Whether aiming for soft and hazy or lean and bitter, successful brewers rely on some bedrock strategies for building higher-strength IPAs with sneaky drinkability.
Justin Burdt and the team at Ghost Town in Oakland, California, share this homebrew-scale recipe for the double IPA that won back-to-back GABF gold medals in 2021 and 2022—and helped them earn Brewery of the Year honors in 2022.
From Ben Edmunds, brewmaster at Breakside in Portland, Oregon, comes this West Coast IPA powered by American and New Zealand hops.
A "Thiolized" yeast strain, Salvo hop-aroma extract, and tangerine zest are among the elements in this juicy yet balanced IPA from NoDa in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Modified yeast strains and products such as Phantasm have unlocked the massive aromatic and flavor potential of thiols. Now, brewers are learning how best to tame that power in service of balance and nuance.
West Coast? Hazy? Fruity? Dank? From our Spring 2023 issue, these five brewers’ tastes in India pale ale maps the breadth of the style itself.
From thiols and survivability to advanced hop products and specific varieties, Westbound & Down director of brewing operations Jake Gardner explains what they want from hops in their West Coast IPAs.
It’s all about freshness and the preservative powers of antioxidants. Here, Westbound & Down director of brewing operations Jake Gardner explains why they believe they’ve gotten longer-lasting, more aromatic IPAs by choosing hops picked earlier in the harvest.
Make it snappy! Westbound & Down director of brewing operations Jake Gardner explains how shooting for a relatively low finishing pH can help your West Coast–style IPAs taste better for longer.
What was once an optional step for clarity has become virtually essential for packing flavor into IPAs and other hop-forward beers. Commercial brewers have specialized gear for it, while homebrewers—whether they realize it or not—also have everything they need for whirlpooling.