There are few beer styles as divisive as the West Coast IPA. Still wildly popular, this is the kind of beer that you either love deeply or hate wholeheartedly. That’s because it’s known for its bold use of very dank hops. West Coast IPAs are aromatic and floral while packing a bitter, piney, dank, and very hoppy punch. They certainly aren’t for everyone, yet they’ve been massively popular for as long as the craft beer boom has existed.
The style can be traced back to two different California breweries. The first is San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing where Fritz Maytag decided to use American hops to make an English-style pale ale back in 1975. It was called Liberty Ale and is still available today. The other big name is Ken Grossman. He created the now iconic and industry-changing Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in 1980. This beer — brewed with Cascade hops — started the piney bitter beer movement that’s still rolling strong to this day.
While you can find West Coast IPAs all over the world now, there are a select few from California that have remained popular for years. We decided to take a closer look at some of these classic West Coast bangers and ranked them based on the overall flavor-to-bitterness ratio, which means that we’re looking for beers that still contain layered flavor notes that are not washed out by overly bitter hoppiness. Basically, we’re talking about overall complexity and depth with a tasty drinking experience. Specifically, each beer should be loaded with hoppy, citrus-forward, and earthy fruit aromas and flavors that are perfectly suited for summer sipping. Keep scrolling to see where your favorite IPA landed.
8) Stone IPA
ABV: 6.9%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
First released in 1997, there are a few West Coast IPAs as well-known as Stone IPA. Known for its balanced, tropical fruit, citrus, and pine-centric flavor profile, it’s brewed with a symphony of hops including Magnum, Chinook, Centennial, Azacca, Calypso, Ella, and Vic Secret hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is filled with cereal grains, tangerine, lemon peels, grass, and dank pine. The palate is more of the same with orange zest, lemon, sweet malts, and a ton of resinous, dank pine. The finish is fruity and very bitter.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic West Coast IPA through and through. Citrus, pine, and bitter hops. There’s really nothing more to it though and it’s not quite as hard-hitting as it used to be.
7) Bear Republic Racer 5
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $14 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This award-winning IPA is brewed with Crystal malts, barley, and wheat. It gets its piney, citrus, dank aroma, and flavor from the liberal use of Columbus and Cascade hops. It’s been one of the most popular West Coast IPAs since its first release in 1997.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is surprisingly fruity with some melon, tangerine, lemon, and of course floral resinous pine. Drinking it revealed freshly baked bread, lemon, orange peel, wet grass, and floral dank pine. The finish is bitter and hoppy making it a decent IPA, but it feels a little watered down.
Bottom Line:
This West Coast IPA ticks all the boxes, it’s just a little more muted in some aspects than we’d prefer in a summery IPA.
6) Lagunitas IPA
ABV: 6.2%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This year-round staple was first launched back in 1995. It’s been a mainstay ever since with its balanced profile featuring Caramel and Munich malts alongside Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Simcoe hops. It’s known for its mix of citrus, pine, and caramel.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a ton of citrus on this beer’s nose — grapefruit, tangerine, and lemon are very noticeable along with some floral pine. The palate is all candied orange peel, grapefruit, caramel malts, and dank pine. The finish is sweet and bitter.
Bottom Line:
All in all, this one’s a little toned down. Still, this is a well-balanced IPA. It doesn’t have the bitter, hoppy kick that some well-known West Coast IPAs have. It might be better for those looking to try the style for the first time.
5) Alesmith IPA
ABV: 7.25%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Another IPA that’s been around since the 1990s, AleSmith IPA is consistently ranked as one of the best West Coast IPAs on the market. Known for its mix of sweet malts, citrus, and tropical fruits, it’s brewed with Columbus and Citra hops.
Tasting Notes:
A complex nose of caramelized pineapple, grapefruit, and aromatic, floral, dank pine greets you before your first sip. On the palate, you’ll find notes of freshly baked bread, pineapple, tangerine, and a ton of dank pine. The finish is pleasantly bitter and there’s more of a sweet malt backbone than many of the other West Coast IPAs on the market.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a great balance in your beer, you definitely want to try this beer.
4) Ballast Point Sculpin
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $14 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Ballast Point Sculpin is one of the most beloved and highest-rated IPAs on the market. Instead of Cascade or Centennial hops, Ballast Point opts for the fruitier and more tropical Amarillo and Simcoe hops.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with Sculpin’s nose with a ton of dried apricot, caramelized pineapple, ripe peach, and dank floral pine. Drinking it brings forth cereal grains, sweet malts, apricot, orange zest, grapefruit, and a ton of pine. The finish is loaded with citrus zest and pleasant hop bitterness.
Bottom Line:
While many of the well-known West Coast IPAs have a citrus and pine-based flavor profile, Ballast Point Sculpin has more of a tropical vibe. That makes it a great outlier for the West Coast IPA curious.
3) Green Flash West Coast IPA
ABV: 7.3%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
The folks at Green Flash knew that their West Coast IPA was so good that they didn’t even need to give it a silly-sounding name. Simply called West Coast IPA, it’s brewed with six hop varieties as well as British Crystal malts. The result is a balanced IPA centered around pine, citrus, and caramel malts.
Tasting Notes:
Ripe tropical fruits, berries, grapefruit, lemongrass, and pine are big on the nose. The palate has a ton of berries, grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, wet grass, sweet malts, and very dank herbal pine. It all ends dry, crisp, hoppy, and totally bitter.
Bottom Line:
The use of six different hops and a gentle malt backbone make this one of the most balanced and well-rounded West Coast IPAs available today.
2) Firestone Walker Union Jack
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Named for one of the founders of Firestone Walker (the English-born David Walker), Union Jack is brewed with 2-row, Munich, and Crystal Light malts. It gets its notable hop presence from CTZ, Cascade, and Centennial hops in the kettle. It’s also dry-hopped with Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo, and Chinook hops.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find notes of ripe pineapple, caramel, orange, grapefruit, and a ton of dank pine needles. The palate follows suit with sweet malts, more pineapple, tangerine, freshly cut grass, and resinous dank pine. The finish is all pine resin and bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
Dry-hopping adds a different dimension to this highly complex and flavorful West Coast IPA. It’s the kind of beer that you’ll keep in your fridge at all times, especially in the summer months.
1) Sierra Nevada Torpedo
ABV: 7.2%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Sierra Nevada Torpedo might not be the oldest West Coast IPA on the market, but it’s our favorite. It gets its name because this citrus, dank pine, and tropical fruit-loaded IPA utilizes Sierra Nevada’s proprietary dry-hopping device called the “Hop Torpedo” with Citra, Crystal, and Magnum hops. The process is kind of like a continual hop application instead of a simple dump.
Tasting Notes:
Biscuit-like malts, candied orange peels, lemon, grapefruit, caramel, and a ton of resinous pine are heavy on the nose. Drinking it reveals more dank pine needles as well as bready malts, toffee, orange zest, grapefruit, and pineapple. The finish is loaded with caramel sweetness and hop-centric bitterness.
Bottom Line:
Instead of simply dry-hopping, the continual “Hop Torpedo” creates layer upon layer of flavor. You’ll need to come back to this beer again and again to unlock them all, which is part of the fun of this beer.
