Comparison
American IPA vs Black IPA
What is the difference between American IPA and Black IPA?
The short answer
The main difference is roast: Black IPA has noticeably more of it than American IPA. American IPA also leads on tropical fruit, malt intensity and yeast fruitiness (esters).
Generated from the two style records. No editor has written this comparison up, so it carries no verdict beyond what the data supports.
Where they overlap
They share comparable bitterness, body, hop aroma, overlapping strength ranges, the same style family — the boundary between them is narrower than the comparison suggests.
Side by side
| American IPA | Black IPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | IPA | IPA |
| Fermentation | Top-fermented (ale) | Top-fermented (ale) |
| Origin | United States | United States |
| Category status — One of these is a more settled category than the other, which is worth knowing before treating the comparison as exact. | Established | Commercial category |
| Strength | 5.5–7.5% ABV | 5.5–9% ABV |
| Bitterness (IBU) — IBU measures iso-alpha acids in the lab. It does not track perceived bitterness, which residual sweetness, body and roast all alter — compare the sensory rows below for how each actually tastes. | 40–70 IBU | 50–90 IBU |
| Colour | Gold to light amber — 6–14 SRM, 12–28 EBC | Very dark brown to black — 25–40 SRM, 49–79 EBC |
| Original gravity | 1.056–1.070 | 1.050–1.085 |
| Final gravity | 1.008–1.014 | 1.010–1.018 |
| Serving temperature | 7–10°C | 8–11°C |
| Carbonation | 2–3 vol CO₂ | 2–3 vol CO₂ |
| Glassware | Tulip glass, Teku glass, Nonic pint | Tulip glass |
| Clarity | clear | clear |
How they taste different
| Character | American IPA | Black IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Roast | Not characteristic | Low–Moderate |
| Tropical fruit | Moderate–High | Not characteristic |
| Malt intensity | Low | Not characteristic |
| Yeast fruitiness (esters) | Trace–Low | Not characteristic |
| Bread & biscuit | Low | Not characteristic |
| Stone fruit | Low–Moderate | Not characteristic |
| Coffee | Not characteristic | Trace–Low |
| Chocolate & cocoa | Not characteristic | Trace–Low |
| Floral | Low | Not characteristic |
| Caramel & toffee | Trace | Not characteristic |
Which should you choose?
- You want more roast → Black IPA
- You want more tropical fruit → American IPA
Derived from where the two actually differ. Neither is better — this is a question of which difference you want.