This witbier IPA fusion blends the smooth sweetness of wheat with the citric bitterness of hops. It won a silver medal (American-Belgo-Style Ale) at GABF in 2012. The ‘white IPA’ is a new trend these days in the craft beer world. The aroma on this guy is full of banana, with just a dash of clove and a sour whiff of hops. The palate is rather light, highly carbonated, and feels like club soda. The hop flavor is completely dominated by sour lemon, not quite puckering but still pretty tart. Wheat immediately rushes in with sweetness but not quite enough to balance out the bitterness. Pilsner malts develop and it finishes with additional notes of herbal hops, orange peel, and light coriander. The sustain is somewhat quick, and it leaves off a little dry so it’s super easy to drink and I would definitely consider this a session beer. It actually shares some wild ale characteristics too, being so sour with a bit of funky yeast.This is sort of cold beer I would reach for when mowing the lawn in the heat, because it’s so crisp and refreshing. I recommend you try it, but know it would be best when you’re craving a lighter, more sessionable beer. It may not be for everyone but it’s good.

Malt: Pilsner, Wheat, Unmalted Wheat

Hops: Bravo, Citra, Centennial, Cascade

Other: Sweet Orange, Coriander

5.6%

55 IBU

Bend, Oregon

This All Day IPA is a spring-summer seasonal created to merge a lighter, more sessionable, and less bitter ale with the fresh flavor only found in an IPA. It was a silver medal winner at GABF in 2010. The aroma is delightfully crisp, clean and fruity, smelling exactly like ruby red grapefruit topped with white sugar. The palate begins mellow and softly carbonated with a slow buildup of toasted bread pale malts. Sweet grapefruit rises to a crisp climax, then things switch directions and move into grassy hops of moderate bitterness, a rich grain flavor, and finishes off with a puckering astringent accent that tastes like lemon. Overall, the palate is very bright, and quick to rise and fall. The mouth feel runs parallel to the transitioning of flavor, always feeling clean and crisp but not quite smooth. If I had to pick a session beer, this would be in my top tier. Obviously the best feature is the drinkability, and I appreciate the intent and think they’ve succeeded in toning down an IPA, but as a standalone IPA it’s not good enough to compete with other options (but it isn’t fair to compare it to others since drinkability was such a strong goal). The astringent finish might actually hinder the drinkability a bit, and is one of the beer’s weaknesses. It still tastes great, and it would certainly be tough to only drink one of these. In the end, your satisfaction will be directly relational to your expectations. Recommended.

4.7%

42 IBU

Grand Rapids, Michigan

This west coast IPA pours a hefty white head that keeps its retention until the glass is empty (5/5). Aromas are fresh with zesty grapefruit, orange, and lemon with a dash of pine sap and fresh cut grass. Hops burst onto the palate with cleansing grapefruit and freshly cut grass. The palate hits with a refreshing and cleansing feel paired with clean grapefruit, then presents a floral bouquet with cannabis, and finishes out with a bitter hop oil finish. Lightly toasted biscuit malts and sugar cookies hold firm against the hop delivery to level things out nicely with appropriate sweetness. The feel is smooth at first, then gets oily without managing to become too cloying. This hop trio is really working out… Amarillo, Centenial, and Simcoe all have heavy use for good reason, and the layering of the three produces a wide range of flavors that are working really well together for a great mix of bitter, sweet, and sour. Now this is an IPA worth trying! It’s like southern Cali condensed inside a bottle. Recommended.

Malt: Two Row, Wheat, Carapils and English Crystal Malts

Hops: Amarillo, Centenial, and Simcoe.

Yeast: White Labs’ California Ale Ale

7.0%

? IBU

San Diego, California

This east coast style IPA marks my first beer brewed in Minnesota. It immediately opens with a fresh citrus bouquet of delicious ‘c’ hops. Scottish malts burst onto the palate with a nearly spicy flavor, sweet with rich roasted barley that never backs down and equally matches the power of the hops. Flavors are grassy and herbal, with an orange citrus highlight and pine resin bitterness which quickly settles in and lingers with long sustain. Mouth feel is smooth and easy going despite the aggressive bitterness (99 IBU). This is a solid IPA with a unique emphasis on malts, but overall the hop flavors fail to ‘wow’ me. What they’ve done with the malt is what really interests me the most. In the end, it’s a pretty full bodied beer with good flavor that’s not likely to disappoint you. Gotta give em’ props for the high IBU. Recommended.

6.2%

99 IBU

Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

As you probably guessed, this IPA is bitter and hoppy enough to stand up the other top tier West Coast IPA’s. Aromas abound with glorious waves of candied grapefruit, pineapple and fresh pine. A complex bouquet of hops intro with Cascade for floral lightness, Simcoe for district tropical fruits and grapefruit rind, Columbus for added alpha acids and bitterness, then Centennial for a lemon/lime accent with pine resin on the finish. Malt rests assuringly below to hold up the hop assault rather well, adding a semi-sweet caramel flavor. The flavor isn’t as explosive as expected, but this is still a lip smackingly tasty beer. Rather than a dazzlingly bright, ultra-fresh citrus zest, the flavor profile is more mid-range and bold, with brassy hops, caramel, and lightly toasted pale malt. Mouth feel is smooth at first, then sharp with carbonation and bitterness. The finish is bitter/sour, adding an astringent, almost puckering feel. This just might be Green Flash’s best offering. I’ll let you decide. Recommended by me.

Hops: Cascade, Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial

7.3%

95 IBU

San Diego, California

This IPA has quite a bit of hype surrounding it, in part because Dogfish Head was clever enough to jump into the big IPA trend early on in the game. The aroma is grainy and sweet like donuts, accented by citric hops with some herbal and pine notes. The palate is very similar…hops rush in with tangerine and orange flavored high notes, then level out with mellow sweet bread malt, and finish with minty hops. It’s only mildly bitter, not too sweet and has just a kiss of citric sourness. This stunning balance of bitter, sour, and sweet is the most crucial asset of the beer. Mouth feel is smooth and creamy, clean and satisfying. On the downside, it appears to make a sacrifice on flavor in exchange for balance and drinkability and may have failed to match my expectations. I’m on the fence, but it’s still a good beer.

6.0%

60 IBU

Milton, Delaware

This seasonal IPA is a welcome shift from other more predictable styles, thankfully steering clear of holiday spices. It pours a thick, long-lasting head with a fresh and fruity, citric aroma. Three great “C” hops, Cascade, Centennial and Chinook combine for a broad spectrum of flavor that touches on grapefruit, pine, mint, honeysuckle, and gives a nice spicy bite. Hops linger over a rich and mildly sweet barley malt which help to offset the bitterness, but its too sour to find proper balance. Bitterness is at a happy medium, just enough to keep good drinkability. It’s medium body carries a crisp introduction, levels off smooth and creamy, then leaves off with a drying finish. Mouth feel runs parallel to the sequence of flavors in a really appealing way. I look forward to this each year. Recommended.

Hops: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook

6.8%

? IBU

Fort Collins, Colorado

This IPA will always stand out in my memories. The malt is a tad more pronounced than a regular IPA so you get a good grain flavor that kicks in post-hop delivery, injecting a bit of caramel. The hops are grapefruit centered with a suitable pine oil/orange rind bitterness to level out the sweetness of malt. It’s altogether pretty straight-forward in flavor, and I’m not detecting much beyond grapefruit. I think its 69 IBU’s are a perfect bitterness level…not too much or too little. The feel is somewhat sharp, but it’s easy to drink, and it tastes good. This IPA will deliver on your expectations without going much further. It’s an IPA I’ll always return to. Recommended.

Hops: Columbus, Chinook, Cascade and Centennial

Malt: Two-row barley, Munich, Caramel

6.5%

69 IBU

Boulder, Colorado

This IPA was aged with oak chips, imparting some vanilla and earthy undertones. The malt is reminiscent of toasted rye bread with butter. The hop profile begins with tropical sweetness, opening up a panoply of citrus fruit followed by a grassy spice. Bitterness keeps clear until the finish where evergreen sap lingers in closing. Sweetness is rather high (for style), imparting a somewhat syrupy feel that doesn’t work to this beer’s advantage. The malt load is quite high so that bitter and sweet actually find a good balance.

Oak chips or oak barrel aging does alot to the character of a beer, and I always appreciate the deeper undertones they provide. I think it really mellows and rounds out the palate and mouthfeel in a welcoming way. Even though they didn’t knock this one out of the park, I enjoyed it and I think it’s worth picking up to see for yourself. Recommended.

7.1%

? IBU

Denver, Colorado

This IPA comes in light. The hops are dulled down, tasting of spices and herbs with kiss of oranges and pine needles. The malt comes across tasting like fresh dough and yeast, which I find to be the most attractive part of the beer. Light bitterness blends with a metallic tinge, tainting the finish. I’m having trouble locating very many positive things in this beer. It comes across more like a pale ale to me, due to the mild hopping, low bitterness, and abundance of pale malt. This may very well be the worst IPA I’ve ever had. I honestly just wanted to be done with it as soon as possible. Not at all recommended!

6.3%

? IBU

Rochester, New York

This IPA comes in smooth and creamy with grapefruit rind and a dash of pine. There’s a light interplay of pine as citrus fruits wash over, and a dash of peach. Biscuit malt hints at caramel, working only to support the hops. The palate is delicately floral, fresh, and slightly fruity. Bitterness is subdued, balancing well with sour and sweet. The body is well-rounded and smooth on the edges, drinking easy.

This is a pretty tasty IPA, and a good representation of the style. My preconceptions were proven wrong by this offering from Georgia. It’s probably the best IPA from the south I’ve ever had (but that isn’t saying all that much). Recommended if you’re ever in that part of the country, but not the best IPA out there.

6.3%

? IBU

Atlanta, Georgia

This “Daytime” seasonal IPA was brewed for maximum drinkability. It features a very light malt paired with an equally light hopping, coming in with just enough juicy citric flavor. Hops are light and floral with a grapefruit tangerine twist. Comes across clean and crisp, though a bit watered down. Sweetness is very understated, and bitterness is perfect for the aim of this beer.

I think this borders on a pale ale, but the limited malt addition and aromatic hops pull it back into IPA territory. The intent of this beer is a sessionable IPA, and they pull if off quite nicely, adding a perfect dose of hops to the boil. This would make an excellent summer IPA. Recommended.

4.65%

54 IBU

Petaluma, California

This IPA will mark my first brew from Georgia. It’s backed by 25% rye to spice things a bit, adding a grainy nuance. Things open up with pale malt and heavily citric lemon rind and grapefruit hops, then transition into mild pine and semi-spicy rye. Orange peel, grass clippings, and mint fill in the details. Bitterness is maintained, so drinkability is benefited and there’s still enough to carry through after the finish. Malt and hops are just about equal, though I find it under-hopped for my taste. A sharp carbonation hits right in sync with the moment hops hit the palate.

Overall, it’s pretty straightforward, and the rye and hop loads aren’t quite significant enough to make an impact. It just ends up tasting like a grapefruit rind IPA with a pine twist. If the label didn’t indicate rye you wouldn’t be likely to notice it, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t well-integrated. It’s not bad, but also not quite recommended.

Grains: 2 Row, Rye Malt, CaraRye, Rye Flakes, Munich

Hops: Columbus, Mt Hood, Centennial

6.2%

45 IBU

Atlanta, Georgia

This is the first beer that really blew my mind and opened me up to the whole craft beer world. The aroma is distinctively IPA with pine resin and grapefruit, but Stone does it with mastery. Pine hops are king of the palate, with grapefruit rind coming in close behind, followed by a floral lightness. Orange dreamsicle, lemon, hints of pineapple, and dominant with grassy pine. Hops find satisfying equilibrium with malt. Bitterness is up there, but manages to keep from going overboard. Toasted malt hint at icing drizzled sweet bread. There’s great clarity and cleanliness…a bright, crisp, lush, and refreshing feel over a soft-edged body.

The equilibrium is damn near perfect, bitter/sour/sweet collide in unison. All around solid and hard to find much room for improvement. There’s good reason for its notoriety. This is a competitor for my #1 IPA, and a tough one to beat! Highly recommended.

Hops: Columbus, Chinook, Centennial

6.9%

77 IBU

Escondido, California

This IPA stands out to me for its excellent malt/hop balance of bitter/sweet. Just to note, the aroma is really lacking. A robust, almost spicy malt rests below a hearty pine hopping. Relying more on hop flavor than bitterness, it opens up with a burst of pineapple sweetness, then reaches into a more grassy, herbal, evergreen finish. A sharp decay in bitterness allows for a fuller appreciation of finer flavor elements, and even makes some room for that malt to have a moment to shine. Mouth feel comes across nice and creamy with a sticky, semi-dry finish. The balance of sour/sweet/bitter is simply impeccable.

Overall, I think with a malt load this heavy this beer could do with more hopping. Though, what is offered is really solid and palatable. I really appreciate the balance happening here. This is such a well-rounded IPA. Recommended.

7.1%

60 IBU

Denver, Colorado