Inhume

Ghost Town Brewing — Oakland, CA

28 Jul 2026 · Stephen

IPA Ghost Town Brewing

7.0% ABV

72 IBU

Golden yellow Color

Contributing Factors

Presentation ✓

Character ✓

Experience ✓

Return ✓

4 / 4 I'd order another

Tasting Notes

Appearance Clear golden, brilliant and bright in the glass with a persistent white head and solid lacing. Ghost Town calls it clean and clear, and they deliver — this is a textbook West Coast IPA pour. No haze, no ambiguity — just a confident, clear golden IPA.

Aroma Grapefruit leads immediately — big, expressive Citra doing exactly what it's known for. Simcoe adds a dank, resinous pine note underneath, and Centennial contributes a floral citrus quality that rounds the whole bouquet out. Melon comes through in the background, softer and sweeter beneath the dominant citrus and resin. Complex and inviting — exactly the kind of nose that makes you take the first sip faster than you planned.

Palate Medium-full body with clean malt supporting 73 IBU of assertive, well-structured bitterness. The citrus and tropical fruit hit first — grapefruit, a little melon — then the Simcoe resin and pine build through the middle. The bitterness is firm but not harsh, classic West Coast IPA in its execution. 7% ABV carries warmth but no alcohol heat. Reviewers consistently call it clean and well-constructed — not surprising given how dialed-in Ghost Town's brewing is on this one.

Finish Long, dry, resinous. The pine and grapefruit linger well beyond the sip, the Centennial floral note fading last. At 73 IBU the bitterness stays present but never tips into astringent — it's the kind of sustained West Coast finish that IPA drinkers specifically seek out. 64 personal check-ins confirms this one keeps calling you back.

The Verdict

Ghost Town's flagship IPA and their most widely recognized beer for good reason. Citra, Simcoe, Centennial — three hops doing everything right in a 7% West Coast IPA that buries the competition exactly as advertised.

— Stephen · Contributing Factor Brewing · 28 Jul 2026