Skip to main content

Crack a Cold One and Get Used to It, Because the IPL is Your New Favorite Beer Style

Gate City Brewery's Citras Maximus
Image used with permission by copyright holder

India Pale Ales, or IPAs for short, have been the predominant trend in craft beer over the last decade. This beer style promotes extreme hop flavors over everything else, and has been championed by the largest of the craft breweries, with Stone and Dogfish Head leading the way. With that major push, there has been significant trickle down, wherein every brewery no matter how big or small has a signature IPA style.

The IPA has changed along with the times, moving from simply aggressively hopped brews to creative trends like Milkshake IPAs, Session IPAs, and even Black IPAs. Now, though, there is a new spin-off that deserves your attention. It’s time to meet the India Pale Lager.

Recommended Videos

Ales and lagers are similar beasts that use the same four primary ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast. The primary difference is the fermentation method. Ales and lagers use different yeast types, yielding top-fermenting beers (the ales) and bottom-fermenting beers (the lagers). While there can be all types of flavors created within the ale and lager families, many drinkers associate lagers with lighter bodied beers featuring clean, crisp profiles compared to their ale brethren.

So what happens when you blend the big hops of the IPA style with lager yeast and brewing methods? Beautiful, beautiful things. The resulting “India Pale Lager” is ultimately refreshing, bright, and effervescent, and a welcome counterpoint to the hazy IPAs currently trending around the country.

For a specifically solid example of the IPL, search out Gate City Brewing Co’s Citras Maximus. Brewed in Roswell, Georgia, this double dry-hopped beer is packaged in vibrant green, yellow, and orange cans featuring art emblazoned with the brewery’s logo backed by sliced citrus and hop cones. It pours a rich, deep golden color and has a pleasant aroma of pine, grapefruit, and biscuit. The flavors are thirst-quenching, with the Citra hops front and center. Citra provides notes of tropical fruit and citrus, evoking pineapple and orange to complement the delicious base lager. At 5.5% alcohol by volume, it’s a perfect summertime treat. Citras Maximus is easy and enjoyable to drink and a worthy alternative to your current favorite IPA.

Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
These rich and festive coffee cocktails are perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month
3 easy coffee cocktails to spotlight Hispanic heritage this season
Espresso Martini

Hispanic Heritage Month is upon us, celebrated every year from September 15th to October 15th. This year, Kamora Coffee Liqueur is drawing inspiration from LLa Hora del Café, a cherished daily coffee ritual where friends and families pause each day to connect around the table over coffee. Made in Mexico, this coffee liqueur is made with beans sourced from Veracruz and Chiapas, two of Mexico’s most celebrated coffee regions.

With notes of vanilla, chocolate, and caramel, this smooth coffee liqueur is perfect for enjoying neat, over ice, or in coffee cocktails. These 3 coffee cocktails offer a meaningful (and delicious) way to spotlight Hispanic heritage this season. Here's how you to make them at home.

Read more
From s’mores to pumpkin spice, these whiskeys taste like fall
Fall is a great time for flavored whiskey
Glass of whiskey with ice cubes served on wooden planks

When it comes to fall flavors, there’s nothing bigger and more in-your-face than pumpkin spice. You’ll find it everywhere, from candles to lattes to cereal and even gum. But it’s also found its way into the world of flavored whiskey.

And while we’d definitely try a glass of pumpkin spice-flavored whiskey this fall, there’s a whole world of other flavored whiskeys that taste like autumn in a glass beyond the popular spicy gourd.

Read more
The House of Suntory is launching a new Haku Vodka featuring a popular citrus fruit flavor
The House of Suntory

Vodka drinkers know about the appeal of Haku Vodka. This award-winning vodka from The House of Suntory is already the perfect spirit for your Martini or Vodka Tonic. But if you’re looking for a little extra flavor, the brand recently announced the launch of citrus-forward expression Haku Yuzu.

Haku Yuzu

Read more