Colorado is a haven for great craft beer. The good brewers of Rocky Mountain State have been at the forefront of micro-brewing for decades now. They’ve helped create and cement some of the biggest trends in the American beer scene since the 1990s to right now. Part of that heritage is with the American IPA brewed with malted barleys, hopped with funky hops, and made with that iconic Rocky Mountain water. Since Colorado is such a great spot for crafty and, honestly, now mainstream American IPAs, I thought it was high time to call out some of our absolute favorites.
Below, I’m calling out eight Colorado IPAs that you absolutely need to try. I’m not keeping it to one specific style of IPA either because where’s the fun in that? Colorado has huge brewing regions, especially in Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Fort Collins that all have micro-cultures therein. That makes Colorado great for West Coast IPAs, doubles, triples, hazies, New England, and every type of hybrid you can think of.
Okay, let’s get into the piney, floral, fruity, malty, and hoppy IPAs being brewed a mile high out in Colorado. My advice is to read my tasting notes, find the IPA that speaks to you, and then hit that price link to see if you grab a sixer in your neck of the woods.
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8) Ska Modus Hoperandi
ABV: 6.8%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This Colorado IPA is referred to as “old-man bitter”. Brewed with Centennial, Cascade, and Columbus hops, it’s known for its hoppy, fairly bitter flavor profile featuring a lot of resinous pine and citrus (specifically grapefruit).
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find grapefruit and pine. That’s about it though. There’s more of the same on the palate with dank pine needles and grapefruit taking center stage with some sweet, bready malts in the background.
Bottom Line:
If you like pine and grapefruit with hoppy bitterness at the finish, this is a great IPA for you.
7) Avery Maharaja
ABV: 10%
Average Price: $20 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This imperial IPA is brewed with a “deranged” number of hops. This includes Columbus, Simcoe, Centennial, and Chinook hops in the kettle and dry-hopped with Idaho 7, Vic Secret, and more Simcoe hops. It’s well-known for its mix of malt sweetness and floral citrus hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is classic IPA with a ton of dank pine and citrus peels. Not much else is discernable though. The palate has a lot of candied orange peel, caramel malt, and pine flavors. The high alcohol content is very noticeable and the finish is floral and bitter.
Bottom Line:
Avery Maharaja is a big and bold beer.
6) Upslope IPA
ABV: 7.2%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Known for its mix of caramel malts and aromatic and flavorful hops, this classic IPA is brewed with Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe, and Columbus hops. This beer ticks all the boxes of citrus, pine, caramel, and the expected IPA bitterness.
Tasting Notes:
Scents of pine needles, lemongrass, citrus peels, caramel, and wildflowers greet you before your first sip. The palate, while not as complex as the nose, features caramel malts, pine needles, and bright citrus. The finish is dry, bitter, and memorable.
Bottom Line:
This is a great choice if you enjoy classic, dry, bitter IPAs. It won’t knock your socks off with any of its flavors, but it just works.
5) Odd13 Codename: Superfan
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This take on the classic American IPA is brewed with Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo, and Equinox hops. The recipe is rounded out with Rahr 2-Row, Flaked Wheat, Weyermann Carafoam malts. It was created to be a beer for the super fans and this is exactly what it is.
Tasting Notes:
This hazy IPA begins with a fruity, citrus-driven nose of caramelized pineapple, tangerine, guava, mango, and floral hops. There’s more of the same (in the best way possible) on the palate with fresh squeezed orange juice, tangerine, mango, peach, and grassy, floral, herbal, piney hops. The finish is sweet and gently hoppy.
Bottom Line:
If you enjoy hazy juicy IPAs, you need to add this beer to your must-try list. It might not be the most balanced hazies ever made, but it leans into the tropical fruit in a big way.
4) Odell Myrcenary Double IPA
ABV: 9.3%
Average Price: $14 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Odell is a big name in the craft beer world. One of its best beers is Odell Myrcenary. It gets its name from “myrcene”, a part of the essential oils that are found in the hop flower. Brewed with hops with a ton of myrcene, this popular beer is known for its floral, piney, citrus-filled aroma and flavor.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. Tangerine, orange peel, ripe grapefruit, peach, mango, pineapple, and caramel malts are big. Drinking it reveals a nice caramel backbone propped up by more mango, passionfruit, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, and a ton of dank pine. The finish is bitter, dry, and leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
This is a very well-rounded IPA. The caramel malt backbone holds up well with the tropical fruit, citrus, and bitterness of the hops included.
3) Outer Range In The Steep
ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: $18 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This popular New England-style IPA gets its flavor from being double dry-hopped exclusively with Citra hops. The result is a hazy juicy IPA loaded with tropical fruit and ripe citrus flavors. There’s a reason it’s one of the highest-rated IPAs coming out of Colorado.
Tasting Notes:
A complex nose of honeydew melon, caramelized pineapple, raspberries, grapefruit, and mango give way to floral, resinous hops. The palate is juicy, and velvety and has notes of caramel malts, ripe pineapple, mango, berries, grapefruit juice, and a gentle kiss of herbal pine at the finish with very little bitterness.
Bottom Line:
Sometimes New England-style IPAs lean a little heavily on the fruity, juicy aspect. This one doesn’t. It’s sublimely well-balanced.
2) Weldwerks Juicy Bits
ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: $18 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
There are few Colorado IPAs more well-known than Weldweks Juicy Bits. The Greeley, Colorado brewery’s flagship IPA is brewed with El Dorado, Citra, and Mosaic hops, giving it a glut of tropical fruit and citrus flavor.
Tasting Notes:
This beer smells like a freshly squeezed glass of orange juice and that’s the point. On top of ripe oranges, there are notes of mango, peach, grapefruit, and pineapple as well as sweet wheat and caramel malts. The palate is very similar with a ton of orange zest, grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, melon, berries, and a nice hint of floral, lightly bitter hops at the finish.
Bottom Line:
This beer is called Juicy Bits for a reason. While still maintaining the dry, hoppy properties of an IPA, it also has flavors like a pulpy glass of orange juice.
1) Station 26 Juicy Banger
ABV: 7.4%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Station 26’s flagship beer is aptly named Juicy Banger IPA. Brewed with Centennial, Citra, and Mosaic hops as well as Root Shoot Malting Genie Pale malt, it’s known for its mix of juicy flavors including ripe peach, mango, papaya, honey, and floral, earthy hops.
Tasting Notes:
Citrus peels, passionfruit, peach, tangerine, and floral hops make up a very welcoming nose. The palate continues this trend with flavors of peach, lemongrass, grapefruit, guava, caramel malts, and lightly bitter, floral, earthy, piney hops. The finish is dry and refreshing.
Bottom Line:
Proving that it’s difficult to beat a well-made juicy IPA, Station 26 Juicy Banger is definitely a beer you should add to your go-to list.
