When it comes to beer (especially craft beer), you’d have a tough time finding a beer more popular than the IPA. Whether it’s a West Coast IPA, New England-style IPA, or Imperial IPA, the style is arguably the most sought-after across the entire American craft beer world. But with more than 9,000 breweries currently operating in the US, there’s an awful lot of IPA options available.
How can you possibly choose just one? Well, the easiest way to find a great IPA is to drink a ton of them and simply find the ones you enjoy. Or you can let us do the legwork for you. Today, that comes in the form of asking a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us the one IPA that is ordered the most often at their bars. As you can see, patrons enjoy some well-known staples as well as many lesser-known underrated IPAs — keep scrolling to see them all.
Bell’s Two-Hearted
Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Bell’s Two Hearted is what you want when you order an IPA. It’s incredibly popular in our bar because the Centennial hops give amazing round, full flavor, and a sharp bitter note without being too heavy.
Tasting Notes:
At 7% ABV, the touch higher alcohol content carries all the dry hopped flavors ranging from pine to grapefruit and many more.
Gravely Debaser Hazy IPA
Alex Fitzgerald, beverage director at Paseo in Louisville
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
We serve Gravely’s Debaser Hazy IPA at Paseo, and it’s very popular with our IPA-loving guests. This beer has just enough hop and malt to satisfy the regular IPA drinker and those looking to explore IPAs.
Tasting Notes:
This Citra-hopped hazy IPA is loaded with tropical fruit and citrus flavors. The finish is pleasantly bitter.
Bearded Irish Homestyle IPA
Demi Natoli, beverage director at White Limozeen in Nashville
ABV: 6%
Average Price: $17 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
We stock Homestyle IPA, from a local brewery called Bearded Iris. Its hoppy and citrusy quality makes it super crushable. Solely hopped with Mosaic hops, this is a beer for fans of hoppy, fruity IPAs.
Tasting Notes:
The palate is a mix of berries, cereal grains, ripe grapefruit, and pine needles. At 6% ABV, it’s surprisingly crushable.
Goose Island IPA
Federico Doldi, food and beverage director at Gansevoort Meatpacking in New York City
ABV: 5.9%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Goose Island IPA is an American IPA that has a fruity aroma and a bold hoppy finish, making it a hop-lover’s dream. It’s a great beer for all seasons, from cold to mild to hot.
Tasting Notes:
This IPA is very popular for a reason. It has a slightly bitter taste on the palate to cut the sweetness from the fruit. Pine, fruit, everything an IPA drinker craves.
Grimm Wavetable
Tsuru Goto, food and beverage manager at Society Cafe in New York City
ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: $17 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
We’re lucky to be in New York City so we are able to access some great local breweries. The one we have been going to for our IPA is Grimm. The best and worst thing about it is that most of their beers are produced in limited quantities. This means we do have to switch up our selection based on what is available, but it also means that we get these great freshly hopped IPAs, and this freshness really makes the difference for a good IPA. Our current selection at Society Cafe is Wavetable. It’s a New England-style IPA brewed with Citra, Strata, and Mosaic hops. It’s extremely popular with our guests.
Tasting Notes:
Fruity, juicy, and dominated by candied orange peels, ripe pineapple, and pine with a gentle, lightly bitter finish that will leave you craving more.
Funky Buddha Hop Gun
Daniele Flumiani, restaurant manager at The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort in Miami
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Funky Buddha Hop Gun. It’s an American IPA brewed in Florida. It’s a classic 7% ABV East Coast IPA that’s available all year long and very popular at our bar.
Tasting Notes:
The hop bitterness is predominant, followed by floral and citrus notes. It has a refreshing finale making it very popular in warm-weather locations.
Calusa ZOTE IPA
Nick Perdue, beverage director at Tzeva in Sarasota, Florida
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $17 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Calusa Brewing’s ZOTE IPA. Absolutely have a sip when and if you can. It’s so hard to get now because of the demand for it, I can barely stock my fridge as it is.
Tasting Notes:
It’s really delicious, piney, bright hazy IPA. Quaffable and light, with a really super-natural citrus to keep it grounded.
Cigar City Jai Alai
Adrienne Balk, bartender at Parasol in St. Petersburg, Florida
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Cigar City Jai Alai IPA is our guest’s favorite. This beer is locally brewed in Tampa Bay. Not only is it a favorite of our guests, but this hoppy, flavorful IPA is a popular choice among drinkers all over the country. And for good reason.
Tasting Notes:
With notes of caramel, tangerine, and orange, it is on the hoppy side making it a beer lover’s dream.
Modist Dreamyard
Mike DeCamp, director of operations of Jester Concepts in Minneapolis
ABV: 7.1%
Average Price: $18 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Modist Dreamyard is a great IPA and one often enjoyed by our guests. People love it for what it is and the fact that it is a local brew makes it even better.
Tasting Notes:
Modist Dreamyard is a New England-style IPA that smells like stonefruit, pineapple, and citrus and that is amazing mostly coming from the huge amount of Citra and Denali hops they add.
Brickstone Haz’d Juice
Jazz Craft, beverage director at Proxi in Chicago
ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
The most popular IPA we serve is Brickstone Haz’d Juice. It’s a hazy IPA that is more full-bodied and citrus-forward.
Tasting Notes:
Even though it’s double hopped it uses cascade and Citra hop to add a freshness that cuts through some of the more bitter finishes you find in most IPAs.
