The India Pale Ale: Nerdy Beer History

Hand holding glass pouring an India Pale Ale from a beer faucet into a glass.

Whether it’s our seasonal offerings like the Lost Viking Tropical IPA or the Shieldmaiden Black IPA, or our permanent staples like our Longship IPA or the Sunstone Hazy IPA, our IPA’s are definitely some of our most popular beer creations!

While IPA stands for “India Pale Ale”, the IPA was actually created in London in the 18th Century and shipped to India. Both the additional hops and high alcohol helped to preserve the beer during its long sea journey from England to India. This created a bitter and stronger pale ale that was more refreshing in the hot Indian climate compared to the dark ales and porters that were popular in London. And thus the India Pale Ale was born…

And the rest is, well… history! The IPA has become the de-facto staple of the craft brewery scene, with creations ranging from tropical, to hazy, to imperials, and everything in-between. What is YOUR favorite Mad Swede IPA?

Upcoming events at Mad Swede Brew Hall

A Comedy Weekend Triple-Header!

Mad Swede Brew Hall is bringing the laughs this weekend with a triple feature of standup comedy.

September 20th we are hosting the Decrepit Comedy Exhibit; a special evening of comedy featuring standup comedians with disabilities and quirks, hosted and curated by Boise’s own Victor Pellegrino!

Hailing all the way from Seattle, Washington, we are so excited to welcome Monica Nevi for two shows of headlining comedy featuring some local favorite comics on September 21st!

We’re coming for you, Boise!

We’re so excited to announce our grand opening party, happening October 15th from 4pm – midnight. Join us for snacks, amazing beer, raffles, games, live music, and more. The brewery will be open from 2pm to 2am, and events begin at 4. Be sure to follow us on social media (@madswedebrewing) for updates.

The Brewery and Tasting Room are Taking Shape

The design is jumping off the pages and into reality! We’ve been busy in the brewery and tasting room building walls. A few weeks ago, our wonderful nephew, niece and her boyfriend drove all the way from Eugene to pitch in and help build our grain crush room and frame up the bar area and bathroom privacy wall. Justin, Annalisa and Mack were a great help and it was fun having them here. Continue Reading

Where we’re at in the process of opening Mad Swede Brewing…

As it happens, it takes a while to build a brewery even if you’re not starting from the ground up. We’ve been a “Brewery in Planning” for a few years now.

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