HOPIQ SCORE
The Best American Pale Ales
151 beers from 117 breweries · Ranked by style authenticity — not marketing
These rankings are dynamic. As more people rate, match and like beers on hopIQ, community signals will increasingly shape the results alongside style authenticity and award recognition.
American craft brewing begins here. When Sierra Nevada launched its Pale Ale in 1980 — cascade-hopped, deep amber, aggressively bitter by the standards of the era — it defined a new American style that broke with the English tradition it inherited and gave every American craft brewery for the next 40 years a founding template. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is arguably the single most-copied craft recipe in world beer, and the American Pale Ale (APA) it created remains the entry-point style through which most American drinkers first left mass-market lager behind.
The hopIQ ranking captures the full 151-beer American Pale Ale set — 70 American Pale Ales, 12 Pale Ales, 11 American Kölsch variants, 9 Cream Ales, 8 Blonde Ales, and a wide tail of Session, Extra, Golden, Hazy, and single-off styles. Regional classics from Firestone Walker (Pale 31), Deschutes (Mirror Pond), Back Forty (Naked Pig), and Kona (Fire Rock) appear across the top group alongside dozens of others. The style has been partially overshadowed by IPA for a decade, but the American Pale Ale category remains one of the deepest and most technically-refined categories in world brewing.
How this ranking works
The hopIQ Score weights style authenticity (80%), user engagement (10%), notability (10%), and award history. Active, in-production beers only — non-alcoholic excluded. No paid placement — order follows the data alone. Ranking spans 151 beers from 117 breweries.
Top 5 of 50
Mai Tai P.A.Best Overall#26 worldwide
Alvarado Street Brewery · Pale Ale · United States
ABV
6.5%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
golden 8
Mai Tai P.A. is a Pale Ale from Alvarado Street Brewery, based in sun-soaked Salinas, California. True to its tropical namesake, this Californian brew pours a clear, golden-amber hue with a bright white head. The aroma is an inviting wave… Ranked here for style-fit against the Pale Ale reference and award history in Pale-Ale categories.
Schlafly KölschMost Distinctive#60 worldwide
Schlafly Beer · Kölsch · United States
ABV
4.8%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
pale gold 4
Gold at the 2010 World Beer Cup for German-Style Kölsch — Schlafly's most decorated beer and a St. Louis staple. Bright, crisp and clean with a soft fruitiness and spicy hop note. Ranked here for style-fit against the Pale Ale reference and award history in Pale-Ale categories.
Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale#96 worldwide
Deschutes Brewery · Pale Ale · United States
ABV
5%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
pale gold 4
Mirror Pond Pale Ale is a classic American pale ale from Deschutes Brewery featuring a balanced blend of caramel malt sweetness and citrus hop character. This sessionable brew offers a clean, crisp finish with moderate body and… Ranked here for style-fit against the Pale Ale reference and award history in Pale-Ale categories.
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Pseudo Sue#121 worldwide
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company · American Pale Ale · United States
ABV
5.8%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
pale gold 3
Named after the famous T. rex fossil discovered in South Dakota, Pseudo Sue is a single-hop Citra showcase — grapefruit, citrus, mango and evergreen aromatics over a clean pilsner malt backbone. Won silver at the 2016 GABF and gold at the… Ranked here for style-fit against the Pale Ale reference and award history in Pale-Ale categories.
5
SunBru Kölsch#139 worldwide
Four Peaks Brewing Company · Kölsch · United States
ABV
5.1%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
pale gold 3
Gold at the 2012 World Beer Cup for German-Style Kölsch. Brilliantly clear and bright gold — a subtly flavored honey-like lager-ale hybrid with delicate fruity esters and spicy floral hops. One of Four Peaks' most drinkable beers in… Ranked here for style-fit against the Pale Ale reference and award history in Pale-Ale categories.
Ranks 6–10
6
Sneakbox#441 worldwide
Kane Brewing Company · American Pale Ale · United States
A 100% Citra-hopped pale ale, hazy golden with a vivid citrus aroma and a smooth, dry, supremely crisp finish. Named for the small flat-bottomed Jersey Shore boat invented in 1836, it's Kane's effortless everyday pour. Ranked here for style-fit against the Pale Ale reference and award history in Pale-Ale categories.
7
Alemerica the Beautiful#510 worldwide
Hop Butcher For The World · American Pale Ale · United States
Alemerica the Beautiful is a crowd-pleasing American Pale Ale from Hop Butcher For The World, the celebrated Chicago hop-forward brewery. It pours a clear, golden amber with a frothy white head that lingers invitingly. The aroma bursts… Ranked here for style-fit against the Pale Ale reference and award history in Pale-Ale categories.
8
Grid#535 worldwide
Hop Butcher For The World · American Pale Ale · United States
Grid is a American Pale Ale from Hop Butcher For The World, the celebrated Chicago craft outfit known for pushing hop-forward brewing to its limits. Pouring a clear, bright golden straw with a white frothy head, this Midwestern pale ale… Ranked here for style-fit against the Pale Ale reference and award history in Pale-Ale categories.
9
Throop#700 worldwide
Hop Butcher For The World · Kölsch · United States
Throop is a Kölsch from Hop Butcher For The World, Chicago's celebrated craft brewery. Pouring a brilliant, pale golden straw with a fine white head, this beer immediately signals its Rhenish inspiration. The aroma is delicately floral,… Ranked here for style-fit against the Pale Ale reference and award history in Pale-Ale categories.
10
Prophetmaker#702 worldwide
Burial Beer Co. · Pale Ale · United States
Prophetmaker is a double dry-hopped pale ale from Burial Beer Co., based in the vibrant craft beer city of Asheville, North Carolina. It pours a clear golden straw with a bright white head that lingers invitingly. The aroma bursts with the… Ranked here for style-fit against the Pale Ale reference and award history in Pale-Ale categories.
12
Anchor Liberty Ale
Anchor Brewing Company·Pale Ale · 5.9%·Noticeably bitter·golden 8·#783 worldwide
13
Land & Sea XPA
Alvarado Street Brewery·Extra Pale Ale · 5%·Noticeably bitter·golden 5·#928 worldwide
14
Euchre Music
Hop Butcher For The World·Extra Pale Ale · 4.5%·Noticeably bitter·golden 5·#980 worldwide
15
Mountain Momma
Bridge Brew Works·American Pale Ale · 5.8%·Noticeably bitter·golden 8·#996 worldwide
16
Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold Pale Ale
Anderson Valley Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 5%·Noticeably bitter·golden 6
17
Cutthroat Pale Ale
Uinta Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 4%·Noticeably bitter·golden 6
19
Manny's Pale Ale
Georgetown Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 5.4%·Noticeably bitter·golden 6
21
Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale
Yards Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 4.6%·Noticeably bitter·pale gold 4
22
Scape Goat Pale Ale
Big Sky Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 4.7%·Noticeably bitter·pale gold 3
23
Boulevard Pale Ale
Boulevard Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 5.4%·Noticeably bitter·golden 6
24
SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale
SweetWater Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 5.7%·Noticeably bitter·golden 7
25
Intuition People's Pale Ale
Intuition Ale Works·American Pale Ale · 5.3%·Noticeably bitter·golden 7
26
Mariposa Pale Ale
Crooked Letter Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 4.6%·Noticeably bitter·golden 7
28
New Glarus Moon Man Pale Ale
New Glarus Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 5%·Noticeably bitter·golden 7
29
Wild Heaven ATL Easy Ale
Wild Heaven Beer·American Pale Ale · 5.5%·Noticeably bitter·golden 5
32
Revelry Poke The Bear
Revelry Brewing Co.·American Pale Ale · 5.5%·Noticeably bitter·golden 6
33
Great Divide Denver Pale Ale
Great Divide Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 5.4%·Noticeably bitter·pale gold 4
38
Karbach Weekend Warrior Pale Ale
Karbach Brewing Co.·American Pale Ale · 5.2%·Noticeably bitter·golden 8
39
Honolulu Beerworks Point Panic Pale Ale
Honolulu Beerworks·American Pale Ale · 5.6%·Noticeably bitter·golden 6
40
Essential Pale Ale
Port City Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 5.5%·Noticeably bitter·golden 5
42
Cardinal Pale Ale
Nebraska Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 6%·Noticeably bitter·golden 8
44
Diamond Bear Victory Pale Ale
Diamond Bear Brewing Company·English Pale Ale · 6%·Noticeably bitter·amber 9
46
Fertile Ground BTC Pale Ale
Fertile Ground Beer Company·American Pale Ale · 6.5%·Noticeably bitter·golden 6
47
Saint Arnold Lawnmower
Saint Arnold Brewing Company·Kölsch · 4.9%·Lightly bitter·pale gold 3
48
Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale
Half Acre Beer Company·American Pale Ale · 5.2%·Noticeably bitter·golden 8
49
Fort Point Pale Ale
Trillium Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 6.6%·Noticeably bitter·pale gold 3
50
Free State Copperhead Pale Ale
Free State Brewing Company·American Pale Ale · 5.2%·Noticeably bitter·pale gold 3
The taste landscape
Of the 50 top beers, 3 lean malt-forward and 38 lean hop-forward.