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Just as the bacon-wrapped hot dog made a push to become the official hot dog of LA, it seems like the West Coast IPA is following the same trend in the City of Angels’ craft beer scene. More and more California and LA-based breweries are catering to the demand of the IPA by brewing multiple varieties of the craft style. The IPA has become like a trendy steakhouse where carnivores have the blood thirsty urge to try them all because each steak can range in taste and quality. There have been several amazing beers that have been released in LA throughout the year that are not IPAs, but for my three favorite 2013 beers, I’m sticking with this increasingly popular style.
Heal the Bay IPA – Golden Road Brewing
If there was one brewery in LA that would point the way in the IPA Hop-olution, then it would clearly be Golden Road Brewing Company. GRB has seven IPAs that it serves throughout the year and one of my favorites, released this last spring, is the Heal the Bay IPA. Part of the proceeds from the sale of this IPA goes toward Healthebay.org, which helps the Santa Monica Bay be healthy and clean so you won’t get skin lesions and upper respiratory infections if you decide to swim in the ocean. As appetizing as this may sound, this beer is actually perfect for the warm summer days that Angelinos are so accustomed to. With its bright golden color and its refreshing fruity Citra and New Zealand hops, you can close your eyes and swear that you were drinking a hopped-up sparkling tropical fruit salad. The beer finishes with a fresh crisp feel that is not overly bitter and actually does remind you of a clean Caribbean Island bay. The experience may make you flip your 16 oz. can over when you’re done sipping this beer and use it as a steal drum.
Amarilla Gorilla IPA – Smog City Brewing
With all the previews that are playing right now of the new Hobbit movie, The Desolation of Smaug, my mouth is constantly watering because I want to desolate a glass full of a different kind of Smog: Smog City Brewing’s Amarilla Gorilla. With a name like this, you can probably imagine what ingredient is predominant in this IPA – of course it’s gorillas. Okay, calm down PETA Peter, it’s Amarillo hops. The Torrance-based brewing company made a beer that certainly lives up to its name with a blast of citrusy and floral Amarillo hops that hit your mouth from start to finish. It has a nice light amber color with a medium crisp body. This IPA is available on tap and, like the gorillas in the mist, it can be hard to find. I came across it at the Far Bar in downtown LA, and there’s no need to look too hard if you’re in LA and you click here. You’ll want to get your lips on this tasty IPA because when you’re done with a pint, you’ll find yourself signing in ASL, “Koko thirsty. Koko want more IPA!”
Hop Tanker DIPA – El Segundo Brewing
If IPAs were Aliens from Ridley Scott’s movies, then the Hop Tanker would be the Queen Alien and your mouth would be Ripley in a mechanical power-loader suit. If you were to drink a pint of this DIPA, and then take a sip of any other IPA immediately after, then you would swear that you mistakenly grabbed a Keystone Light. El Segundo’s newly released DIPA’s Citra and Nelson Sauvin hop profile provides for an amazing juxtaposition in your mouth hole. Flavors of tropical citrus, grapes, and piney juniper create a beautiful dance performance on your tongue like the newest Vegas Cirque du Soleil show: Hopmanity. The hop oils create a nice mouthfeel, which may seem slightly overpowering at first, but become more and more addictive with every sip. With its combination of no malts, fruity hops, a high ABV of 9%, and a smoothness that would make Sam Perkins jealous, this humulus lupulus packed craft is a silent killer. You can easily tip several pints back without ever noticing the amount of alcohol you put into your liver. But don’t let this thought scare you away.
+ Remember that Ripley wins at the end of Aliens, just like how your mouth will win after tackling the Hop Tanker.
