Breakside IPA

Willamette Valley, USA

Breakside Brewery's flagship West Coast IPA from Portland, Oregon — the beer from a Portland craft brewery that most consistently earns national recognition for hop character and balance. Ben Edmunds, brewmaster since Breakside's founding in 2010, is widely regarded as one of the most technically proficient craft brewers on the West Coast. Breakside IPA is a clean, resinous, classically structured West Coast IPA that demonstrates Portland's commitment to quality over trend. Multiple Great American Beer Festival medals.

Pairing intelligence

• casual: IPA with pizza is one of the most natural casual beer pairings. The beer's resinous bitterness cleanses mozzarella's milky fat; its citrus complements the San Marzano tomato's acidity; its carbonation lifts between slices. Basil's aromatic freshness echoes the citrus-hop aromatics. The pizza's char and the beer's resin share a bitter aromatic compound. A pairing of complete simplicity and complete reliability.
• cheese: Pungent washed-rind cheese demands a cleansing beverage rather than a complementary one. The lager's carbonation and minimal bitterness continuously resets the palate against the cheese's fat and bacterial funk. Rye bread's earthiness bridges both.
• casual: Breakside's hop character and carbonation cut through the fried batter fat and crema richness while the IPA's tropical fruit notes amplify the lime's brightness in the taco.
• casual: The IPA's bitterness and carbonation contrast with halloumi's dense fatty salt; the lemon and za'atar add botanical notes that find harmonic resonance with the hop aromatics.
• casual: Breakside's IPA bitterness and hop aroma cut through smoked brisket fat; the pickled jalapeño's heat is amplified then quenched by the hop-carbonation combination — a Pacific Northwest BBQ pairing of genuine satisfaction.