Spaghetti West(ern) Coast IPA – Brewed Live!

In this brew session, I created my latest beer: Spaghetti West(ern) Coast IPA — a classic West Coast-style IPA inspired by Lagunitas. It’s clean, crisp, piney, and bitter in all the right ways.

If you’re into hop-forward beers and want a peek behind the scenes, I’ve got you covered. You can watch either the short video or the full livestream below:

🎬 Edited Video (Quick Overview):
Watch it here »

📺 Full Brew Day Livestream (Uncut):
Watch the livestream replay »

🍺 About the Beer

To start, this beer was built with balance in mind — bitter but drinkable, bold but clean.

  • Name: Spaghetti West(ern) Coast IPA
  • Style: American IPA
  • ABV: 5.8%
  • IBU: 69 (Tinseth)
  • Color: 10 SRM
  • Carbonation: 2.5 CO₂-vol
  • BU/GU Ratio: 1.17

As a result, the finished beer delivers a satisfying West Coast-style bitterness with just the right amount of malt backbone.

📋 Recipe Details (2.7 gal batch)

To help you replicate this beer, here’s a breakdown of the ingredients and brewing process:

Fermentables

  • 5 lb 2.5 oz – 2-Row Pale Malt
  • 10.6 oz – Caramel 10L
  • 6.7 oz – Munich Light
  • 6.7 oz – Wheat Malt
  • 4.4 oz – Crystal 50/60L

As you might expect, this grain bill gives a subtle malt character while letting the hops shine.

Hops

  • 60 min: 0.5 oz Magnum (51 IBU)
  • 30 min: 0.5 oz Willamette (12 IBU)
  • 30 min: 0.07 oz Centennial (6 IBU)
  • 0 min (Flameout): 0.6 oz Cascade

In addition, I dry hopped with:

  • 0.75 oz Cascade
  • 0.25 oz Centennial

Together, these additions bring out citrus, floral, and slightly piney notes that define this style.

Yeast

  • Safale US-05 (0.9 packet) – A clean fermenting workhorse.

🧪 Water Chemistry & Additions

To dial in the hop expression, I started with distilled water and adjusted the water profile with a high sulfate-to-chloride ratio (3:1):

  • 1.18 g Calcium Chloride
  • 1.87 g Epsom Salt
  • 1.87 g Gypsum
  • Whirlfloc (15 min)
  • 3.09 g Yeast Nutrients
  • 2.71 g Gelatin (at bottling)
  • Mash pH: 5.53

Because of this mineral balance, the bitterness comes through clean and sharp without being harsh.

Additionally, a proper mash pH helped create the crisp finish I was aiming for.

🔥 Mash & Fermentation

To ensure proper conversion and attenuation, I followed this schedule:

  • Mash: 60 min @ 158°F
  • Mash Out: 10 min @ 167°F
  • Fermentation:
    • 7 days @ 65°F
    • 2 days @ 70°F
    • Cold crash ramp to 35°F over 6 days, hold for 3 days

Altogether, this creates a dry and well-attenuated beer with a clean finish.

📥 Download Spaghetti West(ern) Coast IPA Recipe (PDF)

📊 Fermentation & Brew Notes Snapshot

For the nerds out there (you know who you are), here’s a quick look at how the fermentation went:

  • Original Gravity (OG): 1.059
  • Final Gravity (FG): 1.015
  • ABV: 5.8%
  • Fermentation Schedule:
    • 7 days @ 65°F (Primary)
    • 2 days @ 70°F (Tertiary)
    • Cold crash ramp to 35°F over 6 days, hold for 3 days

The yeast stayed healthy and active throughout. I used US-05, which fermented clean with no off-flavors. Hitting those numbers always feels good!

📝 Brew Day Notes

Thankfully, this batch was brewed live and everything went smoothly — which doesn’t always happen, as you know. The OG, FG, and pH all hit their marks.

Even better, the beer itself came out exactly as I hoped: crisp, hop-forward, and drinkable.

🎬 Fun fact: I named it Spaghetti West(ern) as a little nod to the wild side of homebrewing and the boldness of classic West Coast IPAs.

🌎 Why It’s a West Coast IPA (Not a New England IPA)

If you’re wondering why I call this a West Coast IPA instead of a New England IPA (NEIPA), it comes down to three big things: clarity, bitterness, and balance.

  • Clarity:
    West Coast IPAs are traditionally clear or slightly golden, whereas NEIPAs are hazy and opaque. This beer is filtered and cold-crashed for clarity — no murky juice bombs here.
  • Bitterness:
    West Coast IPAs bring the bite. This one clocks in at 69 IBUs and hits with Magnum, Willamette, and Centennial hops early in the boil for a strong, lingering bitterness. NEIPAs, on the other hand, are usually low in perceived bitterness and rely on late additions and dry hopping for aroma.
  • Balance & Finish:
    West Coast IPAs tend to finish drier and crisper, making them more drinkable over a session. NEIPAs are often fuller-bodied with a sweeter finish. I aimed for attenuation and used US-05 to keep it clean, dry, and hop-forward.

📌 In short, this beer is unapologetically bitter, clear, and dry — everything a West Coast IPA should be.

🎬 Behind the Name: Why “Spaghetti West(ern)” IPA?

The name’s a nod to the bold, bitter, and clean nature of the beer — just like a classic Clint Eastwood-style showdown. It’s crisp, no-nonsense, and unapologetically West Coast.

Plus, let’s be honest… it sounds cool. 🍝🔫

💬 Try It & Share

By all means, if you’re planning to brew your own version of this beer, I’d love to hear about it.

Feel free to leave a comment or tag me online with your take on Spaghetti West(ern) Coast IPA.

On top of that, if you have suggestions or variations, share them too — this community gets better when we all swap ideas and learn from each other.

📬 Want More Homebrew Awesomeness?

If you liked this brew or learned something new, don’t miss what’s coming next!

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🧪 Let’s keep this homebrew community growing. Leave a comment or tag me when you brew your version of Spaghetti West(ern)!

Cheers! 🍻
– Steven
I Make Beer