The India pale ale style was developed in Britain in the 18th century, as a way to provide the empire’s colonial troops in steamy India with rations of their beloved brew. Beer did not often survive the marked changes of climate on long trips to tropical destinations. Efforts to brew it aboard ship failed, and India lacked the moderate climate necessary, in those days before refrigeration, for successful brewing.
The solution came in the 1790’s. A brewer named George Hodgson realized that a higher alcohol content would inhibit spoilage, and that bacterial action could be slowed by adding extra doses of hops, which impart bitterness, liveliness and aromatic complexity. The strong ale that resulted had a distinctive backbone of aggressive bitterness that could withstand the journey and still refresh the troops.
The necessity for the techniques of producing India pale ale eventually died out, but the taste for it did not, and British and American brewers continued making it through the early 20th century. [Asimov]
Asimov, Eric. “Ales of The Times: A Soldier’s Ration for a Summer Day.” The New York Times. 26 May 2004. <www.nytimes.com/2004/05/26/dining/26WINE.html> (27 May 2004).