Highest-rated IPAs in Minnesota

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 Minnesota, 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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BeerAdvocate

1 / 30

#30. Wavy

- Rating: 4.27 (25 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.2%
- Brewery: BlackStack Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

2 / 30

#29. Blissful Ignorance - Double Dry-Hopped

- Rating: 4.26 (27 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.0%
- Brewery: Lupulin Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

3 / 30

#28. Size 7

- Rating: 4.11 (669 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Steel Toe Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

4 / 30

#27. Simcoe DIPA

- Rating: 4.26 (29 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Junkyard Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

5 / 30

#26. Strata

- Rating: 4.21 (44 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.2%
- Brewery: Fair State Brewing Cooperative
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

6 / 30

#25. Let It Ride

- Rating: 4.12 (411 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Indeed Brewing Company - Minneapolis
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

7 / 30

#24. Straight Hash Homie

- Rating: 4.17 (84 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 7.7%
- Brewery: Lupulin Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

8 / 30

#23. 300 Mosaic India Pale Ale

- Rating: 4.13 (375 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Fulton Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

9 / 30

#22. Size 11

- Rating: 4.14 (274 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: Steel Toe Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

10 / 30

#21. Double Universe

- Rating: 4.25 (38 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.6%
- Brewery: Fair State Brewing Cooperative
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

11 / 30

#20. DDH Shooter McGavin

- Rating: 4.48 (17 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.3%
- Brewery: Barrel Theory Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

12 / 30

#19. Chazz Michael Michaels

- Rating: 4.30 (28 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Barrel Theory Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

13 / 30

#18. Loud Pack

- Rating: 4.26 (38 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: BlackStack Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

14 / 30

#17. Mirror Universe

- Rating: 4.18 (217 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Fair State Brewing Cooperative
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

15 / 30

#16. Thread Count

- Rating: 4.40 (25 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.1%
- Brewery: BlackStack Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

16 / 30

#15. Double Dreamyard

- Rating: 4.34 (41 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Modist Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

17 / 30

#14. Blissful Ignorance

- Rating: 4.23 (192 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.0%
- Brewery: Lupulin Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

18 / 30

#13. Insurrection

- Rating: 4.24 (157 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.0%
- Brewery: Fulton Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

19 / 30

#12. Magic Man

- Rating: 4.37 (47 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.1%
- Brewery: Barrel Theory Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

20 / 30

#11. Hooey

- Rating: 4.26 (214 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.2%
- Brewery: Lupulin Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

21 / 30

#10. Spirit Føul

- Rating: 4.32 (115 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.3%
- Brewery: Fair State Brewing Cooperative
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

22 / 30

#9. Furious

- Rating: 4.28 (6,003 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.7%
- Brewery: Surly Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

23 / 30

#8. Sticker Fight

- Rating: 4.34 (145 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Steel Toe Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

24 / 30

#7. Wet

- Rating: 4.29 (1,620 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.1%
- Brewery: Surly Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

25 / 30

#6. Masala Mama

- Rating: 4.31 (1,413 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Town Hall Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

26 / 30

#5. Shooter McGavin

- Rating: 4.43 (71 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Barrel Theory Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

27 / 30

#4. Rain Drops

- Rating: 4.42 (124 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Barrel Theory Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

28 / 30

#3. Stupid Good

- Rating: 4.54 (52 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.6%
- Brewery: Disgruntled Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

29 / 30

#2. Axe Man

- Rating: 4.43 (3,063 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.2%
- Brewery: Surly Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

30 / 30

#1. Abrasive Ale

- Rating: 4.49 (4,844 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.2%
- Brewery: Surly 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.

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