Hail to the Ale
Not all IPAs are created equal. Each type has its own nuances and flavours, showcased here with a variety of hearty soups, sure to chase away a chill on a spring day.
Easy drinking and light
The beloved IPA beer style is known for its elevated alcohol and hopping, but some brewers also create lighter versions that are more approachable and more sessionable. Lighter-style IPAs still offer lots of bold flavour from hops and malt, but the alcohol levels are kept in check, normally hovering around 5% or lower.
Lemony Chicken & Bulgur Soup
Broth soups can be a challenge for pairing as they tend to be delicate, so choosing a lighter-style beer is a step in the right direction. The addition of nutty bulgur wheat and shredded chicken adds heft to this soup, bringing it closer to the weight of the beer. A last-minute hit of fresh lemon brightens things up and links perfectly to the ubiquitous citrus notes found in IPAs.
Get this chicken soup recipe
Bench Brewing Ball’s Falls Session IPA
Juicy and sessionable, this session IPA offers up lots of stone fruit and red ruby grapefruit while remaining at 4.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Side Launch Brewery Any Day Light IPA
The name says it all. With a low ABV of 4%, this IPA still delivers all the juicy, citrusy personality one expects.
Classic and balanced
This style of IPA encompasses versions that showcase balance and restraint. Everything is in its place: the hops, alcohol and sweet malt are all recognizable and available for the tasting, but none of these components are obtrusive or overwhelm their counterparts. A balanced IPA should have noticeable hops, but not to the point where they’re the only ingredient doing the talking. The same applies to the sweetness of malt and level of alcohol: in a well-balanced IPA, they are noticeable but thoughtfully integrated in the beer.
Cheddar & Bacon Soup with Crushed Pretzels
This soup was created to be a perfect pairing for beer. Bacon, cheese and pretzels: need we say more? The creamy, decadent nature of this soup is a great counterpoint to the bright personality of a classic IPA. Its velvety consistency opens the beer up, allowing it to be more expressive. Smoky bacon nods to the sweet, toasted malt, and the crushed pretzels are a cheeky garnish that adds a pleasant contrasting texture.
Get this cheesy soup recipe
Great Lakes Brewery Octopus Wants to Fight IPA
A generous nose of papaya, candied orange and lime blossom with a cleansing herbaceous finish reminiscent of dried rosemary can be enjoyed in this brew.
Collective Arts Ransack the Universe IPA
Savour a India pale ale that begins with notes of mango and clementine. The full mouth feel repeats the ripe flavours and wraps up with a pleasant rooibos tea finish.
Creemore Springs Boundless IPA
A sweet malt backbone tables ripe tropical aromas of pineapple and mango, while well-integrated hops keep this IPA balanced and approachable.
Hoppy and bold
These are the big brothers of the classic IPA—extra in everything. Extra alcohol, hopping, flavour and body! This is where you’ll find the Double and Triple IPAs, meaning double and triple doses of hops. A generous hand is used to dry-hop the beers after fermentation, allowing the hop aroma to explode from the glass. You’ll find more alcohol in these beers because more malt is used to balance the radical hop levels, and this extra malt translates into more alcohol in the final product. These beers are complex, creative and exciting to enjoy.
Black-Eyed Pea, Mushroom & Baby Kale Soup
The bold personality of these beers calls for soup with substance. This vegan soup delivers big, rich, umami-laden flavour to stand up to the big flavours in hop-forward IPAs. The most important consideration when matching beer with food is weight. More specifically, the weight of both sides of the pairing needs to be equal so that one doesn’t overwhelm the other. The ingredients in this soup build on each other to create a dish that can withstand all that a highly charged IPA can throw at it.
Get this hearty soup recipe
Flying Monkeys Sparklepuff Triple IPA
Dry-hopping three times makes for an explosive sipper that showcases a symphony of tropical, floral and earthy aromas all sitting atop a malty backbone of 10.2% ABV.
Amsterdam Boneshaker IPA
Abundant hopping provides a bitterness level teetering at 80 IBUs, which is skilfully balanced with malt to create a deliciously bold and balanced beer full of grapefruit and pine.
Juicy and hazy
The category of IPAs has evolved greatly over the years to include many different variations. One of the most successful renditions to really take hold is the Hazy IPA, a catch-all category that encompasses styles like the New England IPA, East and West Coast IPAs and Juicy IPAs. The one characteristic they all share is that they’re unfiltered and have a protein haze left behind in the beer. It’s visually appetizing and also creates a beer that has a bold, juicy flavour and a soft mouth feel.
Chickpea & Tahini Soup with Harissa Roasted Peppers
Generally speaking, the go-to beer pairing for spicy food tends to be an IPA, but there is a caveat. The beer should not be overly bitter, otherwise the beer’s astringent nature elevates the perception of the heat. That’s why the hazy IPA is perfect with this piquant soup. It has all the round juiciness needed to temper the heat without any overt bitterness.
Get this vegetarian soup recipe
Muskoka Brewery Hazed & Confused Juicy IPA
This hazy IPA bursts with notes of pineapple and citrus with a finish of grapefruit pith cutting through the haze.
Rouge River Brewery Holy Trinity Hazy IPA
This hazy number delivers juicy notes of citrus along with peach and melon. Round mouth feel makes it perfect for the soup’s heat.
Nickel Brook Wicked Awesome IPA
Try this juice bomb filled with over-the-top aromas of pineapple, melon and grapefruit. Think tropical vacation in a glass.
