The IPA family runs from West Coast and hazy to session and imperial, each with its own balance of hop aroma, bitterness and character. The hopIQ Score evaluates every IPA against its sub-style reference and weights medals from style-judged competitions like the World Beer Cup, World Beer Awards and European Beer Star.
Currently leading the ranking: Ottakringer BrauWerk Hellberry (Ottakringer Brauerei), pFriem IPA (pFriem Family Brewers) and Union Jack (Firestone Walker Brewing Company). Hawkers Beer places 3 of the top 10.
How this ranking works
The hopIQ Score judges every beer against its style first: it rewards medals from competitions that judge within style categories and deducts points where a beer measurably deviates from its style reference. Community ratings add to that. Non-alcoholic excluded. No paid placement — order follows the data alone. Ranking spans 3736 beers from 922 breweries.
Top 5 of 49
ABV
5.9%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
golden 8
Red as the sky over Vienna: red berries on the nose and hoppy berry aromas, a slightly malty, voluminous body, a round bitterness with a pleasant dryness and a bitter finish. Red to brownish in color, 5.9% ABV, 14.9° Plato, 45 IBU. A Red…Red as the sky over Vienna: red berries on the nose and hoppy berry aromas, a slightly malty, voluminous body, a round bitterness with a pleasant dryness and a bitter finish. Red to brownish in color, 5.9% ABV, 14.9° Plato, 45 IBU. A Red IPA from Ottakringer BrauWerk.
ABV
6.8%
Bitterness
Very bitter
Colour
golden 8
pFriem IPA is the most bitter of the brewery's year-round beers at 65 IBU. Pale malt and a small share of crystal give it a light copper color and a candy-like backbone, while Chinook, Mosaic and Citra carry the hops. Dank aromas of peach,…pFriem IPA is the most bitter of the brewery's year-round beers at 65 IBU. Pale malt and a small share of crystal give it a light copper color and a candy-like backbone, while Chinook, Mosaic and Citra carry the hops. Dank aromas of peach, citrus, papaya and blueberry lead into bright flavors of lychee and grapefruit over gentle caramel sweetness. The finish is fresh and piney, with a touch of grapefruit rind and a firm bitterness.
Union Jack#36 worldwide
ABV
7.0%
Bitterness
Very bitter
Colour
golden 7
Union Jack is the brewery's original West Coast IPA, first released in 2008. Simcoe, Chinook and Centennial give it a bold hop profile of grapefruit, orange zest and classic pine, with touches of passion fruit, berry and orange blossom in…Union Jack is the brewery's original West Coast IPA, first released in 2008. Simcoe, Chinook and Centennial give it a bold hop profile of grapefruit, orange zest and classic pine, with touches of passion fruit, berry and orange blossom in the aroma. Only a hint of crystal malt sits beneath the hops, keeping the body lean. The bitterness is firm at 70 IBU and carries through to a dry, resinous finish.
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Black Bucket#39 worldwide
ABV
6.5%
Bitterness
Very bitter
Colour
dark 30
Rye and roasted malts balance against fresh hop flavours and aromas, which is a harder trick than it sounds at this colour: the beer pours dark brown to black but drinks like a hoppy ale rather than a stout. American hops carry the aroma.…Rye and roasted malts balance against fresh hop flavours and aromas, which is a harder trick than it sounds at this colour: the beer pours dark brown to black but drinks like a hoppy ale rather than a stout. American hops carry the aroma. Black Bucket is the darker, stronger counterpart to Rustbucket, first brewed in 2014, and the most decorated beer of the house.
5
Hawkers West Coast IPA#46 worldwide
ABV
7.2%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
golden 7
Brewed clear and hard bittered in the older American manner, though the hop bill mixes New Zealand varieties in rather than staying purely American. Grapefruit peel and orange lead, with pine resin and a dry herbal edge behind them, and…Brewed clear and hard bittered in the older American manner, though the hop bill mixes New Zealand varieties in rather than staying purely American. Grapefruit peel and orange lead, with pine resin and a dry herbal edge behind them, and the malt is kept lean so nothing softens the bitterness. It finishes long and dry, the bitterness lingering well past the fruit.
Ranks 6–10
6
Hawkers IPA#69 worldwide
American and New Zealand hops in roughly equal measure: grapefruit and orange first, mango and passionfruit behind them, and a thread of pine resin running underneath. A pale malt base with a touch of caramel gives the bitterness something…American and New Zealand hops in roughly equal measure: grapefruit and orange first, mango and passionfruit behind them, and a thread of pine resin running underneath. A pale malt base with a touch of caramel gives the bitterness something to sit against, and it lands firm without turning harsh. Clear in the glass, medium bodied, and dry through a long finish.
7
DDH Pillow#76 worldwide
DDH Pillow is the double dry-hopped version of Pillow, the brewery's hazy double IPA, dosed with Citra and Mosaic both as pellets and as lupulin concentrate. It pours a dense, hazy golden yellow. The nose leads with orange creamsicle,…DDH Pillow is the double dry-hopped version of Pillow, the brewery's hazy double IPA, dosed with Citra and Mosaic both as pellets and as lupulin concentrate. It pours a dense, hazy golden yellow. The nose leads with orange creamsicle, guava and mango, and the palate follows with a smoothie-like mix of tangerine, pineapple and ripe stone fruit over a soft, biscuity malt base, with a light resinous edge and restrained bitterness.
8
Balter Hazy#80 worldwide
A hazy IPA at 6.0 percent with a soft, wheat-thickened body and a heavy late hop charge. Candied orange, mango and passionfruit run through both the nose and the palate, with a light draught of bitterness underneath rather than a hard…A hazy IPA at 6.0 percent with a soft, wheat-thickened body and a heavy late hop charge. Candied orange, mango and passionfruit run through both the nose and the palate, with a light draught of bitterness underneath rather than a hard edge. It arrived in 2019 as the highest-placed new beer in the GABS poll and has since taken gold for modern IPA in four separate years.
9
Hawkers Double West Coast IPA#83 worldwide
The core West Coast recipe scaled up, with the added strength showing as weight rather than sweetness. Pine, resin and grapefruit lead, orange and a floral edge sit behind them, and the caramel malt base stays lean for the alcohol level.…The core West Coast recipe scaled up, with the added strength showing as weight rather than sweetness. Pine, resin and grapefruit lead, orange and a floral edge sit behind them, and the caramel malt base stays lean for the alcohol level. Bitterness is heavy and carries the whole way through a long, dry finish; the warmth of the alcohol only appears late.
10
Firestone IPA#116 worldwide
Firestone IPA is the brewery's modern take on the California IPA, launched in 2023 and rooted in West Coast tradition. A light base of two-row and white wheat leaves room for Citra, Mosaic and Strata. The hops bring waves of pineapple,…Firestone IPA is the brewery's modern take on the California IPA, launched in 2023 and rooted in West Coast tradition. A light base of two-row and white wheat leaves room for Citra, Mosaic and Strata. The hops bring waves of pineapple, orange and lemon, along with mango, blueberry and clementine, while the malt stays in the background. The body is crisp and bright, and the bitterness is moderate enough to keep the fruit in front.
The taste landscape
Of the 49 top beers, 2 lean malt-forward and 45 lean hop-forward.