The craft beer industry has exploded in popularity in recent years, with more and more people trying styles of beer they had previously never known. Brewers meanwhile are staying ahead of the curve by expanding on existing styles and introducing new ones altogether. With IPAs being among the most popular craft brews, variations of the style continue to evolve. The last decade brought us Black IPAs, Brut IPAs, Juicy/Hazy IPAs, and Cold IPAs.
West Coast IPA and Juicy IPA remain the most dominant in the market, and while both styles are generally hop-forward, they differ in their approach to brewing, flavor profiles, and overall appeal.
What is West Coast IPA
West Coast IPA is a style of beer that originated unsurprisingly on the West Coast of the United States, specifically in California. The style is characterized by its intense hop aroma and assertive bitterness with a moderate to high alcohol content and a medium body.
The hops used in West Coast IPA are typically American varieties, such as Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial. These hops have a strong citrus and pine aroma and provide the beer with a resinous bitterness. Floral, earth, fruity, and other hop attributes can be found in West Coast IPAs depending on the preference of the brewer.
West Coast IPA is a style that is best enjoyed fresh. The intense hop character of the beer will start to fade after a few weeks, and the beer will lose its bright, hoppy aroma and flavor. Because of this, West Coast IPA has one of the shortest shelf lives to protect flavor integrity.
What is Juicy IPA
Juicy IPA is characterized by its juicy, fruity flavor and aroma, which comes from the use of specific hops that impart tropical fruit and citrus flavors. Juicy IPA sometimes features a hazy appearance with a soft mouthfeel. They are unfiltered and often brewed with oats and wheat to achieve a stable haze from grain proteins.
The hops used in Juicy IPA tend to be newer varieties that have a strong fruit-forward quality. Hops such as Citra, Mosaic, and Galaxy are used to provide the beer with a fruity aroma and flavor. The bitterness in Juicy IPA is usually much softer and lower than in West Coast IPA, which allows the fruit character of the beer to shine through.
Juicy IPA is a style that is best enjoyed fresh, like West Coast IPA. However, because of the fruity character of the beer, it can withstand the effects of age a bit better than West Coast IPA. Juicy IPAs are also generally regarded as more accessible to the novice drinker.
What is Dry Hopping
Dry hopping is a process that involves adding hops to the beer after fermentation when the beer is maturing. This provides a more pronounced hop aroma and flavor, without adding any bitterness. During the dry hopping process, the hops release compounds that are soluble in the beer, which contributes to the overall hop profile. West Coast IPAs have long been dry hopped this way.
For Juicy IPAs it is common to target certain flavor compounds through biotransformation by dry hopping during primary fermentation. Biotransformation is a process where the yeast in the beer interacts with the compounds released from the hops. The yeast act on existing compounds that may be less desirable and essentially bring new flavors to life.
Through practice, brewers are able to fine-tune their process in order to target specific flavor compounds on a consistent basis.
West Coast IPA vs Juicy IPA
Let’s review. West Coast IPA is characterized by its intense hop aroma and aggressive yet pleasant bitterness. The beer typically has a medium to high alcohol content and a light to medium body. The hops used in West Coast IPA are classic American varieties that provide the beer with flavors such as citrus, pine, and resin.
Juicy IPA, on the other hand, is characterized by its juicy, fruity flavor and aroma, which comes from the use of hops that impart tropical fruit and citrus flavors. The bitterness in Juicy IPA is lower than in West Coast IPA, which allows the fruit character of the beer to shine through. Juicy IPsA can have a hazy appearance.
IPA Preference
It’s always important to remember that every brewer has their own philosophy and approach when it comes to designing recipes and executing the brewing process. The result is a wide array of style examples with many different interpretations. We encourage you to try a few different examples of a particular style of beer to gain a better understanding.
On tap at Upstream at the time of publishing this blog, we have our Sploosh Juicy IPA brewed with Citra, Mosaic, and Bru-1 hops, and we’ll have other seasonal Juicy IPAs frequently released through our seasonal lineup. Available year-round is our Flagship IPA, a traditional West Coast IPA featuring Chinook, Centennial, Amarillo, and Sultana, as well as locally grown Comet and Bitter Gold hops from Christensen Hops in Fort Calhoun, NE.
Whatever and wherever you drink your IPA, we hope you enjoy it. What are you waiting for? Make a reservation today online or call 402-344-0200!