Highest-rated IPAs in Washington

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November 4, 2022
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Highest-rated IPAs in Washington

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 Washington, 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.

#25. Tropic Haze

- Rating: 4.06 (127 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.4%
- Brewery: Silver City Brewery & Taproom
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#24. Dayglow

- Rating: 4.05 (922 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.4%
- Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#23. Ripe 'n Juicy

- Rating: 4.19 (23 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Silver City Brewery & Taproom
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#22. Double Crush - Fresh Hop

- Rating: 4.19 (26 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Reuben's Brews
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#21. Fresh Hop IPA

- Rating: 4.15 (38 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Old Schoolhouse Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#20. Leota Mae IPA

- Rating: 4.10 (85 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.2%
- Brewery: Bale Breaker Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#19. Nectar of the Gods (NOG)

- Rating: 4.17 (32 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: White Bluffs Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#18. Spirit Crusher

- Rating: 4.23 (21 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Holy Mountain Brewing Company - Interbay Brewery + Taproom
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#17. Mount Saint Humulus

- Rating: 4.18 (31 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.0%
- Brewery: Bale Breaker Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#16. Cone & Cone

- Rating: 4.21 (26 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.2%
- Brewery: Holy Mountain Brewing Company - Interbay Brewery + Taproom
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#15. Space Dust

- Rating: 4.08 (3,295 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#14. Meowsa!

- Rating: 4.14 (69 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.1%
- Brewery: Georgetown Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#13. Imperial Rye IPA

- Rating: 4.12 (111 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.4%
- Brewery: Reuben's Brews
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#12. Lush

- Rating: 4.11 (427 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#11. Citra Slicker Wet Hop IPA

- Rating: 4.18 (64 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Bale Breaker Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#10. Juice On Juice

- Rating: 4.33 (21 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Structures Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#9. Triple Crush

- Rating: 4.32 (23 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 10.0%
- Brewery: Reuben's Brews
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#8. Bodhizafa

- Rating: 4.14 (284 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.9%
- Brewery: Georgetown Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#7. Imperial IPA

- Rating: 4.20 (74 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.0%
- Brewery: Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#6. Lucille

- Rating: 4.15 (376 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Georgetown Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#5. Wisdom Seeker

- Rating: 4.18 (201 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.9%
- Brewery: Black Raven Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#4. Gobsmacked!

- Rating: 4.26 (54 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.0%
- Brewery: Reuben's Brews
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#3. Topcutter

- Rating: 4.17 (499 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Bale Breaker Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#2. Bottomcutter

- Rating: 4.23 (203 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Bale Breaker Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#1. Blimey That's Bitter!

- Rating: 4.29 (112 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.5%
- Brewery: Reuben's Brews
- 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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