Photo: DusanBartolovic (Getty Images)
While the lager is the most imbibed beer in the world, the India Pale Ale is arguably the most popular craft beer style in America. As popular as it is, it’s also complicated. The beer’s genesis can be traced to the 1800s when English beer makers added extra hops to their pale ales so they would stay fresh during the month’s long voyage to India.
If you think there’s only one kind of IPA, you’re greatly mistaken. While the list is ever growing as new variations are originated, IPAs come in English-style, West Coast, East Coast, New England, Imperial, Session, Belgian, and even Milkshake (with the addition of lactose and oats).
And, since there are over 7,000 breweries in the United States alone, you can be sure there are a lot of different IPAs on the market. Some, like Russian River Pliny the Younger, Alchemist Focal Banger, or Stone IPA get a lot of hype but today we’re not concerned with those. Today we’re all about the underdogs, underrated, and under-hyped IPAs. Check out our favorites below.
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8 Underrated IPAs
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Sixpoint Anti-Resin
Sixpoint Anti-Resin is a bold beer. It’s 9.1 percent ABV, juicy, hazy, and full of peach, grapefruit, and pineapple flavors perfectly suited for fans of New England-style IPAs.
Photo: Sixpoint
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Cigar City Fancy Papers
When many drinkers think about Cigar City, their thoughts first head to the brewery’s flagship beer Jai Alai. The crisp, hoppy IPA is one of the most popular beers in America. But, Fancy Papers is a hazy IPA chock full pf mouth-watering melon and pineapple flavors.
Photo: Cigar City
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Deschutes Fresh Haze
In a world of hazy IPAs, Deschutes Fresh Haze with its 6.5 percent ABV stands above the rest. That’s because this supremely well-balanced IPA combines tropical fruit juiciness with a subtle malt backbone.
Photo: Deschutes
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Lagunitas Hop Stoopid
Like the hazy beers with “juice” in their name, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid is aptly named. This 8 percent ABV IPA is “massively dry-hopped.” The result is a super resinous, subtly bitter, hop bomb.
Photo: Lagunitas
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Saranac Legacy
This 6.5 percent ABV IPA is one of the most underrated beers in America. It’s lighter than most IPAs and is crisp, clean, and refreshing with just the right amount of floral hop presence.
Photo: Saranac
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Sierra Nevada Torpedo
Sierra Nevada calls Torpedo the “original extra IPA” and it definitely lives up to the name. Even though Hazy Little Thing gets a lot of the press, hop fans should grab a sixer of this 7.2 percent ABV IPA featuring Crystal, Citra, and Magnum hops.
Photo: Sierra Nevada
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Sloop Juice Bomb
When you crack open a Juice Bomb, you know exactly what you’re getting (hint: it’s a bomb of juice). This subtly resinous, well-balanced brew is full of juicy fresh fruit flavors with just a hint of hop bitterness.
Photo: Sloop
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Weldwerks Juicy Bits
Fans of juicy, hazy beers love Juicy Bits. It’s 6.7 percent and full of citrus and tropical fruit flavors. It gets some of its extra floral kick from dry-hopped El Dorado, Citra, and Mosiac hops.
Photo: Weldwerks
