If you’re a beer drinker, you know all about the IPA. This hoppy beer style has been around since the 1700s when it was created almost by mistake. In order for beer to survive the trip to India (hence the name), brewers would add additional hops to preserve the beer for the months-long trip. The slightly bitter, floral flavor caught on and the rest, as they say, is history.
But, while that’s the story of the IPA itself, the beer that most drinkers envision when they think of an IPA is the classic West Coast IPA. While the New England-style IPA is known for its fruity, hazy, juicy flavor and the East Coast IPA starts sweet and ends with the expected hop bitterness, the West Coast IPA is known for its over-the-top dank hop bitterness that sometimes borders on aggressive.
West Coast IPAs are the kind of brew an unnamed major beer brand was referencing with their “bitter beer face” commercials from decades ago. They are loaded with hops and sometimes dry-hopped to add even more floral piney, resinous flavor. They are unabashedly bitter and dry—that’s why they can be so divisive in the beer world.
Historically made with hops from the Pacific Northwest like Chinook, Centennial, Columbus, and Cascade, beer drinkers either hate West Coast IPAs and can’t handle their out-of-bounds dank, bitter flavor or they absolutely love them. The folks in the first group can voice their disapproval while they drink pints of lager, pilsner, and milkshake IPAs while the rest of us revel in wave after wave of resinous, piney, dank, bitter goodness.
Lucky for them, brewers seem to enjoy this style as well because there are countless options from the West Coast and everywhere else beer is made. Since we could write about them all day and never come close to naming them all, we decided to list ten of our favorites (most of which are from California unsurprisingly) instead. Some are OG West coast favorites and others are more contemporary options. Either way, they’re tasty, piney, and pack a bitter wallop that will have you craving more.
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
No West Coast IPA list is complete without one of the highest-rated IPAs of all time: Ballast Point Sculpin. Named for the stinging fish, this year-round offering is hopped five different times during the brewing process. The result is a bitingly (almost stinging) bitter, citrus-filled flavor explosion of lime zest, lemon, mango, and dank, piney hops. Even though it racks up awards, it’s available in almost any grocery or beer store from coast to coast.
- Origin: San Diego, California
- ABV: 7%
- Price Range: $12-13 for a six-pack
Alesmith IPA
Another beer that proves that California has the upper hand (and rightly so) when it comes to high-quality West Coast IPAs is Alesmith IPA. Recently, this Columbus and Citra hop-based IPA celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. Another high-rated beer, it’s known for its mix of dank, resinous pine, citrus zest, tropical fruit flavors, sweet malty backbone, and biting, memorable bitter finish.
- Origin: San Diego, California
- ABV: 7.2%
- Price Range: $12.99-14.99 for a six-pack
Societe The Pupil IPA
Another darling of BeerAdvocate’s highest-rated IPAs list annually, San Diego’s Societe The Pupil is brewed with Nelson Sauvin, Citra, and Centennial hops as well as 2-row pale malt and malted wheat. This results in a dry, fruity IPA with notes of mango, guava, peach, grapefruit, lemon zest, and a nice kick of floral, hop bitterness at the very end. If you’ve never tried this IPA, now is the time to do so.
- Origin: San Diego, California
- ABV: 7.5%
- Price Range: $12.99-14.99 for a six-pack
Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA
Firestone Walker is a big name in the IPA world and, even though it makes a handful of different, delicious IPAs, its Union Jack just might be its best. Named for the British half of the co-founders, it’s kettle brewed with CTZ, Cascade, and Centennial hops before being dry-hopped with Centennial, Simcoe, Cascade, Amarillo, Chinook, and Citra hops. This results in a sublimely hoppy, slightly bitter beer with notes of dank, resinous pine, grapefruit, and juicy pineapple.
- Origin: Paso Robles, California
- ABV: 7%
- Price Range: $10.99-12.99 for a six-pack
Sierra Nevada Dankful IPA
This wasn’t an easy selection. We couldn’t make a West Coast IPA list without including Sierra Nevada. But that left us wondering which beer to choose? While its classic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale isn’t technically an IPA, few would dispute its existence on this list. Still, we chose a beer that we feel most embodies the style: Dankful IPA. This beer is not only exceptional in taste, having been brewed with seven different types of hops, it’s also made in partnership with various nonprofit organizations. We’ll definitely drink to that.
- Origin: Chico, California
- ABV: 7.4%
- Price Range: $9.99-11.99
Green Flash West Coast IPA
If you literally called your beer “West Coast IPA,” you better bring your A-game. And that’s exactly what the folks at San Diego’s Green Flash have been doing since 2002. Brewed using five different hop varieties and a nice malt backbone, it’s known for its flavors of grapefruit, lemon zest, tropical fruits, caramel malts, and floral hops. It finishes dry, crisp, and perfectly bitter.
- Origin: San Diego, California
- ABV: 7%
- Price Range: $11.99-12.99 for a six-pack
Lagunitas IPA
Lagunitas is another brewery that releases nothing but outstanding beers (especially their IPAs), but its best is its flagship IPA. This complex, well-balanced IPA is brewed with Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, and Chinook hops. It has a nice caramel-like malt backbone that’s complemented by notes of fresh citrus, dank pine needles, and sweet malts. This year-round favorite is a nice mix of sweetness, citrus, and patented West Coast IPA bitterness.
- Origin: Petaluma, California
- ABV: 6.2%
- Price Range: $9.99-11.99
Three Weavers Expatriate IPA
Brewed since 2013, this beer is named because, on top of being brewed with Simcoe, El Dorado, and Mosaic hops, it has two-row barley and English crystal malt. This old world meets new world IPA is known for its dank, piney, resinous bitter flavor highlighted by flavors like guava, mango, pineapple, grapefruit, and pine needles. It’s complex, well-balanced, and highly memorable.
- Origin: Inglewood, California
- ABV: 6.9%
- Price Range: $11.99-13.99
La Cumbre Project Dank
The only non-California beer on this list comes from (of all places) New Mexico. One of the highest-rated IPAs of all time, La Cumbre Project Dank is exactly like it seems. It’s a project utilizing different hops and techniques that are constantly changing. While no release is exactly the same, it’s known for its flavor palate of tropical fruits, grapefruit, and resinous, slightly bitter pine. It’s so good, it’s worth stepping away from California beers to try it.
- Origin: Albuquerque, New Mexico
- ABV: 7.5%
- Price Range: $12.99-14.99 for a four-pack
Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA
Bear Republic Racer 5 is the California brewery’s flagship beer and one that always deserves a spot on West Coast IPA lists. Brewed with Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Columbus hops, along with pale barley, white wheat, and crystal malts, it’s a well-balanced, award-winning beer with notes of ripe pineapple, tart grapefruit, and bitter, dank, piney hops. It’s just about as classic as West Coast IPAs get. Don’t miss this beer.
- Origin: Cloverdale, California
- ABV: 7.5%
- Price Range: $11.99-12.99
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