HOPIQ SCORE
50beers · Ranked by style authenticity & award recognition
IPAs are the most searched beer style on the planet — and also the most debated. West Coast or hazy? Session or imperial? The hopIQ Score cuts through the noise by combining style authenticity (how well the beer delivers on what an IPA promises: hop aroma, bitterness, and lasting character) with prestige-weighted award recognition from competitions like the World Beer Cup, World Beer Awards, and European Beer Star.
Leading the list is Pako's IPA from Snake River Brewing — a multiple-award-winning American IPA with strong style authenticity scores. Night Shift Brewing's Santilli follows close behind, celebrated for its clean and consistent American profile. Further down, West Coast classics, New England hazy entries, and a handful of European examples confirm that great IPA is no longer a purely American proposition.
The hopIQ Score combines two primary signals: style authenticity (how well the beer delivers on IPA's core promise of hop aroma, bitterness, and character) and prestige-weighted award recognition from competitions like the World Beer Cup, World Beer Awards, and European Beer Star. A beer that holds strong medals and genuinely delivers on the IPA brief scores highest. Community engagement will increasingly factor in as the hopIQ user base grows, but today's ranking is built on style and awards.
Because great IPAs are brewed worldwide. European and Australian breweries have been producing world-class IPAs for over a decade. This ranking covers all countries by default — for those who want the US-only shortlist, see the Best American IPAs ranking.
Rankings are recomputed nightly; award scores are refreshed after each major competition season — World Beer Cup, World Beer Awards, European Beer Star, and GABF.