Highest-rated IPAs in California

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November 4, 2022
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Highest-rated IPAs in California

Bitter is better for IPA lovers. This hop-forward brew is the most popular craft beer style in the United States, accounting for nearly half of all beer sales in off-premise retail establishments in 2024, according to Circana data.

India pale ales originated in England in the 1800s, with the phrase first appearing in print in 1835. Brewer George Hodgson typically gets the credit for its development. His competitors started calling his hoppier brew India pale ale because of his contract with the British East India Company.

American brewers first began making English IPAs in the late 1800s, but Americans preferred lagers. It wasn't until 1975, when Anchor Brewing Company launched a dry-hopped pale ale, that craft brewers started to latch onto the style. In 1991, Oregon brewer Teri Fahrendorf made an IPA with all-American ingredients, creating the first American IPA.

Like other ales, IPAs contain top-fermenting yeast, which gives them a robust flavor and aroma. IPAs are loaded with hops, responsible for the beer's characteristic bitterness and its notes of citrus, floral, or pine. These beers are known for their higher alcohol content, ranging from 5.5% to 7.5%, although session IPAs are lower in ABV, and double or triple IPAs are higher.

Brewers like IPAs because they allow for bold creativity. West Coast IPAs are known for their high hop levels, with brewers pushing the bounds of bitterness. While true IPA aficionados love that element, many are now leaning toward the more approachable New England-style IPA, which is hazier in appearance and maximizes the fruitier characteristics of hops without the extreme and potentially off-putting bitter taste.

Whatever your IPA preference, there are endless options to choose from. Stacker compiled a list of the best IPAs from California, using data from BeerAdvocate, and sorted them according to their weighted ranking. Beers without images were excluded. Only IPAs that made BeerAdvocate's top 100 beer list by state were included.

#18. Biggie, Biggie, Biggie,

- Rating: 4.52 (55 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 10.1%
- Brewery: Monkish Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#17. Blind Pig

- Rating: 4.36 (6,249 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.25%
- Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#16. Yojo

- Rating: 4.44 (126 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Moonraker Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#15. Double Dry-Hopped Pliny The Elder

- Rating: 4.43 (179 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#14. Sculpin

- Rating: 4.38 (14,672 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#13. The Pupil

- Rating: 4.39 (1,046 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Societe Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#12. Bomb Atomically

- Rating: 4.48 (108 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.3%
- Brewery: Monkish Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#11. Double Dobis

- Rating: 4.45 (174 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Cellarmaker Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#10. Enjoy By IPA

- Rating: 4.41 (11,210 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.4%
- Brewery: Stone Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#9. Citra Showers

- Rating: 4.43 (581 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.8%
- Brewery: Noble Ale Works
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#8. Nelson

- Rating: 4.43 (4,386 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Alpine Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#7. Foggy Window

- Rating: 4.49 (330 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.1%
- Brewery: Monkish Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#6. Pliny For President

- Rating: 4.50 (275 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#5. Foggier Window

- Rating: 4.51 (340 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.1%
- Brewery: Monkish Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#4. Adios Ghost

- Rating: 4.61 (92 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 10.2%
- Brewery: Monkish Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#3. Citra

- Rating: 4.55 (1,911 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Kern River Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#2. Pliny The Elder

- Rating: 4.64 (15,770 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#1. Pliny The Younger

- Rating: 4.69 (3,599 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.25%
- Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.

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