Extreme brews: Americanized India pale ales

Forget about traditional India pale ales, said Eric Asimov in The New York Times. The British developed this fruity, hoppy brew “centuries ago, to withstand the ocean voyage to colonial India.” But some bold American brewers are now hellbent on using “inordinate amounts” of malt and hops to the recipe, and adding ingredients those Old World brew masters never even dreamed of. Welcome to the world of “Extreme IPAs, even Unearthly IPAs.”

Recently, a Times panel sampled 25 new IPAs—just a fraction of those now available—to judge which were the creations of truly creative brewers and which merely the outlandish byproducts of a “can you top this?” contest. We were surprised at how appealing, even elegant, the best were. Here, our three favorites:

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA (Milton, Del.; $3.50 for 12 oz.; 9 percent alcohol) Robust; nicely balances “exaggerated caramel and chocolate sweetness.”

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Wayerbacher Double Simcoe IPA (Easton, Pa.; $3 for 12 oz.; 9 percent alcohol) “Killer hops, killer fruit,” but most enjoyably so.

Lagunitas IPA Maximus (Petaluma, Calif.; $5 for 22 oz.; 7.5 percent alcohol) Lively, energetic, with a “citrus perfume.”