Let's Brew - 1885 Thomas Usher IPA

Think you know what IPA is? Well, this beer might be a bit of a challenge for you. Because of the four Pale Ales Truman brewed, this was the weakest. That goes completely against the modern concept of the relationship between IPA and Pale Ale.

As I’ve said many time before the modern conviction that IPA is stronger and hoppier than Pale Ale just doesn’t necessarily hold true in the past. For example, at Usher, where IPA was the weakest and least heavily hopped of their Pale Ales. Ironically, Usher did brew a beer that looks like a Stock IPA, but that wasn’t what they called it. Instead, it was named Export Pale Ale.

In a radical change from most beers brewed north of the border, the base malt was mostly made from Scottish barley, 29 of the 35 quarters. The remainder were Smyrna, from modern day Turkey.

Not quite the same with the hops, which were all foreign: Californian from the 1883 harvest and Alsace from 1884. At the rather modest rate of just 8 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt. About the same rate as a London X Ale.

1885 Thomas Usher IPA
pale malt	10.75 lb	100.00%
Cluster 90 min	2.50 oz
Strisselspalt 30 min	2.50 oz
Goldings dry hops	1.00 oz
OG	1046
FG	1012
ABV	4.50
Apparent attenuation	73.91%
IBU	71.2
SRM	4.3
Mash at	155º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	58º F
Yeast	WLP028 Edinburgh Ale