink IPA all afternoon. Typically under 4.5% ABV, with enough hop character to be recognisably IPA but light enough in body and alcohol to suit longer drinking occasions.
You can explore styles across the Australian beer collection at Beer Cartel, which covers the full range of what local breweries are producing right now.
Five Australian and International IPAs Worth Trying Right Now
1. Mountain Culture That's No Moon West Coast IPA 500ml Can
Mountain Culture has built one of the most respected reputations in Australian craft brewing in a remarkably short time, and this West Coast IPA is a strong argument for why. Clear and golden with a dry, resinous bitterness and prominent pine and citrus hop character, it is a textbook example of the style done with real conviction. If you have only ever drunk hazy IPAs and want to understand what the West Coast fuss is about, start here.
Mountain Culture consistently produces some of the most talked-about IPAs in the country.
2. Mountain Culture x Verdant Manageable Hazy IPA 355ml Can
A collaboration between Mountain Culture and the highly regarded UK brewery Verdant, this Hazy IPA brings together two breweries with genuine pedigree in the New England style. Soft and pillowy with tropical fruit and stone fruit aromas that jump out of the can, and a bitterness so low you could almost miss it if you were not paying attention. The name is cheeky. The beer is anything but ordinary.
Currently on sale, which makes this an even easier decision.
3. Akasha Space Opera Black IPA 375ml Can
Akasha Brewing out of Five Dock in New South Wales has quietly become one of the more interesting breweries in Australia, and this Black IPA shows exactly why they deserve more attention. Dark in colour with aromas that combine roasted malt with citrus and tropical hop notes in a way that should not work as well as it does. The palate delivers coffee and dark chocolate alongside resinous bitterness, and the finish is dry and long. A genuinely unusual beer that rewards drinking slowly.
4. Modus Liquid Asset Double IPA 375ml Can
For the drinker who wants something with real intensity and weight, this Double IPA from Modus Operandi is the answer. Big tropical fruit aroma, significant malt sweetness to balance the elevated hop load, and an alcohol warmth that you feel on the finish without the beer ever feeling sloppy or out of control. At 8% or above this is a beer to sit with rather than race through, and it suits that pace perfectly.
5. Stockade 8 Bit IPA 375ml Can
Stockade Brew Co has a talent for producing approachable, well-made beers at a price that makes them easy to drink regularly, and the 8 Bit IPA is a solid example of that. Citrus and passionfruit hop character, a clean malt backbone, and a moderate bitterness that makes it accessible to drinkers who are newer to the style. This is the IPA you recommend to a friend who wants to find out what the category is actually about without being overwhelmed.
If you want to explore a curated selection across multiple styles rather than choosing individual cans, the Limited Edition IPA Pack is one of the best ways to cover the full range in one order.
How to Drink IPA Better
A few habits that make a real difference:
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Drink it fresh. Check the canning date where possible and prioritise the most recent stock. Hop aroma is the first thing to go.
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Serve it cold but not frozen. Between 4 and 7 degrees Celsius is ideal for most IPA styles. Too cold and the aroma closes down.
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Use a proper glass. A tulip or IPA-specific glass concentrates the aroma and lets the beer open up. Drinking from the can is fine but you miss a significant part of the experience.
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Pair it with food. IPA bitterness cuts through fat and spice beautifully. Spicy Thai or Indian food, cheeseburgers, aged cheddar, and grilled chicken with bold seasoning all work exceptionally well.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does IPA stand for?
India Pale Ale. The name originates from the heavily hopped pale ales shipped from Britain to India during the colonial era, where the hops acted as a natural preservative during the long sea voyage.
2. Why are some IPAs hazy and others clear?
The haziness in New England or Hazy IPAs comes from specific yeast strains, dry hopping techniques, and the presence of proteins and hop compounds that remain suspended in the beer rather than settling out. West Coast IPAs are typically filtered or allowed to clarify, producing a clear, bright appearance. The haze is not a sign of poor quality. In hazy styles it is entirely intentional.
3. What is the difference between a Single IPA and a Double IPA?
A Double or Imperial IPA uses significantly more malt and hops than a standard IPA, resulting in higher alcohol (typically 7.5% to 10% ABV), more intense hop flavour, and greater overall richness. A Single IPA typically sits between 5.5% and 7% ABV.
4. How should IPA be stored at home?
Keep cans or bottles upright in the fridge and drink them as fresh as possible. Unlike wine, IPA does not improve with age. The hop compounds responsible for aroma and much of the flavour degrade over time, and a beer that is six months old will taste noticeably flatter than the same beer drunk within weeks of packaging.
5. Is IPA stronger than regular beer?
Most IPAs sit between 5.5% and 7.5% ABV, which is higher than a standard lager at 4% to 5%. Double IPAs push further, often reaching 8% to 10%. Session IPAs are the exception, designed to deliver IPA character at closer to 4% ABV.