IPA (India Pale Ale) is one of the top choices at your local liquor store or craft brewery. It began in the 18th century with the East India Company, and has lived on through craft brewers. Despite the landslide adoration, no one knows who invented it.
This sense of mystery extends to another challenge with this type of beer, because many people can’t tell the difference among all of the IPA options! There’s Imperial IPA, Juicy IPA, and offshoots like American Pale Ale. And then there’s West Coast vs. East Coast IPA, which is perhaps the most confusing pair of them all.
How do you tell these types of IPA apart, and what makes each one distinct? Follow along as we answer these questions and more.
What’s the West Coast IPA?
The West Coast IPA, as the name would imply, originates on the United States’ eastern seaboard. From Baja, California to Northern Oregon, craft breweries have been competing to make a beer of their own.
West Coast IPA Taste
If you’ve tried West Coast IPA before, you may have pulled a sour lemon face. It is bitter. Bitter enough to make even black coffee pull a face.
Did you know that this is the intended result? West Coast IPA is hops-heavy, making use of the hops’ bitter lupulin pods to achieve this effect. This tends to suppress the iconic malty flavor some prefer in a beer.
It’s also noticeably less dry, thanks to the crystal malt that’s common in the brewing process. Breweries focus on Chinook, Cascade, and Citra hops, known as America’s “C” hops.
A West Coast IPA also keeps you nice and boozy. Expect an APB range of about 6.5 to 7.5%.
Origin of West Coast IPA
West Coast IPA comes straight out of California, specifically the Bay area. It grew in popularity in San Francisco around the 1960s. The original creators wanted a blend of Yakima-grown American hops with English-style brewing techniques.
Some claim that the West Coast IPA was the IPA to bring the whole phenomenon into the public consciousness. Whatever the case, it’s world-renowned and likely to appear on any menu.
West Coast IPA Brewing Process
Like any IPA, West Coast focuses on a top-fermented method with ale yeast strains. It brews them at a much warmer temperature. And, as we’ve mentioned, brew masters will ladle in the hops with abandon.
West Coast IPA is a close brother to American IPA for one single reason. Breweries will throw in hops during the boiling process rather than later. That said, some would argue that the main impact on taste has to do with other factors, not extra hops.
They boil it for longer, too, extracting maximum bitterness. This is similar to how tea gets really, really bitter if you let it steep for too long.
What’s the East Coast IPA?
East Coast IPAs are notably more complex than their West Coast rivals. The East Coast is less focused on packing in hops, and more on playing with complex flavors unique to each ingredient.
East Coast IPA Taste
East Coast IPA can still be a very “hoppy” experience. It won’t, however, make your head burst in response to the bitterness like a West Coast IPA.
Hazy IPAs are a good example of this complexity. There’s a juicy, sweet flavor you have to try for yourself to experience. There may be hints of tropical fruit, like bananas, or stone fruit.
East Coast IPAs tend to be hazier (hence the Hazy IPA) because they often use fewer hops. Focusing on yeast causes the beer to take on a cloudy appearance.
Origin of East Coast IPA
East Coast IPAs came around when people started canning their beers. Most of the East Coast IPAs originated in New England breweries. One of the most popular East Coast IPAs is, after all, the “Vermont-style.”
For a long time, East Coast IPA had no standardized name. People gave it names like “foggy” or “North East.” For years, you could likely only find it in a local Vermont taproom.
One thing is for certain: the East Coast IPA has had a more gradual rise in popularity. West Coast took over the world, but East Coast is more “measured” and “refined.”
East Coast IPA Brewing Process
East Coast IPA focuses on yeast over hops. For West Coast IPA, hops are clean and flavorless in accordance with Californian brewing preferences. For East Coast, they use British yeast known for its complications and mutations.
Again, complexity is the keyword here. These strains produce flavors with a new level of sophistication and smell. Their fermentation of the sugar brings out those fruity tones we mentioned earlier.
Additionally, many East Coast IPA brewers add most of the hops later in the brewing process. It’s a great way to reintroduce the hops flavor without the characteristic West Coast IPA bitterness. There’s also the distinction between dry and double-dry hopping, but that’s a topic for another day.
Last but not least, East Coast IPA is cloudy or hazy, as we mentioned.
Which Is Better?
Of course, there’s no universal answer we can give here. Some people like their coffee black as their soul. Such folks may gravitate to West Coast IPAs for their inherent bitterness.
Others want to explore the entire sensational experience of beer’s ingredients. For lack of a better comparison, they want to listen to an orchestra of flavors, instead of a single busker. Or, they simply like beers with a sweeter, fruity aftertaste..
In terms of popularity, it’s hard to say which resonates most with craft beer aficionados. Sometimes, the food you consume determines which is best. The West Coast cuisine often complements a good West Coast IPA.
There’s also a ton of subcategories to try out, such as the New England IPA. Head to your favorite brewery and try them on for size. Your tastebuds may surprise you!
Drop by Upstream Brewing Company
West Coast vs. East Coast IPA: what’s the difference? West Coast is a hops-heavy, bitter IPA that’s popular across the globe. East Coast has a fruitier, more complex taste that leverages the power of yeast.
Upstream Brewing Company helps you explore all the best that beer has to offer. We even deliver – use one of our third-party partners to get a delicious meal delivered right to your doorstep!