An India Pale Ale (IPA) is a pale ale that’s distinctly characterized by its overwhelming hoppiness. Called “India” because it was shipped to English soldiers stationed in India, some believe that the extra hops were added to help preserve the beer for shipment and storage in India. Others think this is a myth, but I’m not really sure which is true. Either way, an IPA is always super strong on the hops, and in my opinion, they’re only good every once in a while.