I think hops tend to fall into about four approximate categories: citrusy (and juicy), spicy, piney (which can blend into spicy), and floral (which can blend with piney.) Weyerbacher's IPA embodies the spicy end of the spectrum, with a very dry, spicy, and slightly piney taste. The bitterness is extremely prominent, with little in the way of sweetness rounding it out, and the spicy character of the hops themselves lending to a consistent mouthfeel and dry aftertaste. If you love hops doing that kind of thing, then this is an IPA for you. Personally, not being a huge fan of spicy dry hops, I'd rate this one as average, though it's good for what it is.
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA (CA) — B+While I don't know that I'd consider this one of the best IPAs I've had, I can see why Sculpin is often mentioned amongst the top tier of IPAs in the country. It's not overrated, it's just a quintessential IPA that's perfectly executed. It's a little dry and not quite as juicy as I'd like, but I suspect if I had this beer fresh, on tap somewhere, it would be more impressive. As it is, the bitterness is a bit monotone, but tasty nonetheless. There's a nice clean grapefruit taste that accents the light-body lack of sweetness. I don't mind unbalanced IPAs — I like the west coast style because I prefer that they not be overly malty — but I am honestly surprised at how unbalanced Sculpin is, tending toward that dry-mouth bitterness. I would certainly get this one again, though I doubt it'll ever enter the ranks of my all-time favorites.
Great Divide Titan (CO) — B
For an IPA, this beer is intensely smooth and malty, and tastes a lot more like the English variations of the style than what you'd expect from a Colorado IPA. I could be mistaken — or maybe I just got a weird bottle — but I thought Titan sported the unique taste of British yeast, something you don't find much from that part of the US. There's a definite hop kick to the aftertaste, and a bitterness that lingers on the tongue, but otherwise you could convince me that this was a nice creamy Scottish ale. It's tasty though, and a nice unique blend of styles. Even though I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, I wouldn't mind drinking Titan on a regular basis.
Ithaca Flower Power (NY) — AFlower Power is one of the driest east coast IPAs that I've had; it seems much more like a west coast beer. And it really lives up to its name. Floral and crisp and light in color like a thick golden pilsner, it's shocking to find that Flower Power packs an 8% ABV. Yet as drinkable as it is, the hops are still what sells this IPA. Flower Power embodies the floral side of the hop spectrum, with enough of a hint of pine and citrus to balance things out. It works well for the beer, especially given its crisp body and mouthfeel. Well done in every way, Flower Power is probably in my top 3 IPAs.
Lagunitas IPA (CA) — A+
This is one of those rare cases where a beer is ubiquitous not just because the company has excellent distribution — although that's probably most of the reason — but also because it's just an all-around excellent (and sessionable) beer. Not that I was paying much attention at the time, but I remember this IPA as one of the first that got me into the style. (And thank god for that; what did I even drink before I became a hophead convert?) It's no wonder to me now. After sampling nearly every IPA I can get my hands on, I keep coming back to Lagunitas as my perfect IPA — perfectly bodied, pleasantly bitter, with mouth-watering citrus / floral / juicy hop flavors. It's everything I want in a beer, and it looks beautiful too. Now, don't get me wrong, I know it's not a very adventurous IPA. But we all need a beer we can come back to anytime, and easily kill a sixpack of, and right now, this is it for me.
Stone IPA (CA) — A-The hops here are focused on a nice clean bitterness, and only as it warms, on certain sips, do the juicy citrus hops shine through. In another words, this is a pretty quintessential west coast IPA, fairly similar to Sculpin. It's lighter, though, and despite the very present bitterness, it's still quite flavorful. One of my favorites, though I can't think of much else to say about it. Stone knows their way around hops.
Victory Hop Devil (PA) — B+
If east coast IPAs are more your thing, this should probably be one of your go-to beers. Well balanced between malty, hoppy, bitter and fruity, this a great representation of the style, probably one of the best. Since I like my IPAs a little less malty, I'm not sure if I consider this one of my favorites. I can't really pinpoint anything remarkable about it, just that it's good.
Butternuts Snapperhead (NY) — B-
This is a quirky little beer, and not just because it's one of the first IPAs I saw appear in (and only in) cans. Despite its billing, this one doesn't seem much like an IPA; I'd say it's like a cream(y) ale mixed with a pale ale. Judged by those funky hybrid standards, I thought it was pretty good: it's beautiful, creamy, and drinkable, with a pleasant mouthfeel that brings traces of hops, citrus and smooth light maltiness. Don't quote me on this, but I believe I also detected British yeast, adding to the smoothness of the beer's profile. If you're a hophead, this might not be your thing, but it's a decent beer for what it is.
Southern Tier IPA (NY) — B+While nothing groundbreaking or particularly unique upon first taste, this is one of few IPAs I've had where I can really pinpoint the melding of various hop flavors (without it being jarring or weird.) At first, it seemed not unlike the Lagunitas IPA, as it's the same color and achieves the same almost-creamy smooth mouthfeel, with light malts, a darkened gold hue, and a nice floral/citrus aroma typical of the style. But this one is less juicy or fruity, and actually has a lot of those spicy / peppery hops kicking around. Which sort of masks the fact that this one isn't very bitter — hoppy, but not that bitter. This isn't my favorite combination of hop-types, but it's very well done.
Redhook Long Hammer (WA) — C+
Long Hammer's main selling point is its price — sixpacks are usually a few bucks cheaper than any other IPAs in the beer aisle — so I wasn't expecting anything great here. In that sense it met my expectations, and it's not bad per se, it's just a little... wonky. The hops don't seem to be quite balanced right, and don't quite blend together. The maltiness is a little off and the carbonation, rather than making the beer pleasant to drink, seems to add a bit of a weird metallic bite. I can't tell if this is the result of capable brewmasters just trying to make an IPA that's more affordable — which is fine, really — or an IPA that for whatever reason didn't come together right, but got released anyway. While I thought it was drinkable, I probably wouldn't buy it again unless I was feeling particularly cheap.
Sixpoint Bengali Tiger (NY) — B
I've had Bengali Tiger various times on tap, but since Sixpoint just released their four main beers in cans, I figured I needed to include their IPA in this roundup. It's a nice blend of the various 'types' of IPAs, with a bit of citrusy, spicy and floral joined together, but not quite as malty and sweet as many east coast IPAs. It makes for a nice well-rounded beer, but also an IPA with nothing particularly distinct going on. Beers like this are great when you're out at some generic bar, and it's likely to be one of the best things on tap — but nothing I'd stock my fridge with on a regular basis.
21st Amendment Hop Crisis (CA) — B-
Technically, this one shouldn't really count for an IPA roundup, but I've sort-of been collecting 21st Amendment's line of interesting cans and badass boxes — which, I have to admit, are usually superior to the beer they contain. Fittingly, Hop Crisis is an okay Imperial IPA, but nothing particularly special. The ABV is on the high end of the spectrum even for the style, at 9.7%, despite the smooth golden color the beer pours. While it's light, it's also a bit syrupy, and the alcohol is a bit too warm and noticeable. The hop flavor is nice and juicy, but I could have gone for even more hops. There's very little bitterness, just a nice citrusy flavor that merges into the sweetness. Okay, but underwhelming.
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