ISO: Hoppy West Coast IPAs!

I too seek the great bitter West Coasts of old. They are out there, just not as abundantly as I would prefer.

 

While they absolutely are making a bit of a comeback, they're also frequently mislabeled. Lots of places are calling anything bright with some IBU's a "West Coast" IPA.

Not sure what distribution is like in GA, but a lot of the places putting out really good examples are based out of (unsurprisingly) the west coast and the rocky mountains. Melvin, Breakside, Societe, Ruben's, La Cumbre, Westbound & Down, Beachwood, Marble, Port, and Alesmith all bottle/can terrific examples, but I have no idea if any of those make it east of the Mississippi.

 

I recently found very freshly canned Union Jack, a rarity these days. One of the best hop experiences I’ve had in a long time. In fact I had one last night

It has such a beautiful crispy bite of resiny drying and hoppy bitterness, crystal clear, lacing all over. A true pleasure to drink.

 

Would be best to get input from local scene in Georgia, but in mid-Atlantic area (mostly in Delmarva), I'm seeing alot of West Coast options at breweries and on store shelves (Ocelot in VA and Peabody Heights & Monocacy in MD make very solid versions in my area). Only a few stellar options overall, but seems that most brewers are at least making 1 West Coast IPA in their portfolio on a regular basis these days. I think I speak for alot of us, in that we don't want to get to a point of the over-surplus of
West Coast IPA options like we currently have with the NEIPAs/hazies.

 

Below is what I posted in a previous thread:

"The WCIPA that I purchase frequently is Fat Heads Head Hunter IPA which I can often find less than a month from canning."

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/west-coast-ipas-in-the-northeast.664055/#post-7422504

I do not know how widely Fat Heads beers are distributed.

Cheers!

 

Make sure you check the canning date. Firestone Walker beers, including Union Jack, are in my area but I have not purchased them in years since invariably they are too old. The other day I had a six-pack of Union Jack in my hand but when I saw the canning date (early May) I placed it back on the shelf.

Cheers!

 

This, and I have found that a lot of local ones simply do not have the crispy clean bite and bright bitterness that the stand bys have.

Sometimes the local ones come off a little soft and sometimes syrupy to me. And in some cases fruity and juicy

 

Being in Georgia, I would go for Creature Comforts; I think their American IPAs lean more west coast than New England IPA style which it sounds like you are trying to avoid. Sweetwater would be another option as well I would think.

 

Over the years I have felt that Firestone Walker must have an excellent canning process/machinery in terms of package O2, because their beer lasts a very long time (IMO) without noticeable degradation.

My favorite store used to sell the DIPA, and they would put it on 2 for 1 special when it got to 90+ days from canning date. I used to buy the hell out of it at that half-price deal until they quit carrying it (manager told me one day, look at this! Delivered today, already 75 days old! Nobody but you will buy it that old, and you won't buy it until it goes on sale! I can't make any money this way.)

 

Kern River Beer Co
Beachwood Brewing
RiiP
El Segundo Brewing Co
These guys still make some of my favorite west coast ipa's. I like both hazy & wc, but wc is still my favorite.

 

Your post has pushed me to purchase broken skull next time I see it. I see it from time to time here but have never grabbed it.

 

North Park and Green Cheek can pretty much do no wrong when it comes to WC IPA.

 

i am a fan of their Mayberry ipa if you haven’t had it.

 

Glad that the WC IPA is not dead but thriving in California. Kern, Beachwood, Pizza Port are all still doing great WC IPAs. But now there are some “new” or at least newer breweries doing them just as well or better. North Park is crushing WC IPAs, RiiP seems to really stepped up their game. Green Cheek does both hazy and clear ipas. Radiant too. The list goes on. I actually find myself drinking WC IPAs way more than hazies these days.

 

Cough cough Comrade cough cough

 

El Segundo Mayberry and and Hammerland are good WCIPA
Anything Beachwood makes is also great.

 

I'm sure you already know it, but Sweetwater's just regular old IPA I think is an excellent classic American IPA. I also love 420 Extra Pale Ale. Obviously I also recommend Stone, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, Cigar City Jai Alai, etc. All of your classic examples. I don't know what you might have available in Georgia. Doesn't Creature Comforts make some nice clear IPAs? Good West Coast IPAs are plentiful on the West Coast and here in Colorado so I'm quite pleased with that! But I know the east coast is in short supply of them. When I lived in NY, I struggled to find a good WCIPA in recent years, too. Check with all of your local breweries. Also, look up your local IPAs on Beer Advocate, Untappd, or RateBeer before you buy them to see what reviews say. If they're described as clear and bitter, give 'em a try!