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First brewed in the 18th century, the original pale ales were a lightly hopped beer with a pale appearance; hence the name - pale ale. During this time, pale ales has begun to gain popularity among traders in India. From this grew a demand for export-ready pale ales - beer which could weather and mature during the journey to eager customers oversees. Beers of this nature quickly became known as Indian Pale Ales; the ancestors of the IPAs we know and love today.

While British IPAs grew in popularity, it wasn't long before other countries cottoned onto this style of beer. America, for example, had also begun brewing a similarly high strength beer before 1900. Today, America is a key player in forging the future of brewing and craft ales, mainly thanks to the wide range of hops available which include varieties such as Chinook, Simcoe, Tomahawk and Centennial. Given the depth of taste and aroma achieved from these finely tuned hop varieties, some IPAs need only contain one hop strain, rather than a variety which is quite common in other kinds of IPA.

The "green" movement has been seen everywhere, and the beer industry is no exception. There are several notable breweries with green initiatives that have garnered attention already, such as the solar power system being used by Sierra Nevada and MillerCoors. However, there is one company that seems bent on being as green as possible - Kona Brewing Company on the Big Island of Hawaii. While Kona might be headquartered in paradise, that doesn't mean that the company isn't taking steps to keep the world as clean and green as possible.