History

The West Coast IPA crystallised in San Diego in the 1990s through a small group of breweries chasing extreme bitterness and dry-hop character. Stone Brewing (1996, Escondido) ran Stone IPA from launch and codified the style commercially. AleSmith IPA (1995) and Ballast Point Sculpin (originally homebrew) followed. The style emphasises hop aroma over malt sweetness, a crystal-clear body and IBU counts above 70. By 2026 the city holds the largest concentration of West-Coast-style IPA producers in the country, with Societe (The Pupil), Pizza Port and Pure Project all running canonical examples.

Book a food experience

Tours, tastings and classes that match this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.

Browse every bookable food experience

Common allergens: Gluten

Make it at home

Yield 19Hands-on 4 hrTotal 336 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 5.5kg pale 2-row malt
  • 300g Munich malt 10L
  • 200g crystal 40L
  • 60g Columbus hops (high alpha, for bittering at 60 min)
  • 60g Centennial hops (flavour, at 15 min)
  • 85g Citra + Simcoe blend (whirlpool, after the boil)
  • 115g Mosaic + Citra blend (dry hop, day 5 of fermentation)
  • 11g Safale US-05 American ale yeast (dry)
  • Mash water adjusted to 200ppm calcium sulphate (gypsum) for hop bite
  • 5g Irish moss (clarifying agent, last 10 min of boil)

Method

  1. Mash the grains at 65C (149F) for 60 minutes. Sparge to a pre-boil volume of 23 litres.
  2. Bring to a rolling boil. Add Columbus hops at the start of the 60-minute boil.
  3. Add Centennial with 15 minutes left. Add Irish moss with 10 minutes left.
  4. At flameout, cool to 80C (176F), add the Citra/Simcoe whirlpool addition, stir, hold 20 minutes.
  5. Cool to 18C (64F), transfer to a sanitised fermenter, pitch yeast. Ferment at 19C (66F) for 7 days.
  6. On day 5, add the Mosaic/Citra dry hop. Cold-crash on day 10. Keg or bottle on day 14, carbonate to 2.5 volumes CO2, drink within 3 months for hop freshness.

Tip from the editors. Water chemistry matters more than recipe. If you can't add gypsum to push sulphate to 200-250ppm, the bitterness goes round and dull. Hop fresh and drink fresh; West-Coast IPA is at its best within 6 weeks of brewing.

Where to eat west coast ipa

West Coast IPA in San Diego

Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens Escondido ★ 4.5

$$$ GastropubEscondido

Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido is Stone's flagship destination brewery and restaurant since 2006, the one-acre beer garden.

OrderA Stone IPA flight to compare the eras of the West Coast original.

TipTake the brewery tour at 1pm before lunch; the back garden is the move on warm afternoons.

Directions Book

All San Diego signature dishes →

More cities are in research. Want west coast ipa covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →