
Highest-rated IPAs in Montana
Highest-rated IPAs in Montana
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 Montana, 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.
#27. Highlander Strange Haze IPA
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.4%
- Brewery: Highlander Beer
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#26. Freedom Fighter IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Imagine Nation Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#25. Summit Dog Double IPA
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Outlaw Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#24. Daruma
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: New Hokkaido Beverage Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#23. Hula Hopped
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Higherground Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#22. Shady
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: KettleHouse Brewing Co. (Southside Taproom)
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#21. Pineapple Express IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.2%
- Brewery: Draught Works
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#20. Shake A Day
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Big Sky Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#19. Lip Ripper
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.2%
- Brewery: Mighty Mo Brew Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#18. Dropper IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Madison River Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#17. Muley Buck
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.2%
- Brewery: KettleHouse Brewing Co. (Southside Taproom)
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#16. Vigilante IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.7%
- Brewery: Bridger Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#15. Hat Trick Hop IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Tamarack Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#14. Citra IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#13. Bitter Root IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.2%
- Brewery: Bitter Root Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#12. Hopzone IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Bozeman Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#11. Lupujus 7
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Imagine Nation Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#10. Nelson Sauvin Cloud Curtain
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Mountains Walking Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#9. Tin Sky DDH
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Mountains Walking Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#8. Last Cast Black IPA
- Type: Black IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Bitter Root Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#7. Scepter IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Draught Works
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#6. Grazing Clouds
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.2%
- Brewery: Mountains Walking Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#5. Teddy Roosevelt American Badass
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 7.9%
- Brewery: Meadowlark Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#4. Single Malt IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Blackfoot River Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#3. Mosaic Cloud Curtain
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Mountains Walking Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#2. Double Grazing Clouds
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Mountains Walking Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#1. Tumbleweed
- Type: English IPA
- ABV: 6.6%
- Brewery: Lewis & Clark 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.