The Pendulum Swings Back: Why West Coast IPAs Are Having a Moment
For the better part of the last few years, hazy has ruled the tap list. Juicy, cloudy, soft on the palate New England IPAs took over craft beer and never really let go. But lately, we're noticing something at The Birch, and we don't think we're the only ones: drinkers are circling back to clean.
West Coast IPA — the bitter, bright, crystal-clear style that started the whole IPA boom in the first place — is having a real resurgence. After years of chasing haze, a lot of breweries (and a lot of us drinking their beer) are rediscovering what made the style great to begin with: a crisp bitterness, a clean malt backbone, and hop flavor that hits you straight instead of getting muffled by cloudiness. It's less "juice bomb," more "hoppy balance." Think of it as the palate's way of resetting.
A little trivia: the West Coast IPA as we know it traces back to California and the Pacific Northwest in the early '90s and 2000s, with breweries like Russian River often credited with pushing the double dry-hopping techniques that defined the style's punchy aroma. Hazy IPA, by contrast, is a much newer invention — most beer historians point to The Alchemist's Heady Topper, first brewed in Vermont in 2004, as the beer that kicked off the entire New England IPA movement. (which is why they recommended to drink it from the can, so you didn’t see the hazy!) So next time someone tells you hazy is "the classic," you can politely let them know West Coast got there first.
We're not choosing sides — we love both styles at The Birch. But we've currently got a taplist that leans into this exact conversation, so we figured it was worth talking about.
What's On Tap
Lunchbox — New England IPA, 6.6% ABV, Alternate Ending Beer Co. & Kane Brewing (Aberdeen, NJ). A hazy, Jersey-through-and-through collaboration layered with Citra, Mosaic, and Nectaron — bright citrus, tropical fruit, and a soft, pillowy body.
Northwood — West Coast IPA, 6.8% ABV, Burnish Beer Co. (Salisbury, MD). Smooth, crisp citrus and piney flavors balanced by a pleasant bitterness — clean and classic.
Tessellate — West Coast IPA, 6.4% ABV, Dancing Gnome (Pittsburgh, PA). Built around Mosaic hops with recently selected lots and varied oil extraction — explosive bright berry, sweet citrus, and dank peach.
Babylon Revisited — West Coast IPA, 6.9% ABV, Lost Generation Brewing Company (Washington, DC). Nelson Sauvin, Cashmere, and Exp-2B hops bring waves of white peach and melon, with a subtle dandelion and gooseberry finish. Named for the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story.
Pick Your Side (Or Don't)
Come taste the difference for yourself — hazy on one end of the bar, clean and clear on the other. We'll pour you a flight either way.
See you soon at The Birch.
WEEKLY SPECIALS
Wednesday
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