• 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.