Comparison
English IPA vs Red IPA
What is the difference between English IPA and Red IPA?
The short answer
The main difference is dryness: English IPA has far more of it than Red IPA. English IPA also leads on yeast fruitiness (esters) and bread & biscuit; Red IPA on citrus.
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, sweetness, body, overlapping strength ranges, the same style family — the boundary between them is narrower than the comparison suggests.
Side by side
| English IPA | Red IPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | IPA | IPA |
| Fermentation | Top-fermented (ale) | Top-fermented (ale) |
| Origin | United Kingdom | 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 | 5–7.5% ABV | 5.5–7.5% 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. | 40–60 IBU | 50–80 IBU |
| Colour | Gold to deep copper — 6–14 SRM, 12–28 EBC | Reddish amber to copper — 11–19 SRM, 22–37 EBC |
| Original gravity | 1.050–1.075 | 1.056–1.070 |
| Final gravity | 1.010–1.018 | 1.010–1.016 |
| Serving temperature | 9–12°C | 8–11°C |
| Carbonation | 1.8–2.4 vol CO₂ | 2–3 vol CO₂ |
| Glassware | Nonic pint, Tulip glass | Tulip glass |
| Clarity | clear | clear |
How they taste different
| Character | English IPA | Red IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Dryness | High | Not characteristic |
| Yeast fruitiness (esters) | Low–Moderate | Not characteristic |
| Bread & biscuit | Moderate | Not characteristic |
| Citrus | Not characteristic | Moderate |
| Resin & pine | Not characteristic | Moderate |
| Floral | Moderate | Not characteristic |
| Herbal | Moderate | Not characteristic |
| Hop aroma | Moderate | High |
| Carbonation | Low | Moderate |
| Caramel & toffee | Low | Moderate |
Which should you choose?
- You want more dryness → English IPA
- You want something more restrained — less dryness and yeast fruitiness (esters) → Red IPA
Derived from where the two actually differ. Neither is better — this is a question of which difference you want.