Why are there no Hazy IPAs from the West Coast in the Top 100?

My theory? 2/3 (or maybe it’s 1/2) of the United States live in the eastern 1/3 of the country (though of course this is changing). The East Coast, and Northeast in particular, is saturated with both hazy/New England IPAs and people. So most reviews/ratings come from the eastern half of the country, and for this style in particular.

I'm also not sure how much West Coast beer ends up in that more densely populated market, compared to East Coast beer that ends up out here, but that might also be a factor. And of course, freshness is paramount when talking about any type of IPA. That could affect ratings for any West Coast hazy IPAs that get enough reviews to make a dent in the total.

Or maybe the most obvious reason is correct: all of the best hazy IPAs are made on the East Coast. I doubt it though.

 

Yeah, I think it's a combination of population and location. The population is denser on the east coast so local breweries have more volume and reviews. More reviews = Top 100. Furthermore, the "best beer" is often comparative and relative, so it's easier to compare two World-Class Hazes from nearby Massachusetts breweries as the best, than it is two remote hazy IPAs from Portland and Las Vegas that are probably not widely distributed to each other's respective location. Overall, the more accessible and distribution area of the beer, the higher recognition and reviews.

 

Why are many of the top 100 of most Belgian styles from a few NE breweries? Hype and access to markets?

 

Old Nation M-43 is from Michigan, west of the Appalachians. #94.

 

The style originated there so the first beers to get rated/attention are from there. So they’ve received more ratings for a longer time. Maybe they also maintain some “inflation” justified or not because of this. Just guesses here as I’m sure there are many reasons but those are a few that come to mind for me as possible ones.

 

Really? A beer from Monkish should be.

 

Monkish consumers prefer untappd over beer advocate. Most neipa drinkers rate beers on untappd over beer advocate. I can't count the number of neipa I drink that aren't listed on beer advocate

 

Plus, it's an established fact that us West Coasters are just a bunch of stoned slackers who are too lazy to write reviews.

 

Also most breweries don't have a core lineup as they seem to want to release 3-5 new beers a week and if they do rebrew a beer it doesn't taste or look like the previous batch

 

I don't doubt that there are some great NEIPAs brewed on the West Coast, but when you start brewing them late compared to the NE breweries, it's tough to catch up with the numbers.

P.S. Welcome to the BA site, Blinky. Explore the site to discover all of the features, and hang around as much as you'd like.

 

lest we forget the fact that east coast weather is shit compared to western USA... for reference- peep the mountain forum some weekend and compare the activity there to some of the more east coast forums. Its night and day.. particularly the couple times I happened to check lol

 

I don't know what list you looked at but I counted 4 beers from monkish and one from great notion.

But in general, a small handful of breweries dominate the top spots so take that how ever you'd like

 

It is all hype. Folks are so cought up into the shit they tell themselves lies.

 

Well, this is the post truth era...

 

In case anyone feels the need to validate the impact of well made hazy IPAs west of the Appalachians, just look at the medal winners from this years GABF. Of the gold, silver and bronze medals in four categories, 11 of 12 were westward (and the one that wasn't is in the shadows of the Appalachians):

Juicy or Hazy Imperial IPA (3 of 3)
Juicy or Hazy IPA (3 of 3)
Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale (2 of 3)
Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale (3 of 3)

The full list, including names, are in another forum.

 

Top hazies is an oxymoron.

 

I am curious to know how well established some of our regional breweries in New England are in the the consciousness of other regions of the country and how sought after the beers are? For example- is Tree House a nationally known brewery? Do people out west or down south actively look to trade or buy their beer from resellers? I know there is a market for this- I am just curious how big it is. That could influence rankings/ratings as well. As much as I am into beer, I don't actively seek out hazy ipas from other regions anymore. There was a time when I would have traded some NE beers for King Sue, but I can buy that on the shelves in MA now. I would trade for some Monkish, but only if it was easy. Its not that I have anything against other regions, it is just what is the point when I get great fresh example within a short drive.

 

best responses i’ve read today...

 

I think you have to modify your conclusion somehow because I'm certain that I've read that entries in the GABF competition tend to be mostly from the western US due to shipping costs and keeping beer fresh from the East.

Or many of the breweries in the East feel like they have nothing to prove because of prior wins, etc. so they save the entry fees as well as the shipping costs and stay home.

 

It has been argued that the 'premier' breweries have nothing to gain in entering competitions since their beers are already in such high demand. Maybe if their were larger, distributing breweries there would be an incentive here?

Cheers!

 

Not only that, but there isn't much incentive for breweries that sell most/ or in a case like Tree House, all of their beer direct from their brewery to enter a contest, and gasp...... perhaps lose. I certainly wouldn't do it if I didn't need the promotion. I look at a lot of those contests, and many of the winners are breweries I have never heard of.

 

Bigger outrage/mystery is that not one is from Triple Crossing. That's just crazy.

 

Maybe. But I simply concluded that there are many well made hazy beer styles west of the Appalachians and bolstered that opinion with the GABF results. Not saying that the GABF is the great and mighty Oz of all things beer judge related, but it is, at least, one barometer.

 

They may well be deserving but do you know if they entered anything? In hindsight, some other Virginia brewers did well.

 

I would agree with the OP. If I made a top 100 list, the west coast would certainly be represented.

This I can't get behind, but you know I love you, sir. I take my IPAs pretty seriously and if someone tries to tell me that Tree House is hype, they've either never had them or they wouldn't know a proper NEIPA if it sat down next to them and proclaimed: "Let's get LARRRGE!"

 

That's why they enter and hope to win, so you will have heard of them.

 

Not much to add other than BA roots are from the northwest. I had a similar impression on the ratings of the beers when I first joined about eight years ago, but overtime, you just factor that into my buying decisions.

Overtime, I have had the opportunity to have some of the NE IPAs from the east region and generally, the ratings were accurate (or close enough).

 

I personally live very close to Tired Hands. They produce top notch Milkshake, NE, Imperial and just about everything I've had from there is great. I've been using Craftshack to try out the hazy stuff from the West Coast but haven't been able to find the juicy full flavored brews out there. I think the brewers over here in the North East have just had more time to perfect and play with this style to some tremendous results! (as I'm sure they can be produced anywhere) Cheers.

 

I like both, but a clear bitter WCO is really a nice break. There’s a reason why Pliny is still at the top end after how many years? Because it’s a great beer?

 

Curiously, before the NE hazy craze, where I do think the best hazy IPA's exist, my favorite west coast IPAs were from...(wait for it)...the West Coast! Firestone Walker's Double Jack first comes to my mind. What a great beer.

 

I’m guessing the same reason the Canada Top 100 list looks like it hasn’t updated since 2014. Not enough reviews and ratings.

Also, wasn’t a law passed a few years back making it illegal to brew a hazy IPA more than once?

 

Toppling Goliath is Iowa
Parish is New Orleans
Monkish is L.A.
Hoof Hearted is Ohio
Brew Gentlemen is Pittsburgh
Disgruntled is Minnesota
Old Nation is Michigan
Great Notion is PDX

We looking at the same list, friend?

 

I love that we still have great West Coast options in the Northwest, but in my opinion there are already too many hazy/New England IPAs out here. I mean a few are fine but they do tend to start tasting and looking the same, and at some point you have to ask, how many is too many? Are all of these slight variations on the same theme really necessary? It makes me sad to hear that other regions apparently lack the kind of variety I take for granted.

And this isn’t meant to take away anything from the phenomenal offerings in the style (e.g., Tree House, from what I’ve heard)—I’m just not a fan of everyone chasing the latest fad. What do we need 8,000 breweries for if everyone is trying to do the same thing?

 

it's not slumming with hazy's

 

This is a numbers game, but there are breweries near me that brew excellent NEIPAs:
Turning Point in the Dallas- Fort Worth area
Baa Baa Brewhouse near Houston
Hold Out in Austin
Just to name a few.

 

I'd be happy to send along some Alvarado Street or Humble Sea so you can taste some West Coast Hazy Juice Bombs in exchange for some Tired hands so I can try some of the ur examples. :-)

 

Like in all style rankings the northeast is statistically over represented. More access and more reviewers trying boost the scores.