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West Coast IPA vs East Coast IPA: What’s the Difference?

Thomas Short — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 15:05:17 +0000

Most beer drinkers can’t decide what an IPA actually is, let alone the difference between a West Coast and East Coast IPA. Typically, an India pale ale is a hoppy, bitter beer that has a higher ABV than most types of brews, and often is higher on IBUs (international bittering units). Easy. But having one type of IPA wasn’t enough. Nope, there needs to be even more types of the pale ale offshoots because…well, why not? Enter the West Coast IPA and East Coast IPA. When I say West Coast and East Coast, I’m talking about American coasts, so American-brewed beers. While IPAs are brewed all around the world, these specific styles hail from the USA (which is probably the best region in the world at producing IPAs). Both styles of IPA are technically India pale ales, but they are very different brews, further complicating the whole “what is an IPA” question. Since both types are relatively new (as in the last century), it’s hard to pin down exactly what they are. But I’ll give it my best shot. East Coast vs West Coast IPA: At a Glance Characteristic West Coast IPA East Coast IPA Appearance Crystal clear, golden Hazy, cloudy, murky Bitterness High bitterness, bold and dry Low to moderate bitterness, smooth Flavor profile Piney, resinous, citrus Juicy, tropical, fruity Hop timing Added during boil (hot-side) Dry-hopped after boil (cold-side) Common hops Cascade, Simcoe, Centennial, Chinook Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo, Strata Malt bill 100% barley with a dry finish Oats and wheat that’s velvety, sweet Yeast character Clean and natural Complex and expressive Mouthfeel Light, crisp, dry Full, soft, silky Typical ABV 6–7.5% 6–8% Best for Bitter beer lovers Juice fans and haze boys Example beers Pliny the Elder, Stone IPA, Sculpin Heady Topper, Hazy Little Thing, Julius What Is a West Coast IPA? The West Coast IPA is known for being bitter. Over the past few decades, it almost feels like West Coast brewers have been competing to make the hoppiest, bitterest, alcoholiest brews the world has ever seen. Look at brewers like Sierra Nevada, Stone, and Lagunitas. These guys have been thriving off their IPAs, and many West Coast breweries that launched in the past decade opted to use an IPA as their flagship beer. It all comes back to West Coast taste. Something about super-bitter IPAs goes well with the West Coast. While the era of “all craft beers MUST be bitter” has passed, the West Coast IPA has carved out its niche. These bad boy IPAs are super bitter, suppress the sweet flavor of malts, and embrace the hop profile. While not every West Coast style is going to be the most bitter beer brewed, we can make a sort of generalization: bitter = West Coast. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Short Brews Beer Blog (@shortbrews) Where Did the West Coast IPA Come From? West Coast IPAs come from…the West Coast of the United States! In all seriousness, we can trace the origins of the West Coast IPA to Anchor Brewing, which was essentially the first real craft brewery in the nation. Anchor decided to turn up the hops in the brew, and local brewers followed suit and began experimenting with more hops. While early West Coast IPAs still had a huge malt profile, most modern-day West Coast IPAs lean hoppier, which, in this case, means bitter. What Hops Are Used in a West Coast IPA? There’s no “rule” on what hops need to be used in any IPA, but hop profiles make some hops superior for specific brews. For West Coast IPAs, it’s pretty common to see hops like Cascade, Simcoe, and Centennial. Other hops that brewers use include Chinook, Columbus, and sometimes fruitier hops like Amarillo or Citra. What Is an East Coast IPA? The East Coast IPA is a bit more complex than the West Coast variant. While the West Coast styles force the hops, East Coast IPAs look for the complex flavors that come from each ingredient in the beer, including the malt. This isn’t to say that East Coast IPAs aren’t hoppy – they very well can be. But the flavor sought in an East Coast IPA isn’t going to make your head explode with bitterness. You can find this type of complex flavor in the current fad: Hazy IPAs. Hazy IPAs are notable for their generally juicy flavor and hazy look (buzz words, baby!). These are going to be sweeter and less bitter than the western brethren. No, Hazy IPAs and East Coast IPAs aren’t the same, but we would have never had the hazy IPA without the rise of the classic East Coast IPA. That makes the Hazy IPA something of a son to the East Coast IPA. Or step-son? Someone who is like a son? One of those. Anyway, these are super popular in New England, and the flavor is starting to spread nationwide…just as people on the East Coast might want a West Coast-style India pale ale. As with West Coast, we can sort of generalize East Coast styles: juicy, non-bitter = East Coast. No, it isn’t perfect. Get over it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Short Brews Beer Blog (@shortbrews) Where Did the East Coast IPA Come From? East Coast IPAs come from the East Coast of the US, more specifically, the New England area (don’t worry, we’ll get there). I don’t know exactly what the first East Coast IPA was, but Heady Topper seems to be one of the earliest examples of an IPA that didn’t need to go full-throttle on bitter notes. Then, like a juicy avalanche, these beers swept across the region and then the country over the past few decades. What Hops Are Used in East Coast IPAs? Again, there are no rules when it comes to hop profiles and IPAs. However, because East Coast IPAs tend to have juicier flavors, they’re often brewed with hops with delicious aromatics, like Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy,

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What Are IBUs in Beer? Beer Bitterness Explained

Thomas Short — Sat, 17 May 2025 15:23:10 +0000

West Coast IPAs are notorious for being bitter, bitter beers. While some choose to embrace the hops, others bring out the bitter, even though hops can also be bitter. Both are bitter. IPAs are usually pretty bitter, full of IBUs. Bitterness has always been a thing in beer, and at some point in human history, there was a decision made to measure the bitterness of any given beer. In the US, we use the International Bittering Units scale (IBU) to pinpoint just how bitter a beer is. When speaking, we ask what the IBU of a beer is. This is basically just saying, “hey, how bitter is your beer?” While many things about beer are easy and fun, IBUs are, in my opinion, neither. Part of the reason is that, as far as I can tell, some breweries swill measure their IBUs differently. I don’t know why. Before getting into the math (yes, there’s math involved), let’s learn more about bitterness. Let’s Learn More About Beer Bitterness IBUs work well with ABV – while ABV tells you how a beer will make you feel, IBUs give you a hint at how your beer will taste. That’s why they are the most traditional numbers to use when presenting beer (there are plenty of others, like density, but that’s a whole nother story). IBUs are pretty simple, too: the lower the IBU, the less bitter the beer. Technically, the lowest IBU possible is 0, but when a beer is that low it may be more common to just ignore measuring them altogether (as we found out during a recent beer tasting). To give you an idea of IBUs, here are some popular beers and their IBU: Coors Light: 10 Corona Light: 13 Heineken: 23 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: 37 Guinness: 40 Stone IPA: 71 Flying Monkeys Alpha Fornication: 2500 I’ve never had the Flying Monkeys beer, but if you want to send me money to buy and taste it that’s ok with me. Right about now you probably have two things on your mind: The second point is a good point. Why is that? Well, Guinness is bitter, but it’s also a stout which means it’s heavy on malt. Sierra Nevada, on the other hand, is one of those breweries that likes to accentuate the bitterness of a brew. Even though it has a lower IBU, the beer presents the hops better by reducing malt. How Are IBUs Measured? IBUs are calculated by taking a measurement of boiling hops, taking the percentage of alpha acid and taking the total hop utilization boil time – then multiplying all of them and dividing them by 7.25 for every 5 gallons of beer. Let me break this down for you. Let’s say we use an ounce of some citra hops. Perfect and delicious. These hops have alpha acids; more specifically, let’s say they’re 12% alpha acid. We’re single hopping this to keep it easy, so let’s say 31% utilization. To crunch the numbers, just do 1 x 12 x 31 = 372. Then we divide this by 7.25, so our total IBU would be 51.3. Honestly, that makes sense to me since citra hops are used commonly in IPAs, and IPAs should be around 40-60 IBU (unless they’re bitter heavy). If we were to have other hops and utilization, we would take their alpha acids, punch in the utilization and then add all the IBU totals together. I know, it’s confusing to try and teach through writing. I don’t write math text books, I write about beer. What’s a High IBU? Generally, anything over 60 IBUs would be considered high. Of course, that doesn’t mean it would be high for your palette. Heck, 60 might seem low to you! Or anything over 40 could be way too bitter to tolerate. It’s also worth noting that, while 60 is pretty high, it’s definitely not nearly as high as it could go. IBUs can easily reach 100, which at that point is making a beer bitter for the sake of bitterness. Is a High IBU Better? High IBUs are not better, but they’re also not worse. IBU is just another way to measure the flavor and profile of a beer, sort of like ABV or the hop varieties used. Whether a high IBU is better or not is up to you.

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What Is An IPA?

Thomas Short — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 15:57:07 +0000

The IPA is a type of beer that has skyrocketed in popularity inside craft brew and hipster circles. However, this doesn’t mean the beer is fancy, pretentious or not for you. The right IPA can be a true delight, and it might even become your new favorite type of beer. When you take apart what IPA stands for, you get a better idea of the beer. India Pale Ales (IPAs) are in the pale ale family of beers, except they tend to be a little hoppier than other ales. This typically means they’re more bitter in flavor, but flavor ranges from beer to beer. The IPA was first created roughly 200 years ago with the intention of being super-hoppy since it would preserve the beer longer. This was important since beer prepared in England rarely survived the long journey to India (hence the name). What Does An IPA Taste Like? The easiest way to find out the flavor of an IPA is by trying one (obviously), but if you want to sound like a beer connoisseur, there are a few words you can use to describe your hoppy beverage: Used in a sentence: “Wow, this beer is so hoppy. One could even say bitter, but not me because I drink beer.” Used in a sentence: “This is a juicy beer, now I don’t need to have my glass of juice before bed!” Used in a sentence: “This IPA is as hazy as pea soup.” If you need more terms to describe your IPA, check out the Beer Buzz Words list. Types of IPA Yes, there are different types of IPA just to keep things fun and interesting, along with other various sub-styles. Here are some highlights. West Coast IPA One big differentiation between IPAs is the East Coast/West Coast IPA style. The West Coast IPA generally leans more into the bitter side of hops and has a clear color. While not as popular as it once was, the West Coast IPA is still a beloved staple among craft brewers. East Coast IPA The East Coast IPA generally uses malty flavors to smooth out the IPA. This makes it a little hazier and juicier while also making it less bitter. While many people would call this “hoppier” than a West Coast IPA, that isn’t really the case. Both West Coast and East Coast IPAs use plenty of hops — the only difference is the types of hops used and what flavors are pulled from the hops. You’d be correct to call any type of IPA hoppy…except may Cold or Brut IPAs. Imperial IPA Imagine an IPA, but stronger. Bolder. More alcohol. You’ve just pictured the Imperial IPA. Often referred to as a double IPA, the Imperial IPA is just an IPA but turned to 11. Which would make a triple IPA and IPA turned to 12. Brut IPA To fly to close to sun. To be the Brut IPA. A fad that lasted about two weeks, Brut IPAs were a Frankenstein’s monster invention that saw the addition of amylase to a traditional IPA recipe. Much like Frankenstein’s monster, modern media portrayal doesn’t do the Brut IPA any justice. The monster could speak very well! And this beer speaks…sort of. Kudos if you ever find a Brut IPA on tap. Cold IPA The Cold IPA — perhaps the darling of the show right now — tends to closely follow a typical IPA recipe, albeit with some brewing processes lifted from lagers. A Cold IPA will use a lower temperature during fermenting, akin to lagers. This gives the Cold IPA a sort of hybrid lager/IPA feel. What’s the difference between a Cold IPA and IPL (India Pale Lager)? Who knows! Hazy IPA The belle of the ball. The Hazy IPA. The Hazy IPA is everything the Brut IPA wishes it could be. If you’ve ever been to a craft brewery, then you know what a Hazy IPA is. But what makes the Hazy IPA so hazy? That depends entirely on the brewer!

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4 Beer Cocktails for Every Beer Drinker

Thomas Short — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 22:25:02 +0000

Got a favorite type of beer? Maybe a style you like most? Let’s spice it up and hopefully make it better by using it in a cocktail. Beer cocktails aren’t super common, mostly because beer flavors are either too subtle or strong to blend well with other flavors. But with the right combination, you can get a tasty drink that has more than just beer in it! What’s not to love? Instead of just throwing cocktails at you, I’ve decided to split them up. The different recipes on here are based on different beer styles, so instead of just blindly looking at different recipes and guessing whether or not you’ll like them, you can start with your favorite type of beer and go from there. Also, keep in mind that I like my cocktails to taste a little boozy. If that’s not your thing, I recommend playing with the measurements a little bit. So, on to the recipes, all based on beer. IPAs Keep in mind that by IPAs, I mean those bitter, hoppy IPAs. If you’re drinking hazy IPAs, you might as well pour some champagne in there and call it a mimosa. So, the best drink I found is basically a gin and juice, but with some beer. Ingredients: IPA (hoppy and bitter) Gin Lemon juice Flavored syrup You mix a shot of gin with half a 12 oz bottle of IPA. Next, mix in roughly a shot of lemon juice. Splash it with a flavored syrup if you want to add some flavor and thicken the consistency. Stouts/Porters and Ales If you are thinking to yourself “I just love all beer,” then let’s stick with what works: the good ole black and tan. Ingredients: Pale ale Stout The key to a good black and tan is the pour. Start with the ale and fill up your glass halfway. After, pour the stout carefully into the glass. We want to get the nice separation. If we don’t, we don’t have a black and tan – well, we will, it just doesn’t look like one. Mexican Lagers (Pacifico, Modelo, by all means not Corona) This is going to blow your mind: you should mix Mexican lagers with a margarita. But we won’t be using Corona because there are plenty of Mexican lagers with much more flavor. Corona will just get lost in the booze. Ingredients: 1 can/bottle of Mexican lager 1-2 shots of tequila (depending on your mood) 16 ounces of margarita mix The goal with this one is to complement the margarita since everybody already loves margs. Another goal is to create something a little less trashy than a beerarita. Cheap Lagers (PBR, Hamms, Budweiser) If these are your favorite beers then you’re probably only drinking for one reason: to get drunk. Let me help: Ingredients: 1 can/bottle of cheap lager 1 shot of everclear ½ can of Redbull No subtlety here, folks. I took a classic club drink (a vodka Redbull), made it boozier by adding gross beer. No, this will not taste good. But I assume that after one of these you won’t be able to taste anything, anyway. I do NOT recommend drinking these in excess since you will be getting some very bad looks from the people you love.

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