The only thing better than a bright, refreshing IPA on a hot summer’s day is the same beer with actual real citrus fruits added to it. There are very few flavors that work better than tangerine, lime, grapefruit, or lemon paired with floral, herbal, and pine-filled IPA profiles. But adding actual fruit to a beer is fairly tricky. Don’t add enough and it barely tastes like the fruit highlighted on the can. Add too much and it more resembles a Radler than a beer. The key is finding that sweet spot where hops and citrus flavors intermingle to create a perfect, crushable warm weather beer.
We understand that if you’ve never tried any citrus fruited IPAs, the thought of simply grabbing a sixer without any background is a fairly daunting task. You could love it or you could absolutely loathe its over-the-top flavors. So we’re here to help.
We’ve tried countless citrus-fruited IPAs and found eight of the best. These IPAs feature grapefruit, tangerine, mandarin oranges, and even extra fruits like passionfruit and pineapple. Keep scrolling to see them all.
8) Blue Mountain A Hopwork Orange
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This tart, citrus-driven IPA is brewed with light Crystal malt and a ton of Simcoe, Citra, and Centennial hops. While that would be all well and good, the brewers at Blue Mountain took the citrus aspect one step further by adding natural orange flavoring to heighten the experience.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find a ton of tangerine and lightly floral, herbal, piney hops. But nothing else to speak of. Drinking it reveals more orange peel, grapefruit, and grassy, floral, lightly bitter hops. The finish has more orange and just a hint of pine. Overall, a bit muted in the flavor department though.
Bottom Line:
This is a subtle, refreshing citrus-filled beer. It’s not overly hoppy though and is actually a little thin and watery.
7) Cisco Gripah Grapefruit IPA
ABV: 5.5%
Average Price: $10 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This 5.5% ABV IPA gets its tart, bright, refreshing flavor from the addition of ruby red grapefruit zest. It’s known for its piney, hoppy, lightly bitter flavor that pairs well with the slightly sour, acidic, sweet grapefruit flavor.
Tasting Notes:
Pine and grapefruit are big on the nose. Sadly, there’s nothing else to be found. The palate continues this trend. Drinking it reveals freshly squeezed grapefruit, orange peels, and a ton of pine at the finish. The ending is tart and lightly bitter. It’s crisp and refreshing, but a little one-dimensional.
Bottom Line:
This is a bit of a one-trick pony. If you don’t enjoy a healthy kick of grapefruit, you really won’t like this beer. It’s about as subtle as a grapefruit-slathered sledgehammer.
6) Stone Tangerine Express
ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This 6.7% ABV hazy IPA is more than simply a juicy, citrus, and tropical fruit-filled banger. It literally has real citrus and tropical fruit added to it. It’s brewed with Magnum, Centennial, Citra, Sterling, Mosaic, Simcoe, Cascade, and Azacca hops as well as tangerine and pineapple puree.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of artificial orange, tropical fruits, lemon candy, and floral, earthy pine greets you before your first sip. The palate is filled with sweet malts, ripe peaches, caramelized pineapple, tangerine pulp, and bright pine. The finish is a mix of bitterness and sweetness.
Bottom Line:
This is a decent fruited IPA. It just has a bit of a generic, artificial flavor. Like they made a beer that was supposed to taste the way orange candy tastes, as opposed to actual orange.
5) 7 Seas Fruited Hazy IPA
ABV: 6.2%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Often, when we crack open hazy, New England-style IPAs, they already taste like fruity juice bombs. They’re sweet, cloudy, and have little to no bitterness on the backend. The brewers at 7 Seas saw this and decided to one-up it with the addition of blood orange and passionfruit.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is tropical fruit through and through. There’s a ton of passionfruit, orange peel, and lime zest on the nose. There are also some sweet malts and flora, herbal hops. The palate adds to this with some creamy sweetness from flaked oats and flaked wheat as well as juicy pineapple, passionfruit, tangerine, and lime zest. The finish is sweet, tart, and highly memorable.
Bottom Line:
This is a sublimely fruity beer. That being said, it leans very heavily in that direction. If you’re looking for more balance and more hop presence, this isn’t the beer for you.
4) SKA Modus Mandarina
ABV: 6.8%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This 6.8% ABV IPA is the popular brewery’s updated take on its beloved Modus Hoperandu IPA. This version is ramped up by being dry-hopped with Mandarina Bavaria hops. If that wasn’t enough, it gets an added citrus zing from the use of sweet orange peels.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of clementines, tangerines, and candied orange peels are big on the nose. There’s also a good whiff of dank, piney hops as well. The palate continues this start. There’s a lot of tangerine, biscuit-like malts, lemongrass, piney, grassy hops. The finish is a nice mix of citrus sweetness and light bitterness.
Bottom Line:
The use of Mandarina Bavaria and orange peels make this a great IPA for orange fans. But it’s also just a great beer if you enjoy IPAs.
3) Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $14 for a six-pack
The Beer:
There are few IPAs as popular as Ballast Point Sculpin. But you might be surprised to learn that the grapefruit version is almost as popular. They start with Ballast Points well-known, piney, bitter IPA and they add tart, tangy, sweet grapefruit juice.
Tasting Notes:
While grapefruit is definitely at the forefront. This beer is definitely not one-dimensional. The nose also has sweet malts, orange peels, and herbal, floral, and pine. The palate is similar. Fresh, tart, tangy grapefruit gets the party started. Then comes freshly cut grass, lemon, caramel malt, and piney, bitter hops. The tart grapefruit and bitter hops work together in perfect unison.
Bottom Line:
If you enjoy bitter, piney IPAs with a nice kick of citrus, this is the beer for you. It’s very well-balanced and refreshing on a hot day.
2) Karl Strauss Tangible
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $15 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This complex, balanced IPA was brewed with Cascade, Chinook, Crystal, and Columbus hops. That might seem like enough to create a bright, hoppy beer. But the brewers at Karl Strauss add kilned caramel malts and tangerine puree.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a gentle mix of tangerine peels, lemongrass, candied orange peel, caramel malts, and floral, piney hops. The palate is all citrus with tart grapefruit, ripe tangerine, and lemon making big appearances. This is followed by more caramel malts and herbal, earthy, spicy hops. The finish is a mix of citrus peels and piney, bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
For an IPA with such a massive amount of citrus flavor, this is a surprisingly well-rounded IPA. One sip and you’ll want to drink it all summer long.
1) Lawson’s Finest Double Sunshine Ruby Red Grapefruit
ABV: 8%
Average Price: $18 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
If you’re a double IPA fan, you’ve probably enjoyed your fair share of Lawson’s Finest Double Sunshine IPAs. Well, the folks at the popular Vermont brewery decided that beer wasn’t flavorful enough for some drinkers. That’s why they created a Double Sunshine Ruby Red Grapefruit, an IPA brewed with ruby red grapefruit peels.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is filled with ruby-red grapefruit. But there’s also ripe peach, pineapple, and orange. Add floral, earthy, and very herbal hops and you have a great start. The palate continues this trend with a ripe, tart grapefruit up front. This is followed by caramel malts, tangerine, caramelized pineapple, and other tropical fruits before finishing gently bitter and pleasantly tart.
Bottom Line:
You’d have a tough time finding a better citrus-forward fruited IPA than Lawson’s Finest Double Sunshine Ruby Red Grapefruit. The name might be a mouthful, but the flavor inside the can is even more.
