West Coast IPA: Crisp, Bitter, Piney 20-Litre Homebrew Recipe

West Coast IPA is the beer that put American craft brewing on the map: crystal clear, bone dry and properly bitter, with a big hit of pine, grapefruit and resin from a heap of classic American hops. Where a hazy IPA is soft and juicy, the West Coast version is crisp and snappy, finishing clean so the hops do all the talking. This recipe makes 20 litres of a 6.6% IPA that is bold without being heavy, and it is a great next step once you have a few pale ales under your belt.

Recipe at a Glance

• Batch size: 20 litres into the fermenter

• Original gravity (OG): 1.062

• Final gravity (FG): 1.011

• ABV: approx. 6.6%

• Bitterness: approx. 62 IBU (Tinseth)

• Colour: pale gold

• Brewhouse efficiency assumed: 70%

Equipment Needed

• Brew kettle of at least 30 litres (or an all-in-one electric brewing system)

• Mash tun, or a large grain bag if you brew in a bag (BIAB)

• Fermenting vessel of 25 litres or more, ideally one you can seal for dry hopping

• Hydrometer and trial jar

• Digital thermometer

• Wort chiller

• Hop spider or muslin bags (optional, but they keep the trub down)

• No-rinse sanitiser

• Bottles and caps, or a keg

Ingredients (20 Litres)

Grains

• 5.0 kg pale malt (a clean, low-colour pale or pilsner-style base works best)

• 250 g Carapils/dextrin malt (head retention)

• 150 g light crystal malt (about 30–40 EBC)

Hops

• 20 g Columbus/CTZ (about 15% alpha acid) – 60 minute boil

• 25 g Centennial – 10 minute boil

• 25 g Simcoe – 10 minute boil

• 40 g Citra – whirlpool at 80°C for 20 minutes

• 40 g Simcoe – whirlpool at 80°C for 20 minutes

• 100 g Citra, Simcoe and Centennial, mixed – dry hop

Yeast, Water and Extras

• 1 packet of a clean American ale yeast (such as US-05 or a liquid Chico strain), or 2 dry sachets for a quicker start

• 200 g dextrose added to the boil (dries the beer out)

• Calcium sulphate (gypsum) to push your sulphate well above your chloride, which sharpens the bitterness

• 1 Irish moss (kettle finings) tablet

• About 120 g dextrose for priming, if bottling

No Columbus? Any high-alpha bittering hop will do, just adjust the weight to land around 60 IBU. The late and dry hops are where the character comes from, so keep those as close to the recipe as you can.

Mashing

1. Treat your water: Add gypsum to the mash and sparge water. A West Coast IPA wants a firm, dry, slightly mineral finish rather than a soft, round one.

2. Mash in: Stir the grain into about 14 litres of water at roughly 71°C.

3. Rest low: Hold the mash at 64–65°C for 60–75 minutes. A cooler mash makes a more fermentable wort, which is the secret to that dry, moreish finish.

4. Sparge: Rinse the grain with water at 76–77°C to collect about 25 litres. BIAB brewers can mash with the full volume and lift the bag.

Boil and Whirlpool

1. Boil for 60 minutes, adding the Columbus at the start.

2. With 15 minutes to go, stir in the dextrose; with 10 minutes to go, add the Centennial, Simcoe and Irish moss.

3. At flameout, cool the wort to about 80°C, add the whirlpool hops and give it a gentle stir. Leave it to stand for 20 minutes.

4. Chill to 17–18°C as quickly as you can and transfer to a sanitised fermenter, leaving as much hop sludge behind as possible.

Fermentation and Dry Hopping

1. Pitch the yeast and ferment at 18–19°C. Keep it on the cool side: a clean fermentation lets the hops shine.

2. After 5–7 days, once the gravity has nearly reached 1.011, add the dry hops. Limit oxygen pick-up when you open the fermenter.

3. Leave the dry hops in for 3–4 days. Any longer and you risk grassy, vegetal flavours.

4. If you can, cold crash to 2–4°C for 48 hours. It drops the hops and yeast out and gives you that brilliantly clear pour.

Packaging

Bottle with priming sugar or keg at around 2.5 volumes of CO2. Unlike a bitter, an IPA does not improve with age: the hop aroma fades week by week, so drink it fresh and keep it cold. It is usually at its best two to four weeks after brew day.

Tips for a Better West Coast IPA

• Go easy on the crystal malt. Too much makes the beer sweet and dulls the hops. The style should taste dry, not caramel-heavy.

• Don't skip the sugar. A little dextrose lifts the ABV without adding body.

• Protect it from oxygen. Oxygen is the enemy of hop aroma; transfer gently and fill bottles or kegs carefully.

• Serve it right. Pour it into a clean, chilled tulip or pint glass at 6–8°C and enjoy the aroma.

Food Pairing

The bitterness and citrus cut straight through rich, spicy food. Try it with a lamb curry, buffalo wings, a strong mature Cheddar or a proper smash burger.