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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 Maine, 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 / 30

#30. Offset

- Rating: 4.20 (51 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 9.0%
- Brewery: Austin Street Brewery
-

BeerAdvocate

2 / 30

#29. Daikaiju

- Rating: 4.13 (253 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.7%
- Brewery: Banded Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

3 / 30

#28. Wolfe's Neck

- Rating: 4.13 (256 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Maine Beer Company
-

BeerAdvocate

4 / 30

#27. Super Prime

- Rating: 4.29 (26 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Goodfire Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

5 / 30

#26. Fallstreak

- Rating: 4.26 (32 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.4%
- Brewery: Definitive Brewing Company
-

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BeerAdvocate

6 / 30

#25. Venture

- Rating: 4.14 (203 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Foundation Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

7 / 30

#24. Flume^2

- Rating: 4.22 (46 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Battery Steele Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

8 / 30

#23. Into the Kaleidoscope

- Rating: 4.26 (34 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Belleflower Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

9 / 30

#22. Particles

- Rating: 4.23 (44 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.3%
- Brewery: Definitive Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

10 / 30

#21. Behind The Light

- Rating: 4.21 (60 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.4%
- Brewery: Definitive Brewing Company
-

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BeerAdvocate

11 / 30

#20. Pulp Truck IPA

- Rating: 4.23 (49 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Marsh Island Brewing
-

BeerAdvocate

12 / 30

#19. Florens

- Rating: 4.21 (118 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.9%
- Brewery: Austin Street Brewery
-

BeerAdvocate

13 / 30

#18. Kon-Tiki

- Rating: 4.28 (48 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.3%
- Brewery: Austin Street Brewery
-

BeerAdvocate

14 / 30

#17. Float

- Rating: 4.27 (60 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Definitive Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

15 / 30

#16. Cutter Imperial IPA

- Rating: 4.19 (355 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Rising Tide Brewing Company
-

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BeerAdvocate

16 / 30

#15. Spirals

- Rating: 4.30 (46 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Definitive Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

17 / 30

#14. Chaos Emeralds

- Rating: 4.23 (105 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Lone Pine Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

18 / 30

#13. Neverender

- Rating: 4.24 (113 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Austin Street Brewery
-

BeerAdvocate

19 / 30

#12. Oh-J

- Rating: 4.25 (333 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.1%
- Brewery: Lone Pine Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

20 / 30

#11. Flume

- Rating: 4.27 (329 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Battery Steele Brewing
-

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BeerAdvocate

21 / 30

#10. Second Dinner

- Rating: 4.34 (147 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Maine Beer Company
-

BeerAdvocate

22 / 30

#9. Another One

- Rating: 4.30 (2,377 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Maine Beer Company
-

BeerAdvocate

23 / 30

#8. The Substance

- Rating: 4.31 (1,971 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.6%
- Brewery: Bissell Brothers Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

24 / 30

#7. Reciprocal

- Rating: 4.38 (631 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.3%
- Brewery: Bissell Brothers Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

25 / 30

#6. Here's To Feeling Good All The Time

- Rating: 4.41 (227 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 7.8%
- Brewery: Bissell Brothers Brewing Co.
-

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BeerAdvocate

26 / 30

#5. Lunch

- Rating: 4.38 (6,240 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Maine Beer Company
-

BeerAdvocate

27 / 30

#4. Nothing Gold

- Rating: 4.40 (515 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Bissell Brothers Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

28 / 30

#3. Epiphany

- Rating: 4.43 (1,280 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Foundation Brewing Company
-

BeerAdvocate

29 / 30

#2. Swish

- Rating: 4.57 (1,761 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Bissell Brothers Brewing Co.
-

BeerAdvocate

30 / 30

#1. Dinner

- Rating: 4.62 (2,800 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Maine Beer Company
-

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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