Highest-rated IPAs in Maryland

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November 4, 2022
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Highest-rated IPAs in Maryland

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 Maryland, 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.

#30. Biggest Cush

- Rating: 4.26 (14 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 10.0%
- Brewery: Cushwa Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#29. Space Jellyfish

- Rating: 4.04 (29 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.1%
- Brewery: Nepenthe Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#28. Forearm Smash

- Rating: 4.02 (44 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Oliver Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#27. Asleep on the Forest Floor

- Rating: 4.15 (18 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.7%
- Brewery: Elder Pine Brewing & Blending Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#26. The Dragon

- Rating: 4.28 (15 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 7.9%
- Brewery: Sapwood Cellars
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#25. Loose Cannon

- Rating: 4.00 (3,770 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.25%
- Brewery: Heavy Seas Beer
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#24. NeePaa

- Rating: 4.45 (12 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.6%
- Brewery: Cushwa Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#23. Citra Splendor

- Rating: 4.02 (146 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.3%
- Brewery: Manor Hill Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#22. BMORE HAZY

- Rating: 4.12 (21 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Oliver Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#21. Greener Machine

- Rating: 4.24 (19 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.4%
- Brewery: Diamondback Beer
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#20. SOBO

- Rating: 4.18 (25 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Monument City Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#19. Natural Progression

- Rating: 4.36 (16 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Cushwa Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#18. NOBO

- Rating: 4.15 (35 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Monument City Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#17. Scooby Snacks

- Rating: 4.20 (24 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Burley Oak Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#16. Lot #3 IPA

- Rating: 4.06 (1,102 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Evolution Craft Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#15. Face Chop

- Rating: 4.17 (34 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Cushwa Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#14. Hop Broth

- Rating: 4.21 (39 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Diamondback Beer
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#13. Search and Destroy

- Rating: 4.22 (37 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.0%
- Brewery: Burley Oak Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#12. Lot #6 Double IPA

- Rating: 4.11 (784 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Evolution Craft Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#11. IPA With Passion Fruit

- Rating: 4.23 (38 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.3%
- Brewery: Manor Hill Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#10. ChopDank

- Rating: 4.17 (97 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.2%
- Brewery: RAR Brewing (Real Ale Revival)
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#9. Grapefruit Nectar

- Rating: 4.21 (89 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.4%
- Brewery: RAR Brewing (Real Ale Revival)
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#8. Snip Snap

- Rating: 4.39 (23 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.3%
- Brewery: Sapwood Cellars
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#7. Reaper

- Rating: 4.22 (90 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: RAR Brewing (Real Ale Revival)
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#6. Hyde - Galaxy

- Rating: 4.28 (48 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.6%
- Brewery: RAR Brewing (Real Ale Revival)
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#5. 100 - Vic Secret

- Rating: 4.42 (22 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Burley Oak Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#4. Head Stash

- Rating: 4.35 (32 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Burley Oak Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#3. Citralaxy

- Rating: 4.26 (81 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Burley Oak Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#2. Hyde

- Rating: 4.30 (106 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.4%
- Brewery: RAR Brewing (Real Ale Revival)
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#1. Double Duckpin

- Rating: 4.25 (620 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Union Craft 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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