Old-School East Coast IPA Appreciation Thread (2024)

Yard’s IPA definitely fits the bill for what you’re after; I’d say 60 minute leans towards that as well at least a tad, as does Carton o dub (077XX)

Only new beer like this I’ve seen in a while is Cape May Brewing’s new seasonal Merry & Brite

I actually used hop devil to describe it, a cleaner, touch less malty example but I really really enjoyed it, here is the picture I posted with my review for color purposes:

 

And here I was thinking “old school hazies?”

I enjoyed a Smuttynose Finest Kind on my first visit to Boston/Mass as an adult, some time ago. I remember it fondly, not so much the Finest Kind I tried last year.

 

Poking through all my old reviews, these stood out as solid qualifiers:

Ska Modus Hoperandi
Dark Horse Crooked Tree
Appalachian Mountain Long Leaf IPA
Abita Jockamo (This one has never had a high score, but I've always enjoyed it for its uniquely earthy hop profile. I think it might be the Tomahawk hops. PS, I see they now have a juicy version that's double dry hopped)
And of course Bell's Two Hearted

These next ones could be arguable

Modern Times Blazing World (original) - When I looked at the listing and it said "American IPA" I was like "Huh, I thought it was a hoppy amber" and I even say so in my review. Now I see they retired the hoppy amber version and turned it into a full-on IPA because of course it wasn't selling well as an amber

Troegs Nugget Nectar - Again, a hoppy amber, so it could be arguable but I characterize an East coast IPA as having a pronounced malt presence, so a hoppy amber immediately puts it in that same ballpark IMO

Sierra Nevada Celebration - Similar to Nugget Nectar as in it's a fresh hop beer, so you could argue it may not qualify

 

Funny how it says "West Coast-Style" but based solely off the color, it does not fit the bill

 

I agree, seems like a lot of places, so long as it’s not hazy and juicy just go “west coast” as in cleaner and more bitter. I guess one could assume it is because not as many people know the term “east coast” and what it means for IPA? Maybe?

 

I'd say that 60 Minute is the closest to the old school East Coast IPAs you can still readily find.
Haven't had it in years, but is Harpoon IPA still around?

I agree with @Immortale25, hoppy ambers are the closest to what is around anymore.

 

Brooklyn East IPA is still around. I haven't revisited that in a long while. Maybe the next time I see it.

But agreed on DFH 60 Minute or 90 minute if you come across those.

 

I always loved Shoals Pale Ale. I think it is exactly the perfect beer for me. I sold it for years and knew exactly what it was...

 

I have a suspicion that young(er) BAs may think of New England style IPAs when they see the term "East Coast IPA". For those folks an East Coast IPA meant an IPA that is both hoppy and malty and typically amber in color.

Another example of this 'old school' beer is Evolution Lot Nº 3 IPA which I discussed in a past NBS thread:



"Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with citrus and piney hop flavors with a notable caramel malt flavor. Very pleasant balance of flavors. There is a moderate level of bitterness."

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-795.639827/#post-6905637

Cheers!

 

This thread inspired me to crack open a can of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Yes this beer is associated with a West Coast brew (Sierra Nevada) but given the prominent malty flavor and deep Amber color this beer is indeed an old school East Coast IPA.

Cheers!

 

Except it isn’t. That’s like saying Elvis was a British Invasion singer. If a connection needs to be made, it would be more accurate to say that old craft East Coast IPAs were a bit like Celebration. (I’m not retroactively including Ballantine India Pale Ale as an “East Coast IPA”… but if one did that would change things.)

 

I remember in 2013 when I really started getting into craft - especially outside of California (thanks to the early days of WBAYDN?), I was exposed to East Coast IPA’s. And one of the first East Coast IPA’s sent to me was Arctic Panzer Wolf (my original review is still there. But I’d love to revisit it if anyone wants to send another Raul’s way ). And oh boy, I had no idea during that time what a malty ipa was. I figured all IPA’s had to be West Coast hop bombs, and that this one simply just wasn’t good. But oh have I learned a lot since then. And oh do I love a good malty ipa. And two of the best that come to my mind are Two Hearted and Double Trouble: is Double Trouble still being produced? Cheers.

 

I randomly tried this beer almost 10 years ago (I think) while living in the DC area. I found it to be excellent and really enjoyed it. I'm also a huge fan of Two Hearted and Celebration. I never considered it until this moment, but maybe east coast IPA is my favorite style?

 

I don't think they've brewed Double Trouble in several years. That, along with Devil Dancer, was one of my favorite annual releases from Founders.

 

Victory still brews Hop Devil
https://victorybeer.com/beers/hopdevil/

As for a newer brewery, Free Will Brewing has Techno
https://www.freewillbrewing.com/beers/techno

 

Gonna throw some love out to the ORIGINAL Sixpoint Bengali Tiger IPA. Fits the bill perfectly here. We changed it slightly when the shift was made to 12oz sleek cans 10 or so years ago (and continued to tweak it basically batch to batch), and it was still damn good then, although a bit more modern for the time, but the initial years of this beer were peak Tiger.

I'll refrain from commenting on the current state of this beer in 2024...

(photo credit: beerapprentice.org)

 

I would recommend Victory Hop Devil IPA to you.

Cheers!