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Bitter is better for IPA lovers. This hop-forward brew is the most popular craft beer style in the United States, accounting for nearly in off-premise retail establishments in 2024, according to Circana data.

India pale ales in the 1800s, with the phrase first appearing in print in 1835. Brewer 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 , which gives them a robust flavor and aroma. IPAs are , 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 , 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. compiled a list of the best IPAs from Illinois, using data from , 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 / 20

#20. Lunches, Brunches, Interviews

- Rating: 4.34 (57 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 7.75%
- Brewery: Mikerphone Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

2 / 20

#19. Navaja

- Rating: 4.24 (702 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.0%
- Brewery: Half Acre Beer Company
-

BeerAdvocate

3 / 20

#18. Loose Candies

- Rating: 4.31 (96 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.4%
- Brewery: More Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

4 / 20

#17. Double Daisy Cutter

- Rating: 4.25 (1,140 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Half Acre Beer Company
-

BeerAdvocate

5 / 20

#16. Loophole Technicality

- Rating: 4.36 (76 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Hop Butcher For The World
-

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BeerAdvocate

6 / 20

#15. Double Blazed Orange

- Rating: 4.37 (81 ratings)
- Type: Milkshake IPA
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Hop Butcher For The World
-

BeerAdvocate

7 / 20

#14. Squeezit

- Rating: 4.44 (48 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Corridor Brewery & Provisions
-

BeerAdvocate

8 / 20

#13. Mathias Imperial IPA

- Rating: 4.31 (291 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Haymarket Beer Co. Pub & Brewery
-

BeerAdvocate

9 / 20

#12. Neon Green Relish

- Rating: 4.38 (87 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Hop Butcher For The World
-

BeerAdvocate

10 / 20

#11. Galactic Double Daisy Cutter

- Rating: 4.31 (888 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Half Acre Beer Company
-

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BeerAdvocate

11 / 20

#10. Mikerphone Check 1, 2

- Rating: 4.36 (151 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Mikerphone Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

12 / 20

#9. Green Moss

- Rating: 4.39 (114 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Hop Butcher For The World
-

BeerAdvocate

13 / 20

#8. Beer Hates Astronauts

- Rating: 4.36 (654 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.8%
- Brewery: Half Acre Beer Company
-

BeerAdvocate

14 / 20

#7. Spotted Puffer

- Rating: 4.37 (444 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Pipeworks Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

15 / 20

#6. Galaxy Unicorn

- Rating: 4.37 (693 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Pipeworks Brewing Co.
-

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BeerAdvocate

16 / 20

#5. Unsessionable

- Rating: 4.37 (1,110 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.0%
- Brewery: Revolution Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

17 / 20

#4. Double Grid

- Rating: 4.42 (170 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.5%
- Brewery: Hop Butcher For The World
-

BeerAdvocate

18 / 20

#3. Citra

- Rating: 4.40 (1,412 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Pipeworks Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

19 / 20

#2. Sure Bet

- Rating: 4.44 (662 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Pipeworks Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

20 / 20

#1. Emerald Grouper

- Rating: 4.46 (937 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Pipeworks Brewing Co.
-

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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