• Azarova [they/them]
        ·
        8 months ago

        iirc, IPAs were made with high alcohol content like that so they could survive the trip from England to India, especially pre-Suez.

          • Azarova [they/them]
            ·
            8 months ago

            this is based on a vague recollection of a wikipedia article probably, so take that with a grain of salt. and yeah, i think IPAs typically have a higher average alcohol content than "normal" beers. usually in the 6-8% range or so.

          • glingorfel [he/him]
            ·
            8 months ago

            hops act as a preservative and alcohol doesn't spoil, so if you load a high alcoholic beer up with hops it'll keep for quite a while

      • ProfessorOwl_PhD [any]
        ·
        8 months ago

        Something along the lines of "high quality" or "luxury" - "imperial" beers were ones brewed in the UK for export to the imperial russian court.