If you took a peek into our coolers this summer, you would find a ton of lagers, wheat beers, pale ales, but mostly IPAs. When it comes to summer beer drinking, we tend to head towards the IPA before any other beer style. The IPA just hits better than most beer styles during the hazy summer months.
West Coast IPAs, milkshake IPAs, New England-style IPAs, we love them all. Maybe it’s the pine and hops. Or, in the case of hazy IPAs, maybe it’s the juicy, citrus, and tropical fruit flavors. Regardless, opening up the cooler at a campsite or backyard barbecue and finding a few IPAs to pick from makes us really happy.
To find the best IPA choices for the remaining summer days, we went to beer professionals for their insight. We asked a few well-known craft beer experts and brewers to tell us the one IPA they drink all summer. Keep scrolling to see all of their warm-weather picks.
Firestone Walker Mind Haze
James Bruner, certified cicerone and brewing supervisor at Irwindale Brew Yard in Irwindale, California
ABV: 6.2%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Hazy IPAs offer beers with higher hop flavors and aromas leaving behind all the bitterness of traditional IPAs, yielding a smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel from high amounts of wheat and oats in the grain bill. And while some of the best hazies come from brewers like The Alchemist, Treehouse, Trillium, Monkish, and WeldWerks, I think something that is more widely available makes for the perfect summer crusher. You don’t need to waste any time waiting in line or trading with your cousin in Boston when you can easily go to the store and grab a six-pack of Firestone Walker Mind Haze.
Tasting Notes:
It is amazingly hoppy, with stone fruit, citrus, and tropical aromas over bready wheat malts, with none of the bitterness that turns some people away from IPAs. Because of their quality control measures, you are pretty much guaranteed to have a fresh beer in your hands too. What’s not to love?
Bell’s Two-Hearted
Katie Muggli, founder and executive director of Infinite Ingredient in Minneapolis
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
If I could only drink one IPA for the rest of my life, it’d be the one that made me fall in love with craft beer in the first place. Bell’s Two Hearted first made me swoon as a college student. Every time I revisit it, I find something new to revel in, and its consistency is like a great big hug from an old friend.
Tasting Notes:
It’s beautifully balanced, with a malt backbone that distinctively cradles the bright pine and citrus from the Centennial hops.
Zero Gravity Conehead
Joe Mashburn, head brewer of Night Shift Brewing in Boston
ABV: 5.7%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
The best IPA that I enjoy drinking in the summer is Conehead by Zero Gravity – a nice and balanced IPA that isn’t overly juicy, isn’t overly bitter, and just right in the middle. Easy to drink a few.
Tasting Notes:
This hoppy, summery beer is highlighted by lemon zest, grapefruit juice, and a ton of pine. A sweet, malty backbone makes this a well-balanced summer IPA.
Offshoot Relax
Neil Willcoxson, head brewer at 8 Bit Brewing Company in Murrieta, California
ABV: 6.8%
Average Price: $16 for a four-pack
The Beer:
Relax by Offshoot Beer Co. It’s a perfect balance of robust hop flavor/aroma and simplicity, not overwhelming, but still very flavorful.
Tasting Notes:
It is very tropical and citrusy which makes for great summer drinking. It’s hazy, juicy, and perfect on a hot day.
Outer Range Into The Steep
Matthew Miller, co-founder and head brewer of Sunroom Brewing in Englewood, Colorado
ABV: 6.9%
Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Having spent the majority of my childhood in Upstate New York, New England IPAs will always be my favorite style of summery IPAs. Into the Steep from Outer Range is in my opinion the best Hazy IPA in this style that I have had.
Tasting Notes:
The palate is sweet, juicy, and filled with peach, mango, and citrus fruits. There’s a nice malt backbone and just a hint of bitter, floral, grassy hops.
Wren House Spellbinder
Jan Chodkowski, head brewer and co-owner at Our Mutual Friend Brewing Company in Denver
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $19 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
The best IPA this summer for me has to be Wren House’s Spellbinder. It has to be the best Citra, Mosaic hazy out there. Cloudy, juicy, and surprisingly well-balanced, it’s the kind of IPA I’ll drink until fall.
Tasting Notes:
Super citrus and tropical aromas with a smooth body keep you reaching back for more. It’s as close to perfection as a summery IPA gets.
Cannonball Creek Trump Hands
Fred Rizzo, lead brewer for Call to Arms Brewing in Denver, Colorado
ABV: 4.6%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
I think it would be Trump Hands from Cannonball Creek. Making lower ABV IPAs that drink like “normal” IPAs is very challenging and the gents at CBC have continued to nail this style over many years (as the medals they’ve won prove it).
Tasting Notes:
This beer hits all the IPA marks that I appreciate (citrus, fruit, dank, mildly bitter finish) all while being full-bodied and low ABV.
Russian River Blind Pig
Skip Schwartz, head brewer at WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley, Colorado
ABV: 6.25%
Average Price: $8 for a 510ml bottle
The Beer:
I would have to say that Blind Pig is always the IPA I choose to drink whenever I see it on a menu. In my opinion, it is the perfect IPA due to its excellent balance of malt sweetness and body, which complements its level of bitterness perfectly.
Tasting Notes:
The combination of pine and citrus flavors meld together seamlessly, creating a delightful taste experience. Additionally, its 6.2% ABV makes it an ideal beer to enjoy a few without feeling overly full, and it pairs exceptionally well with meals.
Lawson’s Finest Sip of Sunshine
George Hummel, grain master of My Local Brew Works in Philadelphia
ABV: 8%
Average Price: $18 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Lawson’s Sip Of Sunshine is one of the early trailblazers for the hazy style and it’s the one I gravitate towards as my personal favorite. It’s hazy, but not chunky. I find it truly amazing the layers of flavor being pulled from one kind of malt and one hop variety.
Tasting Notes:
Crisp pilsner malt and citrusy hops tied up in a pretty yellow bow. The only negative is it may be a little too crushable for a brew that weighs in at 8% ABV.
Pinthouse Electric Jellyfish
Garth Beyer, certified Cicerone and owner of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $19 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Electric Jellyfish from Pinthouse Brewing is my summer IPA go-to after a recent recommendation from a friend. It’s a great, well-balanced hazy IPA for the summer months.
Tasting Notes:
It’s beyond juicy without getting high up in the ABV. Notes of citrus, pineapple, mango, and lychee make it incredibly refreshing against the heat.
