Highest-rated IPAs in Virginia

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 Virginia, 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 / 19

#19. Bask

- Rating: 4.28 (58 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 7.8%
- Brewery: Basic City Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

2 / 19

#18. Grand Larceny

- Rating: 4.24 (99 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: The Answer Brewpub
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

3 / 19

#17. Bitter Valentine

- Rating: 4.23 (570 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.3%
- Brewery: Alewerks Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

4 / 19

#16. Battle Creek

- Rating: 4.32 (72 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Triple Crossing Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

5 / 19

#15. Green Dreams

- Rating: 4.32 (80 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Triple Crossing Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

6 / 19

#14. Nectar & Knife

- Rating: 4.30 (126 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Triple Crossing Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

7 / 19

#13. Interstellar Burst

- Rating: 4.36 (69 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Triple Crossing Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

8 / 19

#12. Hard In The Paint

- Rating: 4.35 (79 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: The Answer Brewpub
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

9 / 19

#11. Dirt Nap

- Rating: 4.36 (251 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.8%
- Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

10 / 19

#10. Crucial Taunt

- Rating: 4.35 (374 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

11 / 19

#9. Stellar Parallax

- Rating: 4.38 (215 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.1%
- Brewery: Aslin Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

12 / 19

#8. We Ded Mon

- Rating: 4.41 (154 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

13 / 19

#7. Talking Backwards

- Rating: 4.46 (91 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.8%
- Brewery: Ocelot Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

14 / 19

#6. IdonteverEVERwanttoBU

- Rating: 4.45 (105 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 9.3%
- Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

15 / 19

#5. whiteferrari

- Rating: 4.40 (260 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

16 / 19

#4. Orange Starfish

- Rating: 4.39 (420 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Aslin Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

17 / 19

#3. Mind The Hop

- Rating: 4.42 (312 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Aslin Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

18 / 19

#2. Master Of Karate

- Rating: 4.41 (537 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.4%
- Brewery: Aslin Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

19 / 19

#1. Double Orange Starfish

- Rating: 4.46 (500 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.3%
- Brewery: Aslin Beer 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.