American Pale Ales and Blonde Ales are both beers made with pale malts and a higher concentration of hops. The main difference between them is that American Pale Ales tend to be slightly more bitter, while Blonde Ales taste a little more malty. IPAs, on the other hand, have a much stronger flavor than pale ale beers due to the higher alcohol and hops content. Modern IPAs have a citrus or fruity taste, thanks to the variety of hops used during the brewing process.
Bitters are white beers and can range from dark amber to a summer golden beer in terms of strength, taste and appearance. Pale ale is like lager beer in the sense that it aims to appeal to everyone, as it is refreshing and inviting at the same time. It is carbonated at about 1 to 1.5 volumes of CO2, instead of perhaps 1.5 to 2.5 volumes of other beers and lagers or the 3 to 4 typical of weissbier and Belgian beers. The only real indicator of the difference between pale ale and IPA is the real-life experience.
Brewers are pushing the boundaries of American Pale Ale and India Pale Ale like never before, bringing these two styles of ale closer where the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV) reaches 6.But as we have learned, there are some people who make Hoppy Pale Ales who are more or less IPA and others who do Session IPA that should probably be called Pale Ales.
