Tier list

Best IPA Beers: The Ultimate Tier List

By Rank Parade Team · Updated October 4, 2026 · 24 ranked

We've all got the one IPA we grab without thinking twice, and the one we quietly pour out at a party. This list takes 24 of the biggest names in IPA, from gas station staples to brewery-tour trophies, and sorts them into tiers based on what drinkers and critics actually say about them.

It's a mix of hop-forward classics, hazy crowd-pleasers, and a few session beers that snuck into the conversation. Agree, disagree, argue with your friends over a six-pack. That's the point.

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SS Tier: The beers that defined the style

Russian River Pliny the Elder

The beer that made double IPAs a religion. Pine, citrus, and a bitterness that somehow never feels harsh, this is the one other brewers still measure themselves against.

About Russian River Pliny the Elder

A double IPA from Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, California, widely credited with shaping the modern American double IPA style.

Brewery: Russian River Brewing
Style: Double IPA

Bell's Two Hearted

That Centennial hop aroma on the label isn't marketing fluff, it's exactly what you get in the glass. Consistently tops best-beer lists nationwide for a reason.

About Bell's Two Hearted

A flagship American IPA from Bell's Brewery in Michigan, built entirely around Centennial hops.

Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Hops: Centennial

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Continuous hopping gave this beer a cult following before 'hop-forward' was even a phrase people used. Balanced, bitter, and still a benchmark after all these years.

About Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

A continuously hopped American IPA from Dogfish Head in Delaware, one of the brewery's flagship beers.

Brewery: Dogfish Head
Style: American IPA

AA Tier: Excellent, no asterisks needed

Sierra Nevada Torpedo

Dry-hopped through Sierra Nevada's 'hop torpedo' device, this one brought big, resinous flavor to grocery store shelves and never let up on quality.

About Sierra Nevada Torpedo

An extra IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing in California, dry-hopped using the brewery's own 'hop torpedo' device.

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing
Style: Extra IPA

Ballast Point Sculpin

Tropical fruit and apricot notes make this one of the most approachable 'big flavor' IPAs out there. Great gateway beer for people who think they hate IPAs.

About Ballast Point Sculpin

An American IPA from Ballast Point Brewing in San Diego, known for its fruity, apricot-forward hop profile.

Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing
Origin: San Diego, California

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

The bigger, boozier sibling of the 60 Minute. Malty backbone holds up the hops instead of getting steamrolled, which is rarer than it should be in this strength range.

About Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

An imperial IPA from Dogfish Head, the higher-strength counterpart to their 60 Minute IPA.

Brewery: Dogfish Head
Style: Imperial IPA

Elysian Space Dust

A black IPA's worth of hop character crammed into a beer that drinks dangerously easy. Citra and Apollo hops do a lot of the heavy lifting here.

About Elysian Space Dust

A black-labeled IPA from Elysian Brewing in Seattle, built around Citra and Apollo hops.

Brewery: Elysian Brewing
Origin: Seattle, Washington

Firestone Walker Mind Haze

One of the hazy IPAs that actually earns the hype, with a soft mouthfeel and tropical punch that doesn't collapse into mush like some of its imitators.

About Firestone Walker Mind Haze

A hazy IPA from Firestone Walker Brewing in California, part of the brewery's push into the New England IPA style.

Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing
Style: Hazy IPA

Lagunitas IPA

Loud citrus and pine up front, bitter finish, and it's been a fixture on tap lists for so long it barely needs an introduction anymore.

About Lagunitas IPA

A flagship American IPA from Lagunitas Brewing in California, one of the best-known IPAs in the country.

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing
Origin: Petaluma, California

Cigar City Jai Alai

Florida's answer to the hop arms race, with a caramel malt base that gives the citrus and pine notes something to lean on. A southeast favorite that earned its national reputation.

About Cigar City Jai Alai

An American IPA from Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Florida, known for its caramel malt base and citrus hop character.

Brewery: Cigar City Brewing
Origin: Tampa, Florida

BB Tier: Reliable and worth buying again

Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA

New Belgium's higher-ABV Voodoo Ranger entry brings real hop punch without losing drinkability, which is more than you can say for a lot of imperial IPAs trying too hard.

About Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA

A higher-ABV entry in New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger IPA lineup.

Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Style: Imperial IPA

Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing

Sierra Nevada's entry into the haze craze is juicy and soft, though purists will say it plays it a bit safe compared to smaller craft hazies.

About Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing

A hazy IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing, the brewery's entry into the New England-style IPA trend.

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing
Style: Hazy IPA

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops give this a genuine orange-juice quality. Not flashy, just a dependable West Coast-leaning IPA you can always find.

About Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

An American IPA from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon, brewed with Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops.

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Origin: Bend, Oregon

Georgetown Bodhizafa

A Pacific Northwest favorite that doesn't get the national attention it deserves. Clean, juicy, and well-balanced, it's a quiet standout for people who've tried it.

About Georgetown Bodhizafa

An American IPA from Georgetown Brewing in Seattle, a regional favorite in the Pacific Northwest.

Brewery: Georgetown Brewing
Origin: Seattle, Washington

Goose Island IPA

Solid, old-school English-leaning American IPA. It doesn't chase trends, which means it also doesn't excite anyone who's used to hazier, juicier styles now.

About Goose Island IPA

A flagship American IPA from Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago.

Brewery: Goose Island Beer Company
Origin: Chicago, Illinois

Wicked Weed Pernicious

Asheville's contribution to the IPA scene, pine-forward and bitter in a way that feels a little old-school next to the haze bombs crowding shelves now.

About Wicked Weed Pernicious

An American IPA from Wicked Weed Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina.

Brewery: Wicked Weed Brewing
Origin: Asheville, North Carolina

Voodoo Ranger Juice Force

The juiciest of the Voodoo Ranger lineup, leaning hard into tropical sweetness. Fans of sweeter hazies will like it more than IPA traditionalists will.

About Voodoo Ranger Juice Force

A juicy, tropical-leaning IPA in New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger lineup.

Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Style: Hazy IPA

CC Tier: Fine, but nothing to seek out

Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze

Pleasant and easy-drinking, but it leans so far into juice-box territory that some drinkers wonder where the actual hop bitterness went.

About Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze

A hazy, fruit-forward IPA from New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger series.

Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Style: Hazy IPA

Voodoo Ranger IPA

The original Voodoo Ranger is fine as an everyday six-pack, but next to its own spinoffs and the rest of this list, it reads as middle-of-the-road.

About Voodoo Ranger IPA

The original flagship beer of New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger lineup.

Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Style: American IPA

Stone IPA

Once a West Coast bitterness benchmark, it's aged into something that feels a little one-note compared to newer entries. Still has fans who like that aggressive, no-frills bite.

About Stone IPA

A flagship American IPA from Stone Brewing in California, known for its assertive bitterness.

Brewery: Stone Brewing
Origin: Escondido, California

Founders All Day IPA

A session IPA built for drinking all day, which is exactly the problem. It trades flavor intensity for low ABV, and some drinkers feel that trade isn't worth it.

About Founders All Day IPA

A session IPA from Founders Brewing in Michigan, brewed for lower ABV, all-day drinking.

Brewery: Founders Brewing
Style: Session IPA

Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing

The imperial version of Hazy Little Thing bumps up the ABV but doesn't bring a ton of extra complexity along with it, so it mostly just feels stronger, not better.

About Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing

An imperial hazy IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing, a stronger follow-up to Hazy Little Thing.

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing
Style: Imperial Hazy IPA

DD Tier: Only if it's the last six-pack on the shelf

Goose Island Tropical Beer Hug

A fruited riff that reads more like a flavored malt drink than a proper IPA to a lot of hop-heads. Pleasant in small doses, forgettable after that.

About Goose Island Tropical Beer Hug

A fruited IPA variant from Goose Island Beer Company.

Brewery: Goose Island Beer Company
Style: Fruited IPA

Voodoo Ranger G-Force

The low-calorie, low-ABV entry in the Voodoo Ranger family. It exists for people counting macros more than people chasing hop flavor, and it tastes like it.

About Voodoo Ranger G-Force

A low-calorie, lower-ABV IPA in New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger lineup.

Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Style: Light IPA

How we ranked them

We leaned on what shows up again and again in beer forums, ratings sites, and brewery reputations: balance, hop character, drinkability, and whether a beer actually tastes like what it promises on the can. Availability and value matter too, since an IPA you can only find once a year doesn't help you on a random Tuesday. Where opinion splits hard (looking at you, hazy IPA debates), we picked a side and said so.

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FAQ

What's the best IPA beer overall?

Russian River Pliny the Elder is the most consistently praised IPA among critics and fans, though it can be hard to find outside its distribution area.

What's the best IPA you can buy at a regular grocery store?

Sierra Nevada Torpedo and Bell's Two Hearted are both widely distributed and show up near the top of most rankings, including ours.

Are hazy IPAs better than West Coast IPAs?

It's genuinely split. Hazy fans want the soft, juicy mouthfeel of beers like Firestone Walker Mind Haze, while West Coast fans want the crisp bitterness of something like Stone IPA. We lean toward balanced beers doing both well.

What's a good IPA for someone who doesn't like bitter beer?

Ballast Point Sculpin and Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA both lead with fruit and citrus rather than aggressive bitterness, making them easier starting points.

Is Founders All Day IPA a real IPA?

It's technically a session IPA, brewed lower in ABV for easier all-day drinking, which is why it lands lower on a list focused on flavor intensity.

Why is Voodoo Ranger IPA ranked lower than its spinoffs?

The original Voodoo Ranger IPA is solid but unremarkable next to its own line's more flavor-forward versions like Imperial IPA and Juice Force, which stood out more in reviews.

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