What's your favorite IPA?

Williams 728
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Almost impossible for me to pick a favorite because I love so many different kinds for different reasons.

Lately, I have been enjoying Cigar City's Jai Alai IPA. It reminds me of DFH Squall (which I also love) and has a really "juicy" character to it that I can't describe properly.

Some other all-time favs include:

Two-Hearted Ale
Hopslam
Speakeasy Big Daddy Double IPA
DFH 60 and 90
Victory Hopdevil
Hopsolutely (local brew out of Allentown Brewworks)
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid
Sweetwater 420
Sculpin IPA
Green Flash
Jockamo IPA
Southern Tier Unearthly and 2XIPA
many more :drunk:
 
Lagunitas. Hands down my favorite.

Others that are high on the list.
DFH 75. Mix 60 and 90 half and half. Best DFH ever.
Pliny, but it's an IIPA.
Racer 5
Sweetwater 420

B
 
Furious, Pliny, Hop Stoopid are top tier for me. Gubna, Goose Island, Odell, Yak and Yeti Himalayan and Sweetwater IPA from Jackson Hole (which I think is different from the sweetwater most of you are refering to) are also fantastic. I love a good hop kick in the teeth but if I can still detect some maltiness....nirvana! I do think Hop Stoopid is the best beer for the$$$$$$.
 
this is the one time I can say something nice about New Belgium.

The Ranger is really good. It's the only beer of theirs that I consider better than mediocre.

Also, Kashmir IPA from Highland Brewing is pretty good, too.

Other than that, I do like Lagunitas, but it has a unique flavor that I am not always in the mood for. I also like Bells 2-hearted a lot, but I am not sure if that is technically an IPA. And Green Flash West Coast IPA is a winner, as is Hopsecutioner.
 
Walker said:
Maybe I'm being a knit-picker, but Sweetwater 420 isn't an IPA. It's an "extra pale ale" and doesn't even come close to touching IPA status.
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I was going to say the same thing. But this why Sweetwater has an IPA. the 420 is one of my everyday drinking beers, which is why i'm going to buy a keg of it to put on tap. I'm tired of dealing with all the bottles.:cross:
 
jar234psu said:
Dang, some of these sound really delicious, but I can't get them in NC !
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Except the Pliny and Furious, most of those mentioned are available in NC.

I like the ultra hoppy IPA's with little malt backbone

Green Flash
Racer 5
Two Hearted
Hop Stupid

But I'd take a fresh home brewed IPA over any of these. NONE of the commercial beers can compare to the freshness of homebrew. And when it come to hops freshness is very important to the overall flavor impact.
 
Take a trip to Asheville. We are a beer mecca. Most of this stuff you can find in the supermarkets. But we also have some specialty beer stores that will make your head spin.
 
Stone IPA
Stone Ruination IPA

There are a bunch of great IPA's but those two rise above the rest. I just think they are exactly what an IPA should be.
 
When Sierra Nevada Celebration is fresh it probably is my favorite IPA, love the dark coppery amber color, the malt and the level of bitterness with lots of pine (man I've been digging their Southern Hemisphere lately too, with it's fresh hops from New Zealand!).

It's hard to beat Sierra Nevada's Torpedo as well and in the past it was my go to IPA.

This year however we finally got Victory beers here and HopDevil has been my default every day IPA of choice all summer long. Wonderful balance between European malts and big hop flavors.

If Stone IPA were more affordable here I'd drink tons of it too. Other IPAs of note I frequently drink, Boulder's Mojo IPA, Sweetwater IPA, Full Sail IPA and now I'll pick a sixer of SA Latitude 48 from time to time.
 
I just tried the IPA from Epic in New Zealand.... and WOW! This is one fantastic beer. It might be in my top 1 or 2. I wonder what it would be like if it were fresh at the brewery ;D
 
Victory Hop Wallop. I LOVE the label design

victory_hop_wallop.gif
 
Chuckus95 took one of my favorites - Ninkasi Total Domination
Bridgeport Hop Czar
and everything else Ninkasi brews.
 
Haverhill Brewery's Leatherlips IPA is great... Citrus and Pine over a subdued honey-sweet backbone. I buy this stuff by the case.

Edit: This is my fav. "session" IPA (@ a mere %5 abv)
 
Racer 5
West Coast IPA
Nugget Nectar (they call it an amber, but I call it an IPA).. it also happens to be my favorite beer of all
 
Odell Brewing from Fort Collins, CO makes an IPA that blew my mind. The mouthfeel is insane! Wish i could recreate it. I tried it for the first time the other day at the Ra Ra Riot concert. The Waiting Room ran out of Modus Hoperandi, so I decided to try the Odell IPA. SWMBO loves it, now its her favorite too.
 
Just sampled a new one from a start-up in Iowa. Paradise Ale from Hub City Brewing. OMG it's awsome! Extremely pale for an IPA and only 51 IBU which puts it at the lower end of the style. 6.2% and brewed with simcoe, amarillo, columbus, & crystal hops.

It looks like blond ale, drinks like a light (but it's 6.2%,) and tastes like a citrus IPA. Think "lawn mower beer meets IPA." You can tell I like it eh? Only negative for me is limited distribution and I won't be able to get it in Ohio. I'm starting on a clone and it I get it right it will be my new summer IPA standby.

Hub City Paradise Ale = nectar from the IPA gods! :mug:
(tried to add a link but couldn't make it work. Sorry! Google Hub City Brewery & navigate to Paradise Ale)
 
i can only pick one. I'm gonna be in trouble.

on i recently had that i liked a lot was breckenridge small batch 471 double hopped IPA..mmmm

Bells two hearted and clipper city loose cannon are pretty common IPAs for me too
 
l1ranger said:
on i recently had that i liked a lot was breckenridge small batch 471 double hopped IPA..mmmm
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I couldn't even finish a bottle of Breckenridge 471 because it was so sweet. I bought a 6 pack of it and I think I ended up throwing 3 of them away.
 
jar234psu said:
Does anyone feel like 2-hearted is just not nearly as good when it's in the bottle?
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Then pour it in a glass. Really your missing all the aroma if you drink from a bottle.

Freshness is a major factor in IPA. If the beer has sat for any amount of time the hops will be diminished. Could be your getting some old bottles while the kegs are always fresh.

Nothing can match the freshness of homebrew. I will take my IPA from the fermenter to the keg. Carb it up and put it straight on tap. No aging or conditioning needed. None of the commercial beers can match a good fresh hoppy homebrew IPA. :mug:
 
tlael said:
I move to ban the above user for apparent reasons.:p
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Yeah, I know.... it's almost a sin to throw beer away, but for what it's worth, the three that didn't get thrown away were the one I tried to drink, the one that my wife tried to drink, and the one that a homebrewing buddy of mine tried to drink. None of us could bring ourselves to swallow it, so it was dumping time.
 
Since I live in Canada, and our import laws are stricter than Nazi Germany, the only really good import IPA I have been able to find is DFH 90 minute.

Locally thought, we have Phillips brewery's Amnesiac - an imperial IPA that is FAAAANTASTIC. As good as DFH, just not quite as malty. DFH is almost barley-wine for me.
 
Walker said:
I couldn't even finish a bottle of Breckenridge 471 because it was so sweet. I bought a 6 pack of it and I think I ended up throwing 3 of them away.
Click to expand...

interesting, I didnt get that at all.
i wonder if age could have had something to do with the hops fading and letting the sweetness overpower?
 
l1ranger said:
interesting, I didnt get that at all.
i wonder if age could have had something to do with the hops fading and letting the sweetness overpower?
Click to expand...

I don't know. I only ever tasted it that one time, from that one 6 pack. Perhaps it was a bad batch or something?
 

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