India Pale Ales emerged in the 1700s when British brewers found a market for hoppy beers in India and territories of the British Empire. The American spin on IPAs began to capture widespread appeal in the U.S. by the late 1990s. Those early versions in the craft beer movement often focused on sharp citrus and pine flavors. They were intentionally unbalanced and sometimes unabashedly bitter. More recent trends favor hops with a range of fruity, tropical and juicy flavors resembling orange, tangerine, lemon, grape, strawberry and mango. Many IPAs taste like fruit juice or milkshakes. Today, Peaks & Pints presents a flight of old school West Coast style IPAs we call Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: West Coast IPAs. Yes, we’re talking bold, hop-forward IPAs born from the increasingly hoppy pale ales of the early ’80s, and then spurred by friendly rivalries among San Diego breweries during the mid-2000s. We present five American West Coast IPAs that focus on grapefruit/citrus and pine/resin bitterness that falls between 50-70 IBUs with a strength of 6.3-7.5 percent ABV.
Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: West Coast IPAs
Lumberbeard Westies With Our Besties
7% ABV
The Washington Brewers Guild most recent collaboration features five host breweries represent five regions of Washington state under the “Westies With Our Besties” title. Breweries in each region come together and create their best West Coast IPA. It was a bitter-sweet, highly aromatic challenge. The Eastern Washington version was brewed at Lumberbeard Brewing in Spokane with help from Badass Backyard Brewing, Black Label Brewing Company, Iron Goat Brewing Co., Perry Street Brewing, and Precious Things Fermentation Project. This Westies With Our Besties version is crisp, clean, and piney.
Old Schoolhouse Out There IPA
7% ABV
Old Schoolhouse Brewery’s Out There West Coast IPA hits the nose with fresh piney hops upfront followed by moderate dankness and a little pepper. The flavor is likewise loaded with fresh piney hops, light dankness, some pepper, and crisp biscuity malt. It’s bright, piney and dank with immense drinkability.
Structures Naysayer
7.1% ABV
This Structures Brewing West Coast IPA is heavily double dry hopped with Chinook, Citra, and Cascade. Naysayer shines bright with notes of candied grapefruit pith, resinous spice and clementine citrus slices. This IPA has a pleasant round body, firm yet bright balanced bitterness with a crisp, dry finish.
El Segundo Mayberry IPA
7.2% ABV
Mosaic hops take center stage in El Segundo Brewing’s version of a West Coast IPA, the perfect companion to a sunny day on Main Street in the Southern California brewery’s charming town of El Segundo, affectionately known as “Mayberry by the Sea.” Mayberry IPA hits the nose with pine and dankness, followed by West Coast IPA citrus, dankness, maltiness and bitterness with a semi-dry finish.
Firestone Walker Union Jack
7.5% ABV
The West Coast IPA is an aggressively hopped American IPA intent on wreaking havoc on imbibers’ palates. Absurd amounts of hops go into the boil, creating excessive bitterness. Meet Firestone Walker Union Jack. When Firestone Walker elected to use the catch phrase “Passion for the Pale,” they were telling the truth. This double dry-hopped IPA has become a West Coast IPA standard by which many others within the style might be measured. A beauteous grapefruit and citrus aroma is achieved through multi-leveled hopping that involves 4-pounds per barrel mix of Warrior, Simcoe, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo and Chinook. Citrusy, floral, pungent, and powerful, the masterful blend of American hop characters is simply unlike any other. Even with its 7.5 percent ABV, alcohol isn’t actually apparent in the taste; in fact, there’s nothing weighty or overwhelming about this beer. It’s elegant, light, and palatable, and finishes dry and perfectly clean.
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