Western Ave Review: Four Points Brewing’s Hazy IPA Named After Its Pittsburgh Taproom

Western Ave is Four Points Brewing’s hazy IPA named after the street their Pittsburgh taproom sits on, and it has quietly become one of the more talked-about hazies coming out of the North Side. This is a 7.2% New England-style IPA with a 4.13 community rating built on nearly 800 ratings, which is a real number for a beer that mostly moves through one taproom and a rotating can release schedule rather than national distribution. I have been through a good number of Pittsburgh hazies at this point, and Western Ave is the kind of can that disappears fast once a friend brings a four-pack over. Here is everything worth knowing about the beer, the brewery behind it, and how it stacks up against other hazy IPAs I have reviewed.

At a Glance

What Is Western Ave?

Western Ave is Four Points Brewing’s hazy IPA, named for 919 Western Avenue, the North Side Pittsburgh address of the brewery’s taproom (housed in the old Shamrock Inn building). The can art leans into that hometown angle directly: a black-and-white street photo of Western Avenue itself, parked cars and rowhouses included, wrapped around the label. At 7.2% ABV it sits in that sweet spot above a standard IPA but short of double IPA territory, which is exactly where a lot of the best New England-style hazies land these days.

Four Points has not published an official IBU number for Western Ave, and I am not going to invent one. Hazy IPAs in the 7 to 7.5% range typically test somewhere in the 40 to 60 IBU range on paper, though as with most heavily dry-hopped hazies, the perceived bitterness reads lower than any lab number would suggest. If you want the full technical rundown of what that number is actually measuring, I break it down in my what does IBU mean guide.

Four Points Brewing: Background

Four Points Brewing traces back to Fourth Street BBQ, the Charleroi, Pennsylvania barbecue restaurant owner Dave Barbe opened nearly a decade before the brewery existed. Barbe wanted to pour a wide selection of local craft beer alongside the food, but not many breweries were delivering out to the Mon Valley at the time, so he started brewing his own beer in the building next door. Four Points opened in July 2018, with brewmaster Adam Boura building a reputation on hop-forward IPAs and fruited sours using a five-barrel system, alongside more traditional styles like lagers, brown ales, and imperial stouts.

In April 2021, Four Points opened a second taproom on Pittsburgh’s North Side, at 919 Western Avenue, in a building that spent over 50 years as the Shamrock Inn, an Irish bar opened in 1947 by a brother-in-law of Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr. The taproom kept a Shamrock Inn sign painted on the side of the building as the only visible remnant of that history. Western Ave the beer is a direct nod to that new location, and its can art is literally a photo of the street outside the front door. I have spent time in a fair number of Pittsburgh breweries, and Four Points has built its name quietly, mostly on word of mouth among hop-focused drinkers rather than a big marketing push.

ABV, Hops, and What Is Actually in the Can

Western Ave comes in at 7.2% ABV, comfortably in strong-IPA territory without tipping into a double IPA’s heavier body. Four Points has not published a detailed hop bill for this specific release the way some larger breweries do, but the brewery’s hazy IPA lineup (Destroyer Haze, Four Fours, Fourth Street) leans heavily on Citra, Mosaic, Nectaron, and Superdelic, a combination that produces bright citrus, ripe stone fruit, and tropical juice character rather than a dank or piney profile. Western Ave reads consistent with that house style: soft, juicy, and built around fruit-forward hop aroma rather than raw bitterness.

Four Points has not published a calorie count for Western Ave either, and I would rather flag that plainly than guess. As a general reference point, most 7 to 7.5% hazy IPAs in a 16 oz can land somewhere in the 230 to 260 calorie range, but treat that as a style-level estimate, not a number specific to this exact can. For a deeper look at how a hop bill like this actually shapes flavor and aroma, my What Is a Hazy IPA guide walks through why New England-style dry hopping produces this soft, juicy result instead of a sharp, resinous one.

Tasting Notes

Poured into a tulip or teku glass, Western Ave comes out a hazy, glowing orange-gold with a thick white head that holds its shape well past the first few sips, exactly what I expect from a well-made New England IPA. The nose leads with ripe citrus and light tropical fruit, orange and mango up front, with a soft, doughy malt base underneath that keeps the aroma from smelling thin or one-note.

On the palate, that same juicy character carries through. It opens soft, with orange and stone fruit leading, and a light tropical sweetness rounding out the middle before a clean, restrained finish. The body is full without turning heavy, oats and wheat in the grain bill giving it that classic silky New England mouthfeel rather than anything sticky or cloying. Bitterness stays low throughout; this is a beer built around fruit and drinkability, not a hop-bomb bite. At 7.2% the alcohol shows up as a light warmth on the finish, present if you go looking for it, but it never competes with the fruit character for attention. This is a hazy IPA built to have a second one, not just to analyze and set down.

Food Pairing

A citrus-forward, fruit-driven hazy IPA like Western Ave wants food that either matches its brightness or cuts through something rich. My go-to pairing is spicy chicken wings; the citrus character and light bitterness cut through the heat and grease the same way a squeeze of lemon would. A charred, wood-fired pizza works nearly as well, especially anything topped with pepperoni or a spicy sausage. If you are keeping things local to where this beer is brewed, Western Ave also holds up surprisingly well against a plate of pierogies with caramelized onions, the malt sweetness in the beer playing nicely against the richness of the potato and butter. For more combinations built around hoppy beers specifically, I go through additional pairings in my Legally Hazy IPA review.

How Western Ave Compares to Other Hazy IPAs

I have reviewed a good number of hazy IPAs on this site, and Western Ave sits comfortably in the juicier, more approachable end of that group. Next to 5th Element from Conclave Brewing, a New Jersey hazy Double IPA at 8.5%, Western Ave is the lighter, easier-drinking option, built for a full pint rather than a slow sip. Compared with Hipster Juicebag from Burn ‘Em Brewing, a triple dry-hopped hazy IPA I found more aggressive on the hop side, Western Ave is the more restrained, everyday-drinking pick. And against fellow Pittsburgh brewery Iron City’s classic lager, covered in my Iron City Beer review, the two could not be more different styles, but both say something about how far Pittsburgh’s beer scene has grown from macro lagers to hazy IPAs with a genuine local following.

If you are building out a broader mental map of the IPA category before deciding what to try next, my Different IPAs Explained guide and my Best Double and Imperial IPAs ranking are both good starting points, and my IPA Brands hub rounds up every IPA review and guide I have published.

Where to Find Western Ave

Western Ave is easiest to find at Four Points Brewing’s two Pittsburgh-area locations, the original Charleroi spot and the Western Avenue taproom on the North Side, along with the sister restaurant Fourth Street BBQ next door to the original location. It has not shown up on Saucey’s delivery platform as of this review, since Four Points keeps its distribution regional to southwestern Pennsylvania rather than national. If you cannot get your hands on this specific can, the five beers below are genuinely comparable in style and confirmed available for delivery through Saucey.

Should You Try Western Ave?

If you like your hazy IPAs juicy, citrus-forward, and easy to keep drinking despite the strength, Western Ave is exactly that beer, and the 4.13 community rating across nearly 800 ratings reflects a genuinely well-liked release rather than hype tied to a small taproom. It is not built to punch you with bitterness, so if that is what you want, look toward a West Coast-style IPA instead. But for a New England-style hazy IPA from a brewery that has quietly built one of Pittsburgh’s most respected hop-forward reputations, and a can that literally wears its neighborhood on the label, this is a strong pick whenever you can track one down.

FAQs

What is the ABV of Western Ave by Four Points Brewing?

Western Ave is 7.2% ABV, a strong hazy IPA that sits above a standard IPA but short of double IPA strength.

What style of beer is Western Ave?

Western Ave is a New England-style hazy IPA, brewed by Four Points Brewing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

What is the IBU of Western Ave?

Four Points Brewing has not published an official IBU number for Western Ave. Hazy IPAs of similar strength typically test in the 40 to 60 IBU range, though perceived bitterness usually reads lower than the lab number because of how dry hopping affects flavor.

Is Western Ave available on Saucey?

Not currently. Four Points Brewing’s distribution stays regional to southwestern Pennsylvania, so Western Ave has not shown up on Saucey’s delivery platform. Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing and Big Little Thing Imperial IPA are close, confirmed-available alternatives.

Where is Four Points Brewing located?

Four Points Brewing has two locations: its original brewery in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, and a taproom at 919 Western Avenue on Pittsburgh’s North Side, which opened in April 2021 and inspired the Western Ave beer’s name and can art.

What does Western Ave pair well with?

Spicy chicken wings, charred wood-fired pizza, and pierogies with caramelized onions all pair well with Western Ave’s citrus-forward hop character and low bitterness.