Beer · Light & sessionable
West Coast IPA
Pine, grapefruit pith, and a bitterness that means it.
How to order it: Crystal clear, bone dry. The genre that started the war.
Flavor profile
The proper serve
- Pint or tulip glass
- Serve at 45–50°F
- Fresh is non-negotiable
- Pairs: burgers, sharp cheddar
- Expect pine and grapefruit pith
The story
India Pale Ale began as heavily hopped English export beer for the long voyage east — a story slightly embellished by time, but anchored in real eighteenth- and nineteenth-century trade. The American resurrection had a secret weapon: the Cascade hop, released in 1972, whose brash grapefruit-and-pine character defined the new craft palate via pioneers like Sierra Nevada and Anchor. San Diego then sharpened the formula into the West Coast style — bone dry, crystal clear, bracingly bitter — with breweries like Stone and Russian River turning IBUs into a competitive sport. Declared obsolete during the haze craze, it has since staged the inevitable comeback. Clarity, it turns out, was never actually a flaw.
Adjacent pours