India Pale Ale - IPA. Hard water had always given Scotch Ales too hard an edge. This was a longstanding problem for Scottish Brewers until it was discovered that this very same water was the best in the British Isles for the manufacture of India Pale Ale.

Adapting to the changing fashions of taste, a number of innovative Scottish breweries drafted into their employ India ale brewers from London and Burton. The combination of fine raw materials, expertise and long experience of brewing 'keeping beers' made Scottish IPA far more stable than that of it’s English counterpart.

IPA gradually superceded Scotch Ale in popularity, first in the warmer climes of the empire, and then at home. By the late 1880s, Scottish brewers were exporting more IPA than Scotch Ale.

The historical reason for the production of IPA has largely passed, but Scottish IPA continues to be enjoyed for its own sake to the present day.