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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 Kentucky, 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 / 19

#19. Fuzzy Fields

- Rating: 3.94 (12 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.2%
- Brewery: West Sixth Brewing Company
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BeerAdvocate

2 / 19

#18. Monnik IPA

- Rating: 3.78 (43 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.7%
- Brewery: Monnik Beer Co.
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BeerAdvocate

3 / 19

#17. Burning Daylight

- Rating: 4.08 (10 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: West Sixth Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

4 / 19

#16. Pile Of Face

- Rating: 3.83 (162 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse
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BeerAdvocate

5 / 19

#15. Cliff Jumper IPA

- Rating: 3.88 (175 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Country Boy Brewing
-

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BeerAdvocate

6 / 19

#14. Witness the Citrus

- Rating: 3.93 (18 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Country Boy Brewing
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BeerAdvocate

7 / 19

#13. Braxton Labs Edge of Mysteries

- Rating: 4.04 (15 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Braxton Brewing Company
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BeerAdvocate

8 / 19

#12. Jubilee

- Rating: 3.97 (18 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Braxton Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

9 / 19

#11. West Sixth IPA

- Rating: 3.91 (694 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: West Sixth Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

10 / 19

#10. Citra Ass Down

- Rating: 3.91 (1,360 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse
-

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BeerAdvocate

11 / 19

#9. Dynasty

- Rating: 3.99 (18 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Country Boy Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

12 / 19

#8. Power Chord

- Rating: 3.99 (24 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Gravely Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

13 / 19

#7. Low Beam

- Rating: 3.99 (25 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: West Sixth Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

14 / 19

#6. Tropic Flare

- Rating: 4.01 (60 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Braxton Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

15 / 19

#5. Rico Sauvin

- Rating: 4.03 (770 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse
-

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BeerAdvocate

16 / 19

#4. Knotty Pine

- Rating: 4.08 (56 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.0%
- Brewery: Country Boy Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

17 / 19

#3. Heller Heaven Double IPA

- Rating: 4.06 (152 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: West Sixth Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

18 / 19

#2. Debaser

- Rating: 4.23 (19 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Gravely Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

19 / 19

#1. NOMAH! (Scavenger Series - Northeast IPA)

- Rating: 4.25 (21 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Mile Wide Beer Co.
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This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.