West Coast vs East Coast IPA

So the "traditional" differentiator is that East Coast IPA’s are maltier and sweeter, while West Coast IPA’s are more hop forward and drier. However, I think we all know there is a paradigm shift going on. When I think modern East Coast IPA, I think of the predominantly dry brews from Hill Farmstead, Lawsons, Trillium, Maine, et. al. These guys are redefining the genre with a very subdued malt backbone (really there as a carrying vessel). The showpiece is hop flavors and aromas, which can be really incredible, without a lot of bitterness.

This new style has certainly taken hold in many places, but I view it as originating, and still being perfected, in the American northeast. I had a Foundation Epiphany bonused to me a few days ago that was mind blowing, and who has ever heard of Foundation?

Discuss...

Not trying to be a New England homer but I find all the IPAs from The Northeast to be far and away the best in the country in general. Trillium, Tree House, HF, Bissel Brothers, Foundation, Fiddlehead, Alchemist, Nebco, etc. Theres always exceptions to the rule but in all of my travels I havent found an area that has the hop forward/malt subdued IPAs that I can get in the Northeast.

Was there ever a group of brewers that sat down and decided that it was a good idea to make it malty? I feel like "east coast IPA" as we know it was just a remnant of the post-prohibition US beer scene getting going again (like malt liquors, pale lagers, and "west coast IPAs" that were just super bitter without enough hop flavor).

Certainly now there isn’t a whole lot of difference between east coast and west coast, for the brewers that actually know how to make an IPA.

Feel the same way. It isn’t a location thing as much as it is brewers dialing in better beer every year. You can really tell with some of the bigger craft breweries, the core products tend to feel VERY dated at this point.

Ultra bitter west coast breweries and malty/astringent east coast brewers still churning out what was popular a decade ago, this still exists. Definitely some brewers that are truly killing it in all parts of the US from what I’ve had the last few years.

I’d agree with this characterization. I think of three general categories for the IPAs (East, West, New England) with plenty of variations. But I also have trouble placing stuff from Toppling Goliath that blows me away. It’s not really west coast, but takes some lessons from there. It’s not really east coast, as the hops are what shine. And it’s not really New England style, as they’re not the dry pineappley IPAs we get there.

With that said, Cycle’s Crank seems to take that New England IPA strategy and I’d recommend it to all you New Englanders.

LOL at "New England IPAs" being a category now. They were just the first ones on the east coast to figure it out. What’s different about the hoppy beers mentioned from New England and the good IPAs from San Diego?

If you look through the top 50 IPAs and DIPAs on this site I would say over 75% of the beers that are less then 5 years old are from the Northeast. I think this illustrates the shift quite well. Breweries that are making IPAs to my taste outside of the Northeast are Toppling Goliath, Le Cumbre, and Cellarmaker but I havent found that many in my travels.

Crank is solid.
TG is a bit hard to characterize, but really amazing.

I agree that fabulous IPAs are springing up everywhere, but it seems from my California knothole that the density is higher in the northeast.

There is no difference nor has there ever been any difference between these West and East coast IPA’s.

An old story.

Originally posted by t0rin0
LOL at "New England IPAs" being a category now. They were just the first ones on the east coast to figure it out. What’s different about the hoppy beers mentioned from New England and the good IPAs from San Diego?

Originally posted by Reynolds314

Originally posted by t0rin0
LOL at "New England IPAs" being a category now. They were just the first ones on the east coast to figure it out. What’s different about the hoppy beers mentioned from New England and the good IPAs from San Diego?

I just traveled to San Diego 2 weeks ago and hit up a ton of breweries including Modern Times, Alesmisth, Pizza Port, and Societe. They all made great beers and I enjoyed them plenty but IMO none were as juicy dry hopped and flavorful as many of the breweries from New England. Thats just one persons opinion however so take it for what its worth.