10 Great IPAs To Try Before You Die

Today has been designated IPA Day and If ever a beer style deserved its own special day, it’s the India Pale Ale. And with so many great IPAs out there (and so many variations), even attempting to come up with a definitive list might be dismissed as sheer recklessness on our part. But that’s never stopped us in the past.

So here are 10 big-time IPAs that you need to try.

It’s probably best to begin by hitting on some of craft beer’s most famous and beloved IPAs, and Russian River’s power-duo is an obvious place to start. One of craft beer’s hottest tickets, Pliny the Younger is a 10.25% Triple IPA. Primarily available at Russian River’s Pub the first two weeks in February, this draft-only release has accrued an almost mythological status in the IPA world. This is a pilgrimage beer – and it’s worth it.

Unlike its younger brother, Pliny the Elder is available year-round. Brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe hops this 8% Double India Pale Ale defines the “new west” IPA tradition.

, 10 Great IPAs To Try Before You DieThe Alchemist brews a beer that some see as the East Coast’s answer to Pliny. Brewed in Waterbury, Vermont, The Alchemist’s Heady Topper is an 8% year-round Imperial IPA that’s fast achieving its own legendary status. Their lower octane 7% Focal Banger doesn’t suck either!

Another New England upstart, Bissell Brothers has an IPA that stands with the best (especially on the East Coast). Big, but hardly Imperial, The Substance Ale is a 6.6% brightly dank American IPA with an almost cultish and well-deserved following.

, 10 Great IPAs To Try Before You DieDown in Florida, Cigar City brews a wonderful India Pale Ale. A year-round that’s now in cans, Cigar City Jai Alai IPA is 7.5% destination beer that’s definitely worth the journey.

Out in the Midwest there are a couple of IPAs that have achieved rock star status and are “muled” widely around the world. Kalamazoo, Michigan-based Bell’s Brewery has a winter seasonal release that still generates considerable buzz. Brewed using six varietals and dry-hopped out of its mind, Hopslam Ale is a 10% “Imperial” that has more than earned its legacy reputation.

, 10 Great IPAs To Try Before You DieJust southeast of Chicago in Munster Indiana, 3 Floyds has garnered a reputation for being both edgy and bold – and they’ve a year-round Double India Pale Ale that people are crazy for. Clocking in at an unapologetic 10% ABV, 3 Floyds Dreadnaught IPA is excessively brilliant.

Colorado is a great beer state, so picking favorites out that way is understandably difficult – but Odell brews a world-class Pale Ale. Available year-round Odell IPA is a 7% hop-forward celebration that does the state proud.

It’s a ridiculous exercise picking just one favorite from an IPA-rich region like the San Diego area but Ballast Point is always a good place to start. Hopped in five separate stages, Ballast Point Sculpin India Pale Ale is a 7% awarding-winner that is renowned around the world.

The Pacific Northwest is another incredibly rich craft beer region – and home to a multitude of award-winning IPAs. But since Breakside Brewery took home a gold medal for the best India Pale Ale at last year’s GABF, we thought we’d start there. The brewery’s most popular offering, Breakside is a beautifully clear 6.8% India Pale Ale – and it’s pretty essential.

 

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