Why is an IPA so much more bitter than a lager?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: It's brewed with far more hops
It's brewed with far more hops ✓ — Correct! An IPA is simply an ale brewed with far more hops than usual. Boiling hops releases iso-alpha acids, which are bitter. Pile on more hops and you get more bitterness, plus a big citrus-pine aroma.
It's fermented much longer — Wrong. Longer fermentation mostly affects how clean or dry a beer tastes, not its bitterness. Bitterness tracks the amount of hops, not the time.
It contains added bittering salts — Wrong. Brewers don't add 'bittering salts.' The bitterness comes from hop acids released during the boil.
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