Harveys India Pale Aleⁱ is 3.2% alcohol and has very, very little hop character.   There is a caramel - malt flavour but not much else.   An IPAⁱ is supposed to have a pronounced hop character with plenty of bitterness as hops helped preserve the beer on the long sea voyage round Africa, crossing the equator twice on the way to the East Indies.   A high alcohol content was needed to deter spoilage too.

Many people brand their beers IPA to give it a suggestion of tradition, history or just to point out that its hoppy.   Greene King IPA is well known as an average beer but a pathetic branding attempt as IPA, but can anyone find anything more desperate than Harveys IPA?

Please write in - if you find one & I can get hold of it, taste it & agree then I'll send you a DMonbeer t-shirt (exciting eh?).