Harveys India Pale Ale is 3.2% alcohol and has very, very little hop character.   There is a caramel - malt flavour but not much else.   An IPA 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?

Update Jan'10: I've found Palmers "Best Bitter Traditional IPA".   Is it heck!   A reasonable copper coloured bitter, but nowhere near an IPA.

Update Aug'10: Brain's IPA - makes no mention of history, but does say India Pale Ale under IPA.   3.4% & a dark copper colour.   An ordinary bitter with some earthy bitterness, but not even remotely what I would describe as an IPA.

Update Feb'11: Suggested by The Ormskirk Baron: Green Room IPA [baron rating 2/5] - 4% dark amber ale,citrus aroma,thin citrus hops but no bitterness,fast fading non-descript finishB.

Update Feb'11: Muntons IPA Bitter homebrew syrup kit has 17-23 EBUs "when canned" (surely this doesn't mean that once diluted it will have a bitterness value of 1!), but their Traditional Bitter has an EBU range of 45-55! I've just bought a tin & it'll probably make a pleasant drink, but its definitely a pathetic attempt to brand something an IPA which clearly isn't!