If you’re feeling tired from yet another hazy, juicy New England-style IPA, it may be time to Go West, young man. To the West Coast in particular. But doesn’t Backyard Road Trips promote all things local? This is true. So instead of actually traveling west, we’re staying in our New England backyard. Breaking from the haze, but still brewed in New England, this is a collection of New England-brewed West Coast IPAs. If you can have a New England IPA brewed in Iceland, why can’t you have a West Coast IPA brewed in New Hampshire?!
Maine Beer Company – Lunch
Lunch just may be the most well-rounded beer there is. It’s crisp, it’s hoppy, it’s piney, and a tad bit malty, making it the perfect beer. Lunch is a beer to savor every sip. It’s a beer that the brewery calls an “East Coast take on a West Coast IPA.”
The Alchemist – Focal Banger
The Alchemist is often credited as a forefather of the New England IPA craze. Focal Banger, which, along with Heady Topper, is what put this brewery on the map. Focal banger has a bit of that West Coast bite to it. It has the bite that is so characteristic of a West Coast IPA. It is clearer in color (but don’t pour it out of the can!) and has a crispness to it as well.
Lawson’s Finest Liquids – Hopzilla
Talk about a hop monster, this Vermont beer has the true makings of a West Coast classic. It’s just oozing hops. This perfect combo of hoppiness with a malt backbone creates a delicious IPA.
Untold Brewing – West Coast Road Trip
Next on the list of the best New England-brewed West Coast IPAs is from Untold Brewing out of Massachusetts. Their take on the West Coast IPA is part of their “Road Trip” series (very apropos for this blog!). Taking a sip of this lads, and it’s like I’m in Hermosa Beach, basking in the warm, California sun at the infamous Poop Deck bar, even though in reality I’m in cold, bitter New England.
Stellwagen Beer Company – Keel
This brewery out of Marshfield, Massachusetts, offers “Keel,” a standout example of a New England brewery mastering the West Coast style. Keel is a classic representation of the style, delivering that signature clear, bright golden pour. It’s got the combo of the hoppy, piney, citrusy, and malty combo. Give your palate a break from all that haze with Keel.
Smuttynose’s Finest Kind
One classic New England beer is actually a West Coast style when you boil it down: Smuttynose’s Finest Kind IPA. This has the maltiness with a slight bite. Just like the others in the best New England brewed West Coast IPAs, Finest Kind has a piney quality to it. The only difference is that at Smuttynose, they’ve been brewing this long before there were so many variations of the IPA.
For more OG IPAs, check out who won our taste test.
Hanging Hills Brewing – Metacomet
The flagship IPA of Connecticut’s Hanging Hills Brewing is Metacomet. Now there’s a lot of unpack here, more than just the West Coast flavor profile. Hanging Hills is named for the chain of hills in central Connecticut. The Metacomet Ridge is a 100-mile mountain range from coastal Connecticut through central Massachusetts that includes the Hanging Hills as part of it. Additionally, the Metacomet Trail traverses the ridge. All of these Metacomet place names are in honor of the sachem of the Wampanoag tribe, who waged war on the English settlers, King Philip’s War, as it is known to history. King Philip is the English name given to Metacom or Metacomet. Maybe it’s time for this beer after this history and geography lesson?
Hanging Hills Brewery is closed, but it seems that their beer can still be found in stores. So keep your eyes peeled for this one. And notice the totally amazing logo featuring none other than that bedeviled Black Dog of West Peak, the notorious cryptid of Meriden’s Hanging Hills.
Widowmaker Brewing Company – Green Wizard
Something is enchanting about Massachusetts’s Widowmaker’s take on the classic West Coast. For one, the ABV is 6.66%! It’s brewed with Centennial and Cascade hops, giving it that hoppy, piney, citrusy bite that you’re looking for in a classic variation of this style.
Mayflower Brewing/Hog Island – Cape Crosser
And the best can art goes to? Mayflower’s Cape Crosser IPA. This blue can features a map of the Cape, as a nod to Plymouth and Orleans, locations of each brewery, respectively. (Hog Island and Mayflower, along with Cape Cod Beer, are now all part-owned by the same parent company.) The cartoonish map is drawn nicely with Cape Cod images, with a bridge that looks more like the Brooklyn Bridge rather than the Sagamore. This beer is crispy, malty, and piney.
Vitamin Sea – Right and Wrong
For a brewery that specializes in hazy and juicy IPAs, they sure can crank out an excellent West Coast. This East meets West crossroads pours an amber hue with notes of pine and malt. It’s an easy sipper in the summer months. Instead of imagining being on Hermosa Beach, you’re out on the patio at their Plymouth location, warm sun, cool breeze, and life is good.
For this West Coast road trip, we don’t even have to leave New England. It’s East meets West in the battle for the ten best New England-brewed West Coast IPAs. From the Green Mountains to the Hanging Hills, Cape Cod to the coast of Maine, these West Coast beauties are piny, malty, hoppy, and altogether tasty. Cheers!
