There are few beer styles more complicated than the West Coast IPA. This divisive style is beloved by its fans and loathed by its haters. Often hopped (and dry-hopped)with iconic hop varieties like Cascade, Simcoe, Chinook, Citra, and Centennial, it’s well known for its high (sometimes over-the-top) hop bitterness, dank pine, tropical fruit, citrus aromas and flavors, and dry finish. If you love it, you enjoy it for its balanced resinous, fruity, and bitter flavors.
Like with any style, there are a handful of classic West Coast IPAs that need to be imbibed to truly grasp the complexity of the style. Some are OGs from the 90s and others are more contemporary. All are West Coast bangers that deserve a permanent spot in your beer refrigerator.
To help you on your West Coast journey, we did the work for you. We found ten of the most balanced, flavorful, dynamic West Coast IPAs that you need to try if you consider yourself a connoisseur of the style. Did we rank them? You’d better believe it!
10. Ballast Point Sculpin
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
There are few West Coast IPAs more well-known than Ballast Point Sculpin. This year-round 7% ABV brew gets its name because of the well-balanced citrus and tropical fruit palate with a bitter, hoppy sting reminiscent of the Sculpin fish.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, you’ll find aromas of caramel malts, candied orange peels, grapefruit, and floral, piney hops.
Palate: A balanced palate of tangerine, grapefruit juice, pineapple, caramel malts, and dank, resinous pine greet you on the palate.
Finish: This beer finishes with a final hint of citrus and a bitter, prickly kick of piney hops.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason this beer is one of the most popular West Coast IPAs. It’s a great balanced of malts, citrus, and stinging pine.
9. Lagunitas IPA
ABV: 6.2%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This iconic West Coast IPA was brewed with English Crystal, Caramel, and Munich Malts. It’s hopped with a smattering of Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops. The result is a balanced, malt-forward IPA with a ton of floral, piney, hop bitterness to temper everything.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is a mix of orchard fruits, orange peels, cracked black pepper, caramel malts, and floral, dank pine.
Palate: Sipping it reveals hints of ripe berries, lemon peels, caramelized pineapple, grapefruit, and bitter, resinous pine needles.
Finish: The finish is a great mix of caramel malts, tropical fruits, and bitter, hoppy pine.
Bottom Line:
Lagunitas has managed to make a balanced, complex IPA that deserves its place among the essential West Coast IPA list.
8. Bear Republic Racer 5
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This award-winning West Coast IPA begins with a malty base of malted barley, wheat, and Crystal malts. But you’re here for the hops. This beer features a mix of Columbus and Cascade hops known for their aromatic, flavorful mix of floral and pine notes.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Before your first sip, you’ll be greeted with aromas of bready, caramel malts, tangerine, lemongrass, and dank pine.
Palate: There more of the same on the palate in the best way possible. It starts with a nice caramel malt backbone before moving into tangerine, lemon peels, wet grass, grapefruit, and resinous, sticky pine.
Finish: The finish is bitter and piney but has a nice caramel sweetness as well.
Bottom Line:
This is as classic as West Coast IPAs get. It has a nice malt backbone and a fair amount of tropical fruit flavors, but it’s the bitter, sticky, dank pine that’s the star of the show.
7. Stone IPA
ABV: 6.9%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Stone IPA is one of the most award-winning, best-selling West Coast IPAs for a reason. First brewed in 1997, this beloved IPA gets its balanced, malty, citrus, and pine-driven flavor profile from the use of select malts and Magnum, Chinook, Centennial, Azacca, Calypso, Ella, and Vic Secret hops.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: An aromatic nose of lemon peels, orange zest, grapefruit, caramel malts, and resinous, floral pine starts everything off on the right foot.
Palate: The palate is a symphony of sweet caramel malts, tangerines, pineapple, grapefruit, lemongrass, and floral, dank pine.
Finish: The last sip is a mix of grapefruit, lemon zest, pine needles, and memorable, pleasing hop bitterness.
Bottom Line:
The use of so many different hop varieties means that you’ll find different aromas and flavors every time you drink this beloved beer.
6. Alesmith IPA
ABV: 7.25%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This 7.25% ABV, year-round offering is one of the highest rated West Coast IPAs ever made. It’s well-known for its mix of sweet malts, citrus fruits, tropical fruits, and pine thanks to the liberal use of Columbus and Citra hops.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Before your first sip, you’ll be greeted with scents of bready malts, lemongrass, ripe peaches, candied orange peels, and herbal, dank pine.
Palate: Drinking it brings forth notes of bready, sweet malts as well as grapefruit, caramelized pineapple, orchard fruits, pepper, tangerines, and herbal, prickly pine needles.
Finish: The finish is a gentle mix of citrus sweetness and a healthy kick of bitter, dank, memorable pine.
Bottom Line:
If you enjoy balanced West Coast IPAs, Alesmith is for you. Malts, citrus, and bitter pine, it has everything West Coast IPA drinkers love.
5. Green Flash West Coast IPA
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
If you’re an IPA fan, you probably know all about the pine-fueled prowess of San Diego’s Green Flash. Brewed with British Crystal malt as well as Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial, Citra, and Cascade hops, it’s known for its mix of caramel malts, citrus, tropical fruits, and herbal, earthy pine.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Nosing this beer reveals aromas of tangerines, lemon peels fresh cut grass, sweet malts, grapefruit, pineapple, and pine needles.
Palate: The palate is a mix of toasted, caramel malts, grapefruit juice, lemon, candied orange peels, mango, pepper, and sticky pine.
Finish: The finish is a mix of citrus peels, tropical fruits, and herbal, earthy, bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a West Coast IPA purist, you’ll love the balance and hop bitterness of this popular beer.
4. Russian River Blind Pig
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $6 for a 16.9-ounce bottle
The Beer:
Russian River might be more famous for its “Pliny” beers, but if you want to true West Coast classic, you’ll get a bottle of Russian River Blind Pig. Known for its balanced, full-bodied flavor, it’s hopped with Willamette, Cascade, and Magnum hops.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is very citrus-forward with a ton of orange zest, lemon peels, and grapefruit as well as fresh, earthy pine.
Palate: Complex flavors of sweet malts, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon peels, candied orange peels, pepper, and dank pine make for a memorable palate.
Finish: There’s a ton of balance with this beer, with the finish being gently hoppy and pleasantly bitter.
Bottom Line:
This is one for the citrus fans. If you prefer your beer to have classic citrus and bitter pine-forward flavors, this is your jam.
3. Societe The Pupil
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
If you’ve never tried a beer from San Diego’s Societe, we suggest starting with its award-winning Societe The Pupil. This highly-rated West Coast IPA is brewed with Nelson Sauvin, Citra, and Centennial hops. The result is a tropical, citrus, and pine-filled IPA you’ll go back to again and again.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a major tropical element to this beer’s nose. There’s mango, guava, caramelized pineapple, as well as bright citrus, and pine needles.
Palate: The palate continues this trend with gentle bready malts followed by guava, wheat, mango, pineapple, grapefruit, lemongrass, pepper, and dank pine.
Finish: It all ends with a mix of sweet malts, pineapple, citrus peels, and bitter, dank pine.
Bottom Line:
This is a beer for the tropical fruit fans. It ticks all the West Coast IPA boxes with the addition of tropical fruit flavors more often found in hazy IPAs.
2. Firestone Walker Union Jack
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Firestone Walker is a big name in the IPA game and its Union Jack IPA is one of the best. This popular 7% ABV beer is brewed with 2-row, Munich, and Crystal Light malts. It’s kettle hopped with CTZ, Cascade, and Centennial hops and dry-hopped with Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo, and Chinook hops.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. It’s a mix of caramel, pineapple, mango, candied orange peels, grapefruit, and pine.
Palate: A balanced palate of sweet malts starts everything out right. This is followed by notes of pineapple, guava, grapefruit, wet grass, and resinous, earthy pine needles.
Finish: The finish is loaded with citrus. It’s bitter, dry, and leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason Firestone Walker Union Jack is so well regarded. It’s just an all-around exceptional take on the West Coast style.
1. Alpine Duet
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
There’s a chance that even if you’ve tried most of the other beers on this list, you haven’t tried Alpine Duet and that’s a shame. This 7% ABV West Coast IPA, featuring Amarillo and Simcoe hops is known for its balanced mix of malts, citrus, and pine.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, you’ll find aromas of biscuit malts, candied orange peels, ripe peach, caramelized pineapple, and dank pine.
Palate: Sipping it reveals a mixture of malt sweetness, grapefruit, tangerine, apricot, ripe pineapple, fresh cut grass, and earthy pine.
Finish: The finish is citrusy, piney, bitter, and dry. Just the way you want to finish a West Coast IPA.
Bottom Line:
If you only drink one beer on this list, make it this beer. This duet of Amarillo and Simcoe hops is as good as West Coast IPAs get.
