My top three beers now are:
- Petaluma, CA,…Pale Ale? Lagunitas –Little Sumpin Sumpin
- Healdsburg and Cloverdale, CA,…IPA – Bear Republic Brewing Company – Racer 5
- San Diego, CA,…IPA – Ballast Point – Sculpin IPA
These are some easy, drinkable ales with just enough hops and fruitiness w/o too much malt. As such I would say they are classic IPA’s. I think the West Coast, especially SoCal, has the best rep for IPA’s these days as most of the brewers lay off the malt. Beware the ABV and the price though. The Racer 5 is 7 % ABV, Sumpin Sumpin is 7.5% ABV, and the Sculpin is nearly 20$ a six.
Cheers, eh?