Highest-rated IPAs in Indiana

·Stacker

View Apart // Shutterstock
View Apart // Shutterstock

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 Indiana, 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.

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#19. Honey Badger

BeerAdvocate

1 / 19

#19. Honey Badger

- Rating: 4.18 (28 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Bare Hands Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#18. Juicy Nuggets

BeerAdvocate

2 / 19

#18. Juicy Nuggets

- Rating: 4.26 (20 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.2%
- Brewery: 450 North Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#17. Joe England IPA

BeerAdvocate

3 / 19

#17. Joe England IPA

- Rating: 4.22 (26 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Bare Hands Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#16. Waking the Witch

BeerAdvocate

4 / 19

#16. Waking the Witch

- Rating: 4.23 (27 ratings)
- Type: Black IPA
- ABV: 8.25%
- Brewery: WarPigs Brewing USA
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#14. Rip Cord

BeerAdvocate

6 / 19

#14. Rip Cord

- Rating: 4.16 (89 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.0%
- Brewery: Daredevil Brewing Co
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#13. Westy IPA

BeerAdvocate

7 / 19

#13. Westy IPA

- Rating: 4.21 (63 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Bare Hands Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#12. Lazurite

BeerAdvocate

8 / 19

#12. Lazurite

- Rating: 4.15 (404 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: WarPigs Brewing USA
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#11. Grapefruit Jungle (GFJ)

BeerAdvocate

9 / 19

#11. Grapefruit Jungle (GFJ)

- Rating: 4.15 (450 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Sun King Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#9. Zero Discipline

BeerAdvocate

11 / 19

#9. Zero Discipline

- Rating: 4.27 (41 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: 18th Street Brewery - Gary Taproom
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#8. Grapefruit Dead

BeerAdvocate

12 / 19

#8. Grapefruit Dead

- Rating: 4.25 (156 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: 18th Street Brewery - Gary Taproom
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#7. Under Crown

BeerAdvocate

13 / 19

#7. Under Crown

- Rating: 4.24 (212 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: 18th Street Brewery - Gary Taproom
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#6. Apocalypse Cow

BeerAdvocate

14 / 19

#6. Apocalypse Cow

- Rating: 4.24 (2,239 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.6%
- Brewery: 3 Floyds Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#4. Arctic Panzer Wolf

BeerAdvocate

16 / 19

#4. Arctic Panzer Wolf

- Rating: 4.26 (3,733 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.0%
- Brewery: 3 Floyds Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#3. Deal With The Devil

BeerAdvocate

17 / 19

#3. Deal With The Devil

- Rating: 4.31 (420 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: 18th Street Brewery - Gary Taproom
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#2. Dreadnaught

BeerAdvocate

18 / 19

#2. Dreadnaught

- Rating: 4.40 (6,320 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.4%
- Brewery: 3 Floyds Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#1. Permanent Funeral

BeerAdvocate

19 / 19

#1. Permanent Funeral

- Rating: 4.49 (3,274 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.5%
- Brewery: 3 Floyds 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.