Cryptic crossword clue
A sample of cheap ale, rough, somewhat lighter than IPA 5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word PALER

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
P
A
L
E
R

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "somewhat lighter than IPA" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case somewhat lighter than ipa = paler.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does PALER mean?

PALER adjective
  1. Light in color.
  2. (of human skin) Having a pallor (a light color, especially due to sickness, shock, fright etc.).
  3. Feeble, faint.

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