Highest-rated IPAs in Vermont

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November 4, 2022
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Highest-rated IPAs in Vermont

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 Vermont, 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.

#29. Experimental Jet Set

- Rating: 4.29 (249 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 9.2%
- Brewery: Foam Brewers
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#28. Glimpse

- Rating: 4.34 (108 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.8%
- Brewery: River Roost Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#27. Más Verde

- Rating: 4.32 (154 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.7%
- Brewery: River Roost Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#26. Intangible Tides

- Rating: 4.36 (103 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 10.0%
- Brewery: Burlington Beer Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#25. Martian Moon House

- Rating: 4.38 (82 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: River Roost Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#24. Galaxie 500

- Rating: 4.36 (122 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.0%
- Brewery: Foam Brewers
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#23. Fair Maiden

- Rating: 4.31 (863 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Foley Brothers Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#22. Pieces Of Eight

- Rating: 4.33 (485 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Foley Brothers Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#21. Lush

- Rating: 4.33 (634 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Frost Beer Works
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#20. Ouroboros

- Rating: 4.38 (207 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: The Alchemist
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#19. Built To Spill

- Rating: 4.36 (407 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Foam Brewers
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#18. Prospect

- Rating: 4.36 (507 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.0%
- Brewery: Foley Brothers Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#17. Pavement

- Rating: 4.38 (331 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Foam Brewers
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#16. Peril

- Rating: 4.39 (252 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 11.1%
- Brewery: Lawson's Finest Liquids
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#15. Triple Play

- Rating: 4.39 (408 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Lawson's Finest Liquids
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#14. Mastermind

- Rating: 4.43 (1,544 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.1%
- Brewery: Fiddlehead Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#13. Heady Topper - 20th Anniversary

- Rating: 4.57 (78 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.0%
- Brewery: The Alchemist
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#12. Second Fiddle

- Rating: 4.44 (2,470 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Fiddlehead Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#11. Crusher

- Rating: 4.48 (2,363 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: The Alchemist
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#10. Triple Sunshine

- Rating: 4.55 (1,185 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.5%
- Brewery: Lawson's Finest Liquids
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#9. Sip Of Sunshine

- Rating: 4.55 (6,232 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Lawson's Finest Liquids
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#8. Ephraim

- Rating: 4.56 (1,163 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.1%
- Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#7. Focal Banger

- Rating: 4.56 (4,570 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: The Alchemist
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#6. Society & Solitude #4

- Rating: 4.58 (1,465 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#5. Double Galaxy

- Rating: 4.59 (1,701 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#4. Double Citra®

- Rating: 4.60 (2,137 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#3. Double Sunshine

- Rating: 4.63 (2,736 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Lawson's Finest Liquids
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#2. Abner

- Rating: 4.63 (2,926 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.3%
- Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#1. Heady Topper

- Rating: 4.70 (15,362 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: The Alchemist
- 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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