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Some days you just need a tasty and reliable beer. That’s where these IPAs come in.
Despite recent backlash, and the proliferation of lesser-known beer styles, the IPA remains the king of craft. Reports estimate its hold on the craft-beer market at around 26 percent — more than any other style.
However, the regional, small-batch beers that first put the IPA on the map (ya know, your Pliny the Youngers and Heady Toppers) remain inaccessible to beer drinkers unwilling to traverse the country or trade rare suds on the dark net.
The good news is that you no longer have to … especially if it’s simply a tasty IPA you’re after.
Beer distribution improves every year, and grocery stores around country are now stocking IPAs that would impress even the most snobbish among us. Here are more than a dozen favorites you can find pretty much anywhere. Well, almost anyway.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Hazy Little Thing
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Hazy Little Thing
Specs
| ABV | 6.7 percent |
| IBU | 35 |
| Brewery Location | Chico, CA |
Sierra Nevada’s iconic Pale Ale would be welcome on any list, but it’s the the California brewery’s Hazy Little Thing that falls more in line with today’s IPA tastes.
This New England-Style IPA is citrusy and fresh thanks to a combination of Citra, Magnum, Simcoe, Comet, Mosaic and El Dorado hops. When it comes to a hazy IPAs you can find at the grocery store, few can top this.
Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale
Bell’s BreweryBell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale
Specs
| ABV | 7 percent |
| IBU | 55 |
| Brewery Location | Kalamazoo, MI |
There’s a reason Bell’s Two Hearted Ale was voted by Zymurgy readers as the “Best Beer in America” for four consecutive years: it’s the definition of an American IPA and you can get it just about everywhere.
Unlike the other beers on this list, Two Hearted Ale features just a single hop, Centennial, which gives it a floral taste and smell. If you’re counting calories, check out the more recently released Light Hearted Ale.
New Belgium Brewing Voodoo Ranger
New Belgium BrewingNew Belgium Brewing Voodoo Ranger
Specs
| ABV | 7 percent |
| IBU | 50 |
| Brewery Location | Fort Collins, CO |
New Belgium built its brand upon the success of Fat Tire — as well as an incredible sour program — but Voodoo Ranger turns heads when the brewery relaunched it in 2017 as a unified series.
New Belgium now produces at least five distinct Voodoo Ranger variants but the flagship IPA version is an excellent, clean-tasting IPA hopped with Mosaic and Amarillo (among Nugget, Cascade, Simcoe and Chinook).
Dogfish Head Brewery 60 Minute IPA
Dogfish Head BreweryDogfish Head Brewery 60 Minute IPA
Specs
| ABV | 6 percent |
| IBU | 60 |
| Brewery Location | Milton, DE |
Led by the vision of Sam Calagione, winner of a James Beard Award, Dogfish Head makes what it calls “off-centered ales for off-centered people.”
Its 60-Minute IPA may be the most centered beer in Caglione’s repertoire, however. It’s light gold in color, moderately bitter and incredibly crisp.
Founders Brewing Co. All Day IPA
Founders Brewing Co.Founders Brewing Co. All Day IPA
Specs
| ABV | 4.7 percent |
| IBU | 42 |
| Brewery Location | Grand Rapids, MI |
While All Day IPA might have been the most successful session beer in the country at one time, Founders Brewing Co. has had a fall from grace after a 2019 lawsuit in which they were accused of discrimination against employees. Abhorrent as that is, the liquid itself stands up.
At just 4.7 percent ABV, All-Day IPA is light in both body and mouthfeel, though surprisingly complex for a beer of its gravity. With 147 calories, it may eventually be left in the dust as more Lo-Cal IPAs launch. For now, however, it remains a popular — and delicious — option on shelves nationwide.
Stone IPA
Stone BrewingStone IPA
Specs
| ABV | 6.9 percent |
| IBU | 71 |
| Brewery Location | Escondido, CA |
Founded in 1996 in Escondido, California, Stone Brewing has become one of the most respected brewers in the world.
While the “Enjoy By” series and Neverending Haze have recently garnered praise, it’s the 20-plus-year-old IPA, which features eight different hops, that helped put West Coast IPAs on the map. Stone IPA leans a little more on the hoppy bitter end of the spectrum, but it’s still very much a leader in the traditional IPA category.
Lagunitas Brewing Company IPA
Lagunitas BrewingLagunitas Brewing Company IPA
Specs
| ABV | 6.9 percent |
| IBU | 71 |
| Brewery Location | Escondido, CA |
Lagunitas IPA might be the one beer on this list you can find just about anywhere you look — on tap and in bottles. Thanks to being owned by Heineken, even the diviest of dive bars oftentimes have a keg of this balanced IPA.
The hop bitterness of this IPA is married perfectly with a caramel malt body that mellows out the hops and brings forward more of the citrusy flavors.
Firestone Walker Brewing Company Mind Haze
Firestone Walker BrewingFirestone Walker Brewing Company Mind Haze
Specs
| ABV | 6.2 percent |
| IBU | 40 |
| Brewery Location | Paso Robles, CA |
Firestone Walker was one of the first nationally distributed breweries to find success with a shelf-stable hazy IPA. This tropically-flavored IPA is brewed with Cashmere and Mandarina hops and then dry-hopped with El Dorado, Idaho 7, Azacca, Mosaic and Cashmere.
Brooklyn Brewery East IPA
Brooklyn BreweryBrooklyn Brewery East IPA
Specs
| ABV | 6.9 percent |
| IBU | 47 |
| Brewery Location | Brooklyn, NY |
Brooklyn Brewery’s Garrett Oliver is a student of English brewing. As such, the iconic brewery’s East IPA (which became a year-round offering in 1996) blends British tradition with American innovation. British malt balances out the blend of hops quite well, creating a toffee malt palate and a clean, hoppy finish.
Cigar City Brewing Jai Alai
Cigar City BrewingCigar City Brewing Jai Alai
Specs
| ABV | 7.5 percent |
| IBU | 65 |
| Brewery Location | Tampa, FL |
If tropical Florida vibes were an IPA, it’d be Jai Alai — a bright and citrusy beer thanks to an impeccable blend of seven different hops. A standout for quite some time, it’s now readily available due to an ever-expanding distribution network from Cigar City.
Goose Island IPA
Goose IslandGoose Island IPA
Specs
| ABV | 5.9 percent |
| IBU | 55 |
| Brewery Location | Chicago, IL |
Goose Island’s flagship IPA harkens back to a little more of the piney, bitter IPAs. That’s thanks to the use of some more characteristically resiny hops like Pilgrim, Celeia, Cascade and Centennial. A grapefruit-like citrus is to be found though with a smooth flavor and a moderate lingering bitterness.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Torpedo Extra IPA
Sierra Nevada Brewing CoSierra Nevada Brewing Co. Torpedo Extra IPA
Specs
| ABV | 7.2 percent |
| IBU | 65 |
| Brewery Location | Chico, CA |
The second IPA from Sierra Nevada on this list, Torpedo Extra IPA gets its name from a dry-hopping device Sierra Nevada invented in 2009 called the Hop Torpedo. This essentially circulates beer with hops in a way that imparts flavor without bitterness. The beer itself, hopped with Magnum, Crystal and Citra varietals, is darker than most IPAs with notes of pine and citrus and less perceived bitterness than Pale Ale (despite a higher grading on the IBUs scale).
Firestone Walker Brewing Company Hopnosis
Firestone Walker Brewing CompanyFirestone Walker Hopnosis IPA
Specs
| ABV | 6.7 percent |
| IBU | 45 |
| Brewery Location | Paso Robles, CA |
One of the best new beers to come out in recent years, Hopnosis is the result of decades of IPA evolution in America. It takes the best of OG West Coast IPA qualities (resiny, piney) and combines them with the modern-day IPA’s best qualities (tropical, fruity). This is made possible by utilizing Mosaic Cryo Hops, which are cryogenically frozen to create a more flavorful hop pellet. And yes, you can get this innovation just about anywhere.
Deschutes Brewery Fresh Squeezed
Deschutes BreweryDeschutes Brewery Fresh Squeezed IPA
Specs
| ABV | 6.4 percent |
| IBU | 60 |
| Brewery Location | Bend, OR |
Deschutes is one of those breweries that many people sleep on — despite them being over three decades old. But did you know they’re sold in 32 states? That means the flagship IPA Fresh Squeezed is just a trip to the store away for the majority of Americans.
Leaning on one of the best hop combos ever (Citra and Mosaic), it’s a beer that’s easy-drinking and that balances that old-school West Coast flavor with some dialed-down bitterness in favor of modern fruit flavors like passionfruit (plus a little bit of maltiness, to boot).
Toppling Goliath King Sue
Toppling Goliath Brewing Co.Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. King Sue
Specs
| ABV | 7.8 percent |
| IBU | 100 |
| Brewery Location | Decorah, IA |
Years ago, Toppling Goliath’s King Sue would have been applicable for a list of white whale beers instead of grocery store IPAs. But thanks to expansion and a distribution network of 30 states, this legendary New England-style IPA can now be found pretty handily. It’s definitely on the imperial scale, but the high IBUs can be a little deceiving as it’s strictly hopped with Citra for a blast of tropical fruitiness that’s bound to appeal to IPA lovers far and wide.
