Description
East Coast vs West Coast, when you think of this you may think of things like the Lakers vs Celtics NBA games in the 80’s, or even Biggie Smalls vs Tupac and those furious Hip-Hop battles in the 90’s; however, now you might want to consider another big difference, their beers.
There is one style of beer that can most accurately describe the differences between the two coasts, and that is the IPA. East Coast IPAs are balanced, often malt sweetness with citrus and fruity hop character with a nice little hop bitterness to kick you in the pants. East Coast IPAs are basically the red-headed step child of a British IPA, and it makes sense just based on geographical influence. When craft beer started to gain popularity in america, East Coast brewers sought after the tradition of European ales and lagers.
West Coast IPA’s are geographically closer to the hop farms in the United States, and what are one of hops major contributions to beer? You guessed it, bitterness. West Coast India Pale Ales are more complex than its rival on the East Coast. In California, bitterness is the at the frontline for IPAs, and pushes malty sweetness to the very back.
Nevertheless, these styles at the end of the day are meant for enjoyment. There is no superior style or correct answer to which one is better. #TeamTupac
