West Coast IPA: malt, hops and yeast | Brewshop

While the juicy, hazy New England IPA (NEIPA) has dominated the market in recent years, the classic West Coast IPA is now slowly but surely making a comeback. For a long time this was the dominant beer style on the market, and today some call it the «old man's IPA».

The style is characterised by a good dose of caramel in the malt base, strong bitterness, and big flavours of grapefruit and pine (typical flavours of classic American hops). In principle the beer should be free of haze, but some haze can be accepted in heavily dry-hopped versions.

Choosing malt for brewing a West Coast IPA

There are many roads to Rome, but there should be a noticeable caramel character. The base malt can simply be regular pale ale malt. It is also possible to replace part of the base malt with Munich malt to bring out colour and caramel character, but you can also combine it with caramel malt (caramalt, crystal and the like). The caramel should not be too dominant – it is still a pale ale. In terms of colour, a West Coast can lean all the way towards amber. As a rule it should also be fairly dry, and it is not unusual to add some sugar, which both increases the alcohol and gives the beer a drier character. Experiment and see what you like.

Yeast

The yeast should not be prominent in this style, so it is best to choose a neutral yeast that gives a crisp, clean fermentation and flocculates well so you get a clear beer. US-05 or WLP001 are the best choices here, giving the characteristics we want in a West Coast IPA. There are also alternatives such as WLP051 or M66, which work well if you want a little more fruitiness from the yeast. Dry British strains such as WLP007 or S-04 can also work well, giving a little more fruitiness, a drier beer and, with enough time, a crystal-clear beer.

Hops

The hops are the most important component of a West Coast IPA, and there is plenty of room to play and try different combinations. Traditionally, a West Coast IPA should have classic American hop varieties such as Citra, Cascade, Centennial and Columbus (most American hops starting with C will fit in here), but there is no single right answer. Above all, a true-to-style West Coast IPA should have flavours of strong citrus, preferably grapefruit, but also resin/pine, flowers and tropical fruit. The bitterness should be pronounced, and we are talking up to 100+ IBU for the strongest examples. Of course it is important that the flavours are well balanced against each other.

Easy to brew

Classic West Coast IPA is a beer style that is relatively easy to brew and also suits beginners well. Thanks to the strong hop aroma and bitterness, minor mistakes can be masked to some extent. The most important key to IPA, however, is to avoid oxygen as much as possible. Although the East Coast style is considerably more prone to oxygen because of heavy dry hopping, you can still notice oxidation in a West Coast. Read more about beer oxidation and how to avoid it in our article on the subject.

When it comes to fermentation, we want a clean fermentation with minimal yeast character. Most suitable yeasts will leave a certain amount of fruity esters, and in a West Coast IPA these will work together with the hop character. In most cases, fermenting at a stable 18–22°C is a safe choice. Avoid large swings in temperature.

Even though this is a strongly hop-driven style that is very drinkable when completely fresh, a West Coast IPA still benefits from a few weeks of conditioning before it is at its very best. This conditioning time will soften the strong bitterness, clear the beer, and simply let the flavours meld and round off at the edges.

Below you can see some of our most popular beer kits and fresh wort kits in this category.

Frequently asked questions

What characterises a West Coast IPA?

West Coast IPA has a good dose of caramel in the malt base, strong bitterness and big flavours of grapefruit and pine from classic American hops. In principle the beer should be free of haze, is often fairly dry and can lean towards amber in colour.

Which malt is used in a West Coast IPA?

The base malt can be regular pale ale malt, often with a little Munich malt and caramel malt such as caramalt or crystal. The caramel should be noticeable but not dominant. It is not unusual to add a little sugar, which increases the alcohol and gives a drier beer.

Which yeast suits a West Coast IPA?

A neutral yeast that gives a clean fermentation and flocculates well, such as US-05 or WLP001. WLP051 or M66 give a little more fruitiness. Dry British strains such as WLP007 or S-04 can also work and give a drier beer with a little more fruitiness.

Which hops suit a West Coast IPA?

Traditionally, classic American hops such as Citra, Cascade, Centennial and Columbus are used, and most American hops starting with C fit in. The flavour should be strong citrus, preferably grapefruit, but also pine, flowers and tropical fruit. The bitterness should be pronounced and goes up to 100+ IBU in the strongest examples.

What temperature should a West Coast IPA ferment at?

In most cases, a stable 18–22°C is a safe choice. Avoid large swings in temperature, so that fermentation is clean with minimal yeast character.

Is West Coast IPA easy to brew?

Yes, the style is relatively easy to brew and suits beginners, because the strong hop aroma and bitterness can hide minor mistakes. The most important thing is to avoid oxygen, since a West Coast IPA can also show noticeable oxidation. Give the beer a few weeks of conditioning so the bitterness softens and the beer clears.

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