The Bar Towel

I realize that we've had WC IPA discussions within various threads before, but in light of the news that Sierra Nevada Pale Ale has been delisted at the LCBO I thought I'd start a fresh one.

What are everyone's favourite West Coast IPA(s) in Ontario?

After SNPA, I'd probably go with Mad Tom. Hoppy, dark-ish, strong-ish & non-hazy. Pretty close to the style as I can taste.

Used to be Red Racer. Today it's probably Lone Pine.

I actually grabbed a Mad Tom yesterday after it was mentioned here, realized I haven't had it in far too long.

Boneshaker has been in heavy rotation. I think I've developed hazy fatigue and it's one of the few that still has that bracing hoppiness I remember from the good old days.

I've noticed a lot of breweries releasing west coast IPAs recently, although a number of them are far too sweet and really strike me more as clear NE IPAs. Gimme some of that bitterness lol. That said, there are a few I've enjoyed quite a bit. Some of these are brewery only/irregular releases, but worth it if you come across them:

Town Super Dope - I believe LCBO available right now
Second Wedge 3 Rocks - really come to appreciate this one recently
Big Rig Shakedown - was surprised at how good this was
Little Beasts Mountain Devil - will hopefully return at some point with their reopening
Chronicle Mind Flay - semi-regular brewery only but should you find yourself in Bowmanville at the right time...

Add to that Lone Pine and Lake Effect, they've remained constants. GLB usually has something WC in their rotation.

I'm guessing we're going to see some of the same names show up on this list many times.

In no particular order:
Mad Tom
Lone Pine
Ducks
Lake Effect

Otherwise we will be wandering into DIPA territory...

Boneshaker is the one I go to for this style, on a semi regular basis.

Boneshaker and Mad Tom would probably be my tops picks as well, though I prefer the twice as mad tom over the regular by far. Hard to find either mad tom anywhere close to fresh in the KW area these days though. Grocery stores carry pretty fresh Boneshaker though, so it's what I usually go for, especially in the summer.
Lake Effect is up there some years, but it tends to vary a lot year by year. I've so far only had one of the current release and it had the clear body, but otherwise it was a little too light and the hops were quite different than the pine and citrus I expect for a westie. Last year's version I would put up there though.

For the new ones to the style, Bellwoods has a PIG west coast ipa that gets the flavors right, but it's a little light in body and bitterness. Hopefully they make a double version of that eventually, that could be really nice.
I can't recall many other recent west coast IPAs, everyone seems to go for something more on the hazy end.

I generally just get whatever great lakes is freshest in the LCBO.

Willibald 519

Let's not forget Nickelbrook Headstock. I also like Twice as Mad Tom (do they still make it?) and Karma Citra.

Lone Pine and Boneshaker for sure.

Great Lakes Octopus is a bit hazy but has some bitterness that fits the bill for me. As does Lake Effect and the Karma series.

Haven't had a Mad Tom in a long time due to just liking the above more. Same goes for Headstock, plus the inconsistencies I've had from it in the past.

Willibald 519 is an interesting one as it says it's a WCIPA but it doesn't have the malt profile to support the west coast hopping, imo.

Hey folks,

We're just in the process of launching a Westy called Lower West Side. It's a recipe we've been sitting on for a while and figured it was time to do something with. It is hitting stores this week in the LCBO as a General List. It's our personal nod to the old school West Coast IPA's we love; a bit darker in colour, filtered almost clear, dank, resiny, piney. Lots of Columbus, Centennial and Citra. We're digging it.

https://www.lcbo.com/en/lower-west-side ... -ipa-35929

I'd love some feedback on it.

For the first 6 people who email me their mailing address, I'll send you 3 cans of Lower West Side and 3 cans of other fun stuff to try.

Cheers and happy holidays.

Mike

(Updated @1:39pm)

Thanks for the quick emails! All of the mixed packs (and a few more) are now spoken for. We'll get these shipped out on Wednesday. Thanks and looking forward to getting some feedback.

For everyone else...product should start hitting LCBO stores this week.

Muskokan wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2023 11:26 am Hey folks,

We're just in the process of launching a Westy called Lower West Side. It's a recipe we've been sitting on for a while and figured it was time to do something with. It is hitting stores this week in the LCBO as a General List. It's our personal nod to the old school West Coast IPA's we love; a bit darker in colour, filtered almost clear, dank, resiny, piney. Lots of Columbus, Centennial and Citra. We're digging it.

https://www.lcbo.com/en/lower-west-side ... -ipa-35929

I'd love some feedback on it.

For the first 6 people who email me their mailing address, I'll send you 3 cans of Lower West Side and 3 cans of other fun stuff to try.

Cheers and happy holidays.

Mike

(Updated @1:39pm)

Thanks for the quick emails! All of the mixed packs (and a few more) are now spoken for. We'll get these shipped out on Wednesday. Thanks and looking forward to getting some feedback.

For everyone else...product should start hitting LCBO stores this week.

This is interesting. Based on your portfolio, would I be correct in assuming this is brewed at Brunswick and might also be found in their refrigerators at some point?

Bring back Immodest……

This is interesting. Based on your portfolio, would I be correct in assuming this is brewed at Brunswick and might also be found in their refrigerators at some point?

No, we moved all of our production out of Brunswick a while ago, so unfortunately our products won't be available for sale there. For now, our products are available at the LCBO, Loblaws and through our online shop www.bodega.beer. We have a pretty extensive launch schedule in 2024 with some new breweries and a lot of limited releases.

Thanks so much to Muskokan for sending me some free beer. I just received shipment this morning, so I had Lower West Side with my lunch.

It is a shade darker than most west coast ipas, which I can appreciate some malt complexity. It definitely has the hop flavour to balance. It's taste starts off a lot like a bone shaker, which is a good thing. However, I find the Columbus hops coming out in the finish as it is spicier and earthier than bone shaker. Overall, this is a great west coast ipa, and it is worthy of a try.

I have to say I was a little worried, as I had tried omnipollo beers when they first arrived here, some time ago. This is the same brewery that contract brews omnipollo. While I remember them being good, I thought they were overrated. Maybe, it was palate when I tried them. Anyway, I look forward to retrying them now that I have had a very good lower west side beer, and Muskokan has shipped me some omnipollo beers. Thanks again Muskokan.