IF YOU’RE A HOPHEAD looking for something lighter than your typical IPA on steamy summer day, thanks to a relatively new beer style you won’t have to sacrifice, well … your hops.

The White IPA marries the characteristics of the traditional American India Pale Ale with a witbier. What you get is a hoppy head start with a balanced wheat and malt finish that’s light and unfiltered.

There are already a decent handful of brewers who are distributing this new-ish style. Many regional breweries might have one you could try, but Saranac is widely available on the East Coast while Deschutes is widely available on the West Coast.

Both are listed as a limited release, but you should be able to get your hands on one of these.

Saranac’s description:

Saranac White IPA is a tasty innovative twist on a traditional IPA. We’ve taken a delicious American IPA bursting with Citra hops, and given it a whole new direction by adding the refreshing fruitiness of orange peel & coriander and the softening characters of wheat malt and oats. You’ll notice the complex hop flavor you’ve come to expect in an IPA, balanced with the extraordinary bright flavor of a wheat beer. Cheers to twisting tradition!

Deschutes’ description:

This White IPA dreamed up by Boulevard Brewmaster, Steven Pauwels, and Deschutes Brewery Brewmaster, Larry Sidor is a hoppy wheat ale of sorts and the combination is exquisite! Not only did we use wheat, hops and a Belgian yeast for this brew, we also added lemongrass, whole leaf sage, spicy coriander and sweet orange peel to give it a tongue pleasing twist.

MY TAKE: When you pour that White IPA, expect it to be a little headier than your typical IPA. It’s also going to have many of the visual characteristics that you might be used to in a witbier. Before you take that first taste, you have to realize you’re not holding a typical IPA. So get the idea of overpowering hoppiness out of your head. This is a light, wheat/malt/yeasty alternative that’s still going to give you some of that hoppy bitterness you’ve come to crave. Bottom line, the White IPA is a perfect solution to a problem I’ve had for years — it allows me to have some hops on a hot summer day when I might be in the mood for something a little lighter.

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Read more:
Deschutes Conflux No. 2
Saranac White IPA