The best thing about IPAs is the fact that they’re perfect for any time of year. Whether you enjoy hazy, juicy New England-style IPAs, West Coast bitter bombs, fruity, creamy milkshake IPAs, or bold, high-alcohol double IPAs, there’s no wrong time of year for these hop-centric beers. As the great bard, James Taylor, once sang, “winter, spring, summer, or fall.”
And while there’s no disputing the appeal of a crisp, hoppy, refreshing IPA on a hit, humid day. The same IPA can transport you to warmer, sunnier times when you sip it in the dark depths of winter. IPAs (whichever version you enjoy) are like a vacation in a pint glass.
We know we drink IPAs all year long but so do brewers — they can’t get enough of these hop-fueled beauties either. That’s why we asked a few well-known brewers and craft beer experts to tell us the one IPA they drink all year long. Keep scrolling to see all of the hop-centric answers.
Industrial Arts Wrench
Basil Lee, co-founder of Finback Brewery in Glendale, New York
ABV: 6.8%
Average Price: $13.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
Why This Beer?
I have been pretty promiscuous when it comes to IPAs. I think for something I would drink all year long, it has to be convenient to get and likely lean towards lower ABV and not be palate demanding. So, I’d go with Industrial Arts’ Wrench. It’s widely available, drinkable, and delicious.
Russian River Pliny the Elder
Rob Day, vice principal of marketing for Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers in Framingham, Massachusetts
ABV: 8%
Average Price: $6.99 for a 16.9-ounce bottle
Why This Beer?
Russian River Pliny The Elder. This feels like a cheat answer, but it’s true. I never pass it up when I’m on the west coast. It’s so perfectly balanced and intense. The piney hops are perfect with the smooth malt and it’s always fresh. It’s pretty much the top of the mountain when it comes to complex, balanced West Coast IPAs.
Monument 51 Rye
Judy Neff, owner and brewer at Checkerspot Brewing Company in Baltimore
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $10.50 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
Local brewery, Monument Brewing, makes an excellent flagship IPA, called 51 Rye. It has 51% rye so that rye bite with the hops lends to the sweetness of the caramel malts. Spicy, hoppy, and slightly sweet. It’s a unique IPA and one that I always want to have in my fridge.
Russian River Blind Pig
Dan Schmelzer, head brewer at the Lagunitas Brewing Company’s Seattle Taproom & Beer Sanctuary in Seattle
ABV: 6%
Average Price: $5.49 for a 16.9-ounce bottle
Why This Beer?
Russian River’s Pliny the Elder is an outstanding beer, but instead, I’ll go with Blind Pig. A truly classic example of a West Coast IPA, it’s everything I look for in a year-round go-to brew from the citrus pith and pine resin hop profile to the clarity, crisp finish, and ABV high enough to chill you out quickly after a strenuous day on the brew deck.
Honest Weight Social Capital
Kyle Warren, lead brewer at Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Company in Framingham, Massachusetts
ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
Honest Weight Social Capital. At the most northern point of the Quabbin Reservoir watershed, Honest Weight is a small craft brewery that has been brewing many great beers since its beginnings and most notably for me, restrained and refined IPA. Social Capital is a balanced, hop forward and modern IPA brewed with a measured amount of Citra, Mosaic, and Motueka hops. Dry and sessionable, it is a beer that stands alone in a beer world full of excess. It blends a lovely hop flavor and aroma with a subtle malt structure making for extreme drinkability.
Odell IPA
Ty Nash, head brewmaster at Little Dry Creek Brewery in Greenwood Village, Colorado
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $9.50 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
I’ll drink Odell’s IPA all year. It’s just a solid IPA that isn’t overly bitter but has just enough pine and citrus on the back of the pallet to remind you this isn’t a domestic beer. It’s a piney, citrus, refreshing winner every day of the year.
Copper State Bucket List
Garth E. Beyer, certified Cicerone® and owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin
ABV: 8.3%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
If you open my beer fridge at random times during the year, you’ll usually find Bucket List. It’s a Double IPA from Copper State Brewing Company out of Green Bay, Wisconsin. It’s a hazy double, but it brings the malt backbone with it to make it a balanced beverage. It offers a blend of brown sugar toast sweetness from the malt with a steady stone fruit and watermelon flavor from the hops – and boy does that Citra hop sing its aromatic song to your nose when you open a can.
Odell Good Behavior
Max Shafer, brew master at Roadhouse Brewing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
ABV: 4%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
I drink a lot of IPA – I just love the expression of hops and the way brewers use them. However, the IPA I always keep on hand is Good Behavior by Odell Brewing Company. I am absolutely obsessed with this beer, and it all starts with the hops. I love Citra, but who doesn’t, so when I found out this beer showcases some Citra I knew I was going to be in love. The newest love for me in hops is HBC 586 and I was first introduced to this hop in Good Behavior. The explosion of tropical fruits and peaches just satiates my need for hops every time I drink this beer. Even better, at 4% this beer can keep me going over a few.
Our Mutual Friend Neon Nail
Nico Cervantes, brewer at Resolute Brewing in Centennial, Colorado
ABV: 7.3%
Average Price: $14.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
Why This Beer?
Neon Nail – Our Mutual Friend. No matter the season, if I have the option to drink Neon Nail, I’m always going to do it. Its mix of dank hop aromas, the balance of bitterness and malt sweetness, and the multiple layers of flavor that attack your senses make for an addictively sippable IPA. Dang.
Societe The Pupil
Eric Warner, brew master at Karbach Brewing in Houston
ABV: 7.3%
Average Price: $12.99 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
Russian River’s Pliny the Elder is an obvious answer. I know it’s an old-school answer, but it’s a perfect beer. Great pine and citrus married with some caramel malt flavors. Insanely drinkable at its high ABV. But if you’re looking for more of an everyday IPA, I’d go with Societe The Pupil with its mix of tropical fruits, bright citrus, and slightly bitter, piney hops.
