Goose Island Next Coast 12Pk Cans

Goose Island Next Coast 12Pk Cans is a 7.2% ABV India Pale Ale from Chicago's Goose Island Beer Company, available in a 12-pack of cans. Designed as a hybrid of East Coast and West Coast IPA styles, Next Coast bridges tropical fruit flavors with classic piney hop bitterness and carries 40 IBUs.

Quick Facts: ABV: 7.2%  |  Origin: Chicago, Illinois  |  Style: IPA (East Coast/West Coast Hybrid)  |  Brewery: Goose Island Beer Company  |  IBU: 40

Production & Heritage

Goose Island Beer Company, headquartered in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood at 1800 W. Fulton Street, is one of the most recognized names in American craft brewing. Next Coast is brewed with a malt bill of barley malt and malted wheat, hopped generously with Eureka, Nugget, Mosaic, Denali, and Citra varieties. That five-hop combination is central to the beer's identity—layering tropical and citrus aromatics over a resinous pine backbone that nods to both coasts of American IPA brewing.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Strong citrus fruit leads the nose immediately, followed by hints of pine and a dank, resinous hop character. Underneath, subtle tropical notes of pineapple emerge alongside a faint toffee sweetness from the malt.

Taste: The entry is clean, with sweet malt arriving first before a wave of citrus and tropical fruit fills the mid-palate. As it develops, hoppy bitterness intensifies with piney, dank notes that are more pronounced than the aroma suggests. The malted wheat contributes a cracker-like quality that adds structure and balances the hop-forward profile.

Finish: Medium to heavy in body, the finish lingers with bitter hop resin and a residual citrus brightness. Carbonation lifts the mouthfeel and keeps it from feeling heavy despite the 7.2% ABV.

How to Drink Next Coast

Straight from a chilled can or poured into a tulip glass to release the full hop aromatics, Next Coast drinks well on its own. For food-forward occasions, it pairs naturally with bold flavors: try it alongside spicy tacos where the malt sweetness tempers heat, with a classic smash burger where the bitterness cuts through richness, or next to a wood-fired pizza where the piney hops complement char and melted cheese.

Best For

• Stocking a fridge for a weekend barbecue or cookout
• IPA drinkers exploring hybrids beyond strictly West or East Coast styles
• Bringing a 12-pack to a house party or game day gathering
• Pairing with bold, spicy, or grilled foods

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Next Coast taste like? Next Coast leads with citrus and tropical fruit flavors, transitions into piney hop bitterness, and finishes with a clean malt sweetness and cracker-like body from the malted wheat.

How does Next Coast compare to Goose IPA? Next Coast runs at a higher ABV (7.2% vs. Goose IPA's lower strength) and uses a broader hop bill including Mosaic and Citra, delivering more tropical fruit complexity and a fuller body than the lighter, more sessionable Goose IPA.

Is Next Coast good for IPA beginners? Its malt sweetness and tropical fruit character soften the bitterness enough for newer IPA drinkers, though at 7.2% ABV and 40 IBUs it still carries real hop weight that experienced drinkers will appreciate.

Where is Next Coast made? Next Coast is brewed by Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois, with the brewery's primary facility located at 1800 W. Fulton Street in the city's West Loop neighborhood.

What foods pair well with Next Coast? Grilled chicken or pork ribs benefit from the citrus hop contrast; spicy Thai or Mexican food is tempered by the malt sweetness; sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese stands up to the bitterness; and fish tacos with lime mirror the beer's own citrus notes.

What sizes does Next Coast come in? Next Coast is widely available in 12-packs of cans; individual cans and six-packs may also be found depending on market availability.

Is Next Coast worth the price? Next Coast positions in the mid-range tier for craft IPAs, and the five-hop bill, 7.2% ABV, and hybrid style complexity deliver strong value relative to comparably priced single-style IPAs.

Why Next Coast?

Next Coast's defining move is the deliberate blending of East Coast and West Coast IPA traditions into a single beer—a concept Goose Island's team built around the Eureka, Nugget, Mosaic, Denali, and Citra hop combination. With an 84/100 on BeerAdvocate and a 3.7/5 across more than 82,000 Untappd ratings, it has earned broad consumer approval as a reliably balanced but bold IPA. The malted wheat in the grain bill gives it a texture that most hop-forward IPAs lack, and at 7.2% ABV it carries enough strength to reward slow drinking without crossing into barleywine territory. For drinkers who find West Coast IPAs too bitter or East Coast IPAs too hazy and soft, Next Coast occupies a genuinely useful middle ground.