Highest-rated IPAs in Hawaii

Written by:
November 4, 2022
View Apart // Shutterstock

Highest-rated IPAs in Hawaii

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 Hawaii, 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.

#19. Cheehoo IPA

- Rating: 3.74 (7 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 5.9%
- Brewery: Lanikai Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#18. Hibiscus Brut IPA

- Rating: 3.59 (29 ratings)
- Type: Brut IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Kona Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#17. Kua Bay

- Rating: 3.69 (164 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.3%
- Brewery: Kona Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#16. Gold Cliff IPA

- Rating: 3.70 (202 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.2%
- Brewery: Kona Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#15. Castaway IPA

- Rating: 3.74 (1,510 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Kona Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#14. Froot Lupes

- Rating: 3.97 (8 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Aloha Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#13. Skinny Jeans

- Rating: 3.71 (48 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.4%
- Brewery: Waikiki Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#12. Waterman IPA

- Rating: 3.67 (18 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.6%
- Brewery: Kohola Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#11. Hop Lei IPA

- Rating: 3.77 (18 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Aloha Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#10. Blood Orange Lorenzini Double IPA

- Rating: 3.81 (60 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Maui Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#9. POG IPA

- Rating: 3.81 (46 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.1%
- Brewery: Maui Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#8. Makena Cloud

- Rating: 3.85 (17 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.6%
- Brewery: Maui Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#7. Moku Imperial IPA

- Rating: 3.84 (64 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.1%
- Brewery: Lanikai Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#6. OMG Hazy

- Rating: 3.88 (20 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Maui Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#5. Lahaina Haze

- Rating: 3.92 (20 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.3%
- Brewery: Kohola Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#4. Hop Island IPA

- Rating: 3.91 (51 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Honolulu Beerworks
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#3. IPA

- Rating: 3.95 (29 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.3%
- Brewery: Ola Brewing Corporation
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#2. Overboard IPA

- Rating: 3.95 (154 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.7%
- Brewery: Big Island Brewhaus
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#1. Double Overhead Double IPA

- Rating: 4.05 (192 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Maui Brewing Co.
- 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.

Trending Now