Jane McGrath

Sure.

Candace Keynard

So, a town called Burton on Trent had water that had a really high concentration of gypsum or calcium sulfate and this actually helped change the quality of the beer. In addition to adding extra hops to it, it’d make it really bitter and sort of fruity tasting but it made it stronger and had more preservative qualities so that it could mature more quickly and stay more stable.

So, the traders in India as well as members of the Navy and the army there could drink it and be happy because they had their beer. And I actually – I got this information from the Meantime Brewing Company which was a great website if you’re curious about the history of beer, but I learned there that IPA is considered a running beer and running beer means that you can drink it immediately. It doesn’t have to sit around and mature like ale does.

You know, you see in movies Ale is contained in those really big oak barrels where its, you know, I guess aging and getting more delicious with time but it was incredibly popular and the colonists drank it up. I think they were allotted something like a gallon a day and maybe even more after IPA became more successful. And you can still get your IPA today.

Jane McGrath

Wow.

Candace Keynard

So, who knew you’d be learning so much about beer today but, you know, we care about you guys so that’s that. And if you want to know even more about other subjects or there’s something that tickles your fancy that you wanted to hear Jane and me discuss, email us at historypodcast@howstuffworks.com.

Jane McGrath

That’s right. And if we don’t do a podcast on it, we could write a blog on it and if you haven’t seen it, you should go check out our blog, Stuff You Missed in History Class on howstuffworks.com and you can comment on our stuff and we both post twice a day so it’s a lot of fun.

Candace Keynard

It is. It’s like getting a quick 60-second dose of Candace and Jane every day. You’re going to love it. And if you want to learn even more about the East India Company or beer or Queen Elizabeth, be sure to check articles on howstuffworks.com.

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