Southeastern IPA Is Coming for New England and the West Coast

As a result, more often than not, beer drinkers reach for something light, refreshing, and repeatable. That said, the long months of heat and humidity present a unique conundrum to Southeastern beermakers: how to find the creative sweet spot between what is refreshing and what provides a more robust beer drinking experience.

Enter the Southeastern IPA, a style that is beginning to take hold in the region. Proponents say it’s as much about what it isn’t as what it is: not too bitter, not too high-alcohol, and not too heavy or sweet. Courtesy of Creature Comforts In the mid 2010s, when Tyers and the Creatures Comfort team set out to create Tropicalia, one of the company’s flagship beers, they had internal discussions about what might constitute “Southeastern IPA” characteristics without outwardly calling it as such.

It was simply something they were making for IPA drinkers living in the Southeast. The same was true when brewers at Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. in Charleston, South Carolina, created their flagship beer, Bound by Time. “It’s hot. Humid here for a long time, so the style of IPAs that we want to drink in that weather is light and lean and really refreshing,” explains co-founder and partner Scott Shor. “Bound By Time fits that.

It’s still hop-forward, still IPA, but not with a cloying, sweet finish.” Edmunds Oast Brewing Company Bound By Time IPA. After Tyers and Shor connected over the beer moniker while at a beer dinner in Decatur, GA, this spring, they decided to collaborate on a Southeastern IPA that was announced as such on the can.

Spatial Distortion is the result, brewed with Amarillo Cryo, Simcoe Hyperboost, and Citra hops. It has 6.5% abv and a company 45 IBUs with just a touch of haze.

It’s brewed with grits to add a clean, crisp finish to complement the intensity of the Simcoe, Mosaic, Citra, Centennial, and Chinook hops. Currently sold out, it was one of Henderson’s favorite brews to date. “So clean and refreshing, it really got at what we were going for,” he explains. “I’m very proud of that beer. With the amount of hops in it, it’s very costly to make, though.” Comeback Sauce, the second Southeastern IPA collaboration from Edmund’s and Creature Comforts, debuted in early 2026.

Named for the Mississippi-born dipping sauce and salad dressing, the beer is proudly rooted in its region. “It’s not West coast; it’s not New England,” the packaging proclaims. “It’s a Southern thing.” More Beer Coverage Can't get enough American IPAs? And here are some of our favorite IPAs hailing from the Southern Hemisphere . Whether you like it or not, it's close to time for pumpkin spice— and pumpkin beer .

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