Very true that the IPA beer style was developed in England to survive shipping to troops in India in the days of unrefrigerated sailing ships across the equator. (I think we can all understand how it would be unwise to serve spoiled beer to men with firearms.)

While I've been told by people I would listen to on this topic (including Steve Wellington, the man who currently brews it in Burton-on-Trent) that Worthington's White Shield may be the closest modern beer to the ancient style, no one really knows what those original IPAs tasted like; along with the transit time and uncontrolled temperatures, the brewers of the day used wooden kegs, not stainless steel or aluminum, so there was probably a bit of flavor transfer from the wood as well.

There would certainly be some mellowing of the hops and mingling of the oak flavors along the way but the sort of aging we're discussing here is for multiple years, much longer than the journey from Liverpool to Mumbai by sail.

Actually, to return to Worthington's, a stash of very old beer was found in Burton a couple of years ago and what was opened was apparently quite drinkable after nearly fourteen decades. They had lost most of their hop characteristics and carbonation to become more like port or sherry. But this should answer the question, "can you age beer successfully?" My answer would be yes, certain styles of beer can be aged very successfully -- some I've had even need a year or two of cellaring to be their best -- but don't forget where you put them.