Top 10 American IPAs Brewed in America
This Top Ten American IPA list is from the U.S. Open Beer Championship, Great American Beer Festival, and World Beer Cup. An American IPA (India Pale Ale) is a hop-forward craft beer style that originated in the United States, characterized by its bold aroma, pronounced bitterness, and vibrant flavors of citrus, pine, floral, and tropical fruit from American-grown hops like Cascade, Citra, and Simcoe. It typically has an ABV ranging from 5.5% to 7.5% and a clean, dry finish, with a light to medium malt backbone that lets the hops take center stage.
1. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale – Bell’s Brewery (Michigan)
A benchmark American IPA brewed exclusively with Centennial hops, offering a harmonious blend of pine and citrus flavors. ABV: 7.0%
2. Wedding Crasher – Hoptown Brewing – (North Carolina)
West Coast-style IPA that artfully blends Magnum, Centennial, Citra, and Mosaic hops to deliver a crisp, dry, and balanced profile featuring notes of pine, mango, grapefruit, and citrus. ABV: 6.2%
3. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA – Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Delaware)
Continuously hopped for 60 minutes, this IPA delivers a balanced bitterness with a nuanced hop profile. ABV: 6.0%
4. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (California)
Utilizing the “Hop Torpedo” dry-hopping device, this IPA offers intense hop aromas and a robust flavor. ABV: 7.2%
5. Stone IPA – Stone Brewing (California)
A classic West Coast IPA known for its bold hop character and crisp finish, featuring notes of tropical fruit and citrus. ABV: 6.9%
6. Odell IPA – Odell Brewing Co. (Colorado)
A bold and flavorful IPA with a prominent hop aroma and a clean, crisp finish. ABV: 7.0%
7. Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA – Bear Republic Brewing Co. (California)
A full-bodied IPA with a firm malt foundation and a blend of hops that provide a complex flavor profile. ABV: 7.5%
8. Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA – Deschutes Brewery (Oregon)
This IPA features juicy citrus and grapefruit flavors from a heavy dose of Citra and Mosaic hops. ABV: 6.4%
9. Founders Centennial IPA – Founders Brewing Co. (Michigan)
Named after the Centennial hops it features, this IPA offers a balanced bitterness with floral and citrus notes. ABV: 7.2%
10. Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA – Firestone Walker Brewing Company (California)
A well-crafted IPA with a pronounced hop aroma and a balanced malt character, delivering grapefruit and tangerine flavors. ABV: 7.0%
History of the American IPA
The American India Pale Ale (IPA) emerged in the late 20th century as a bold reinterpretation of the traditional English IPA, which was historically brewed with high hop content and alcohol to survive long sea voyages to colonial India. In the United States, the craft beer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, spurred by pioneers like Anchor Brewing and Sierra Nevada, set the stage for the IPA’s transformation. Brewers began experimenting with American hop varieties like Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook, which imparted distinctive citrus, pine, and floral notes. Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, released in 1980, became a precursor, showcasing Cascade hops and inspiring a new generation of brewers to push hop bitterness and aroma to new heights. By the 1990s, breweries like Stone Brewing and Dogfish Head were crafting intensely hopped IPAs, with Stone’s Arrogant Bastard Ale (1997) and Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA (2003) cementing the style’s reputation for bold flavors and high bitterness, often exceeding 60 IBUs (International Bitterness Units).
The American IPA evolved further in the 2000s with the rise of substyles like Double IPAs (DIPAs) and the hazy, juicy New England IPA (NEIPA). Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing, first brewed in 1999, became an iconic DIPA, balancing extreme hoppiness with malt sweetness, while Vermont’s The Alchemist introduced Heady Topper in 2003, a hazy, fruit-forward NEIPA that prioritized aroma over bitterness. These innovations reflected a shift toward diverse expressions of the IPA, driven by consumer demand and brewer creativity. Today, American IPAs dominate craft beer, with over 9,000 breweries in the U.S. (as of 2023) producing countless variations, from sessionable low-ABV IPAs to barrel-aged and fruited versions, solidifying the style as a cornerstone of global beer culture.
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