Washington (AFP)

In all the trendy bars of the United States, its presence in bottles on the shelves or in pressure in the drawers is a "must" if you want to keep your establishment badge cool. The IPA (India Pale Ale) has established itself as the ultimate in beer lovers.

For the past ten years, Gene Barnett has worked in as many as seven bars in Washington and the surrounding area. And like all employees of beverage establishments, he noted an almost disproportionate thirst for these beers recognizable by their particularly marked bitterness, due to a high concentration of hops.

In his bar in a fashionable district of the capital, where he answers questions from AFP quietly leaning on a table, the most requested beer is an IPA. In a beer bar where he worked, "out of the 12 choices we had under pressure, we had 3, 4 or 5 APIs because demand was so high," he recalls.

However, in the large family of these fermented drinks, the API is only one branch among many.

But "nobody wanted to plunder any more, nobody wanted to stout any more, they wanted API", continues this 40 year old man with easy chat.

If its consumption is democratized to the point of finding it in all supermarket shelves, there remains an audience with which it is particularly popular: "hipsters", laughs Gene Barnett, who sees it pass in number in his establishment.

Young hipsters who can afford to pay a dollar or two more for a pint often a little more alcoholic, and who appreciate the wide choice available to them.

"They want to be the first to introduce others to types of APIs," says the bartender, who even speaks of a "collector" mentality.

- Counter-culture -

APIs were created in Britain at the end of the 18th century and developed by exporting to the Indian colonies.

In the United States, they appeared in the 1970s thanks to the rise of craft breweries, while "American consumers were used to very light beers, almost like water", such as Budweiser or Coors, explains Theresa McCulla, beer historian (yes, it does) at the prestigious National Museum of American History in Washington.

The time was counter-culture, even in the consumption of products of common goods. "Some people drank and ate differently, to show that they were not dependent on big companies," she explains. And that went through "drinking local hoppy beers".

Even if, at the beginning, consumers "rejected it because it was too bitter", it gradually imposed itself over the decades, until reaching its peak in the 2010s.

"If there is a craft beer characteristic of the last 40 years, it is sure that it is the IPA", continues the historian, even if she concedes that this drink can be described as "elitist", sometimes "not very subtle" because of its strong bitterness, and that it can leave an unaccustomed audience "perplexed".

Theresa McCulla currently estimates the number of breweries in the United States to be around 8,000, a figure that is expected to increase further.

- "Good introduction" -

The Atlas Brewery is one of them. Based in Washington, it launched in 2013, at a time when micro-breweries were sprouting everywhere.

In full swing, between the 16 fermenters on which his production is based, master brewer Daniel Vilarrubi explains that he concocted five IPA this year - including their biggest sale - out of a total of more than 20 beers produced.

"IPA is a good marketing term," he explains, speaking of "a good introduction to craft beers", for those who want to go further than the end of their Budweiser. "And some stop at APIs while others broaden their horizons."

For hardcore fans, as bartender Gene Barnett points out, it's hard to go back. You quickly get used to this pronounced taste, and the basic beers end up "looking like water".

And in this ruthless race for "coolness", while the APIs are starting to democratize in the rest of the world, the experts have already set their sights on a new style even more daring. "Sour" beers, with ... acid flavors.

© 2019 AFP