Locust

Ghost Town Brewing — Oakland, CA

22 May 2023 · Stephen

West Coast IPA Ghost Town Brewing

6.8% ABV

65 IBU

Clear golden Color

Contributing Factors

Presentation ✓

Character ✓

Experience ✓

Return –

3 / 4 I'd recommend trying it

Tasting Notes

Appearance Clear golden, bright with a persistent white head. Classic West Coast IPA in the glass — no haze, no ambiguity, just a confident clean pour that lets the hop aroma lead.

Aroma The swarm hits immediately. Lime and citrus upfront from the Citra, papaya and tropical fruit rolling in behind from the Mosaic and Ekuanot, with a faint floral melon quality from the Ekuanot sitting underneath it all. Ghost Town specifically calls out lime and papaya, and both are identifiable front and center. It's expressive, complex, and relentless — three hops all pulling in slightly different directions but arriving at the same destination: big, tropical, and bright.

Palate Medium-full body, crisp and clean with the Citra citrus hitting first, followed by a wave of Mosaic tropical fruit and Ekuanot melon through the middle. The 65 IBU bitterness is firm and West Coast in character — assertive but not harsh, building through the sip before landing on the finish.

Finish Long, dry, and citrus-resinous. The lime quality from the Citra lingers alongside the papaya from the Mosaic and Ekuanot, with a sustained bitterness that fades cleanly. The finish is exactly what the West Coast IPA format demands — bone dry, hop-forward, and just bitter enough to make the next sip inevitable. The ominous buzz Ghost Town describes? That's it — right there on the back palate.

The Verdict

Ghost Town named this one after an insect that strips everything in its path, and the hop bill backs that up completely. Locust does exactly what it threatens. Three hops, destructive mass, lime and papaya swarm, 65 IBU. Ghost Town's most widely experienced IPA in this range, and not by accident. This one earns the name every time.

— Stephen · Contributing Factor Brewing · 22 May 2023