Does Anyone Still Make a "Classic" West Coast IPA?

Wicked Weed Pernicious is in Florida.
https://find.wickedweedbrewing.com/

 

Well, yeah - if a "thing" is a brand of beer brewed and marketed by Monster Beverages but the Tampa brewery appears to no longer be a production facility. In the same Tampa Bay Times article Todd quotes:

Well... Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA, released in 2008, was a bit late to the game, coming more than a decade after Stone. But both did predate India Pale Ale becoming the largest craft beer style, circa 2011-2012.

One of my favorite bits of craft beer history trivia is that during that era of '08-'11 the largest selling craft IPA was often Redhook Long Hammer or Harpoon IPA.

 

Define classic—if we are talking something brewed as it was 25 years ago, then Bells Two Hearted might fit the bill in the technical sense. Hops and hop preferences have changed so much that even with more contemporary WCIPAs (as labeled) in California I’ll get more tropical fruit and pineapple than the grapefruit and pine tree that I sometimes crave.

 

Wow, I had no idea Torpedo was released that late. I would have guessed late 90s.

 

How fresh were those beers?

It has been my consistent experience that Jai Alai is very sensitive to aging. My personal criteria is to only purchase Jai Alai if the cans are less than a month from the canning date.

Cheers!

 

Yeah, well... at the other extreme, I still think of it as "Sierra Nevada's new beer" sometimes.

 

All due respect, but wonderful as it is, Two Hearted is not a West Coast IPA. I think the discussion is around beers like Stone IPA, RR Blind Pig, BP Sculpin etc.

 

Perhaps lumps them all together like I do; to me there is clean, clear, and bitter hoppy beers and then sweet, hazy and more fruity. To some this is an oversimplification probably, just how I look at it maybe @elNopalero does the same.

 

Lagunitas IPA is pretty much everywhere and it tastes the same (maybe better) as it did 15 years ago. If you stumble upon an especially fresh bottle/can I'd put it against almost anything.

 

Maybe—to me this seems like an oversimplification. There was a whole thread (or series of threads) not too long ago about some of these distinctions. A true West Coast IPA, in my mind anyway, needs to be fairly light in color (yes, definitely clear), with dry/biscuity malt and lots of piney/citrusy/bitter hops. Two Hearted is just a different kind of IPA.

In short, just because it’s clear doesn’t mean it’s West Coast. Let’s just nip that idea in the bud right here.

 

Yes, and . . . just because it isn't brewed on the West Coast doesn't mean it's not a WCIPA, and I say that as someone weaned on Pliny, Racer 5, and Sculpin. I'm with those who tend to think of Two-Hearted as potentially WCIPA, and Head Hunter as definitely WCIPA.

EDIT: Forgot MBC Lunch . . .

 

Oh for sure. I’m not saying there’s some kind of West Coast “terroir” going on. But I’m not sure that an IPA with a heavier, more caramelly malt backbone (like Two Hearted) qualifies as West Coast. Just as we have some PNW IPAs (historically anyway) that trend toward both more (and darker) malt and more floral/herbal hops—even though technically these are brewed on the West Coast they are not WCIPAs. I’ve never had Head Hunter but, since it’s apparently the best beer in the world, I’ll take your word for it.

Also, I’ll add that even though I’m not a fan of creating new styles and sub-styles, since New England got its own IPA designation after only a few years, West Coast should be treated with equal respect, instead of just being lumped in with all other “American” IPAs. Just another example of East Coast bias (like when New Yorkers recently found out that wildfires produce a lot of smoke and suddenly this was national news).

 

Not sure how dependable Jai Alai will be after Monster Beverage Corporation fired their original brewmaster Wayne Wambles in early February, and on March 15 fired nearly their entire brewery staff in Tampa Bay to focus on flavored malt beverages and spirits.

March 15 - Monster Energy lays off most of Cigar City Brewery Staff after Brewmaster Position eliminated and original Brewmaster let go in early February

https://www.whoownsmybeer.com/blog/monster-closes-cigar-city-brewery-lays-off-most-of-staff/

https://www.tampabay.com/life-cultu...-city-brewing-jai-alai-layoffs-tampa-taproom/

“I think the worst part of the deal is not just those who have lost their jobs,” McElvey said. “(It’s) the shattering of the community trust … There are still people that live in Tampa and work in Tampa and are very passionate about the beers that they produce.”

 

Yes, I get it. And we just get into some real subjectivity when it comes to "heavier" and "more caramelly." Just as NEIPA kind of goes all over the place with taste profile (and with most people thinking of "hazy" as the common denominator), I think WCIPA can accommodate a spectrum of maltiness. BTW, my favorite PNW (WC?)IPA is Sticky Hands, just a killer beer.

 

Right, I’m just trying to stick to the OP’s question about “classic” WCIPAs, so I think in that context we can narrow the focus a bit.

 

I wonder the same.

In a PM I sent over a week ago I discussed:

“Recipes are one thing but knowledgeable brewers on the exact same equipment is another thing.

Flower Power when Jeff O’Neill was the head brewer at Ithaca Brewing was great. He left and Flower Power was never the same.

And will Cigar City beers still be brewed in Florida in the future?”

I suppose time will tell?

Cheers!

 

Be Hoppy is an outstanding west coast-style IPA! To me it has a similar flavor profile to Head Hunter, White Rajah, Flower Power, and Stone IPA. Doubt it makes it to Florida, but now you can be on the lookout for it next time you're in New England. Cheers!

 

Yeah I mean - maybe a couple of years back it was harder to find one locally, but now most of my local breweries have a WCIPA in the regular rotation/schedule. If they do not have one on that day you visit, you usually do not have to wait too long for a fresh one to pop up.

 

I miss Avery DuganA. To me, it was just a dank bomb. If it's still brewed, I can't find it.