any good recommendations on some brands that are sold nationwide and not locally.alot of the brands of ipa’s ive seen seem to only look like there sold locally or there in the 22 oz bottles which i perfer 6 packs
What style of IPA? For the classic West Coast variety, I recommend Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. No matter what they call it - it defines the style. For a more extreme example, try either their Torpedo or Stone Brewing’s IPA.
ps. There is this thing called a “Caps” key…
what do you mean by style.the ones ive been kinda lookin at were like scorpion double ipa,southern tier blackwater series.i think goose island had a ipa to
IPAs seem to be the great fad of the last year or two - not only does every brewery have one, but many have several variations. Sierra Nevada is pretty much the grandpappy of the breed and just about the only one I can drink (one of). Which means it’s a lot less hoppy and sharp than most of the craft brewed IPAs, which seem to be contending for the Listerine title.
(Just can’t develop a taste for IPAs… wish the brief surge of rauschbiers had sustained and found a following.)
OK. First you need to educate yourself on beer. There are several very distinct styles of IPA. One of the originals was Bass Ale, recognizable by the red triangle on the label. These are milder, less-hoppy versions of the style.
In the US, brewers played around with hops and developed the West Coast style, characterized by copious amounts of Cascade, Chinook and Amarillo hops and higher alcohol content. This is the stuff you have had so far. But the style has mutated as more and more craft breweries open, since every brewer thinks his take on the style is best.
hmm,would it hurt to just goto the liquior store and buy some random brand as long as it says ipa.i know the beer i normally drink is samuel adams and they have ipa flavored samuel adams but the big packs they sell now come with less bottles and they dont sell individual 6 packs in my area
See if your local big-box liquor store will do “U-Pick” six-packs. Then you can get 6 different IPAs to try. If you have a Bevmo nearby they will be your best best.
I wouldn’t recommend Sam Adams’ version if you’re going for the true IPA experience - it’s technically an India Pale Lager, and has a weird pine aftertaste that, while not displeasing, is certainly not what one expects from an IPA.
In my experience, local/regional IPAs tend to be better than the larger brands. If you’re looking for something that you’re almost certain to find in your locale, then Dogfish Head is a pretty good example of a perfectly-made IPA, though it’ll probably be way more expensive than an IPA from your local craft brewery. (Around here, Dogfish Head IPA runs about $11 for a 4-pack, compared to $7-9 for a 6-pack of Fish Tale IPA brewed in downtown Olympia.) I don’t know if Red Hook or Widmer or Pyramid are available in your area, but they all have pretty decent IPAs as far as larger brands go.
As the above poster said, your best bet might be to go to a BevMo, or a Total Wine, or another beer/wine/liquor megastore that sells loose bottles and sample what they have to offer. I’m personally fond of “Imperial IPA”, which is a stronger and more bitter version that often reaches 8-10% ABV and makes a great sipping drink on a hot summer’s day, but your mileage may vary.
That’s not an IPA. Red Hook, Stone, Ballast Pointe, Lost Coast: these and many other brewers all make true IPAs in the West Coast style.
Like silenus says, an American IPA is different from the rest of the world’s IPA, and even within the style, there’s a bit of variation through the different levels and types of malts used, along with different levels and types of hops. I lean toward the Imperial American IPAs myself, as I think the sweeter brew mutes the sharpness of the hops.
Lagunitas is nationally available, all of their IPA varieties are good, and some are just plain outstanding. Hop Stoopid (only in bombers) and Lagunitas Maximus (comes in bombers and six packs) are two of my favorites of theirs.
Schmaltz is also nationally available, and they offer quite a few variations on the style as well. My personal favorite from them is their R.I.P.A., a rye IPA. They offer a variety 12 pack that’s a good mix (has 3 R.I.P.A.s in it 
) and is usually priced nicely.
ETA: I’ll echo silenus, Sierra Nevada is the prototypical American IPA, no matter what they call it.
SN Pale Ale is a superb beer, but it doesn’t have the IBU of a true IPA, in large part because it doesn’t go through the same intense finishing hopping (usually dry hopping) as a true West Coast IPA. It’s also slightly lower in alcohol, 5.6% versus 6-7% for most IPAs.
Yeah, now. When it was first brewed, it defined West Coast IPA, being the first. Of course, nobody was satisfied with the status quo, so they immediately started pushing the envelope, which inevitably leads to Double Arrogant Bastard. Styles evolve, and now SN Pale is just a California Pale. But back in 1980, it was definely an IPA variant.
If a newb to beer was to try today’s IPAs without working up to them, they’d never drink anything more bitter than Sprite ever again! 
In other words, it doesn’t define the style at all.
For an easy drinking, everyday IPA I reccomend New Belgium’s Ranger IPA. For something a little more malty and harder-core, Flying Dog’s Snake Dog IPA, or Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo IPA. For West Coast hop brilliance, it’s hard to beat Green Flash West Coast IPA, or Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum. (There are MANY others, these listed are my favs.)
I am the biggest Sierra Nevada fan around, but I think Torpedo sucks donkey balls. Green Flash, OTOH, is just sublime. You can’r really go wrong with any IPA brewed in San Diego County: Green Flash, Stone, Ballast Point, Alesmith…all superb examples of the West Coast Style.
Sub - Let us just say “definitive, but not exclusive.”
We can both agree it’s a superb brew!
On a completely different note - if you haven’t tried Sierra Nevada’s 30th Anniversary brew, you must! It’s an Imperial Helles Bock packaged in corked bombers. Delish!
That’s what I did. When I first decided to try drinking beer I just went to the store and bought some. I know I wasn’t alone in saying “pale, must be a bit on the tasteless side, right?” I still don’t like bitter beer, but a few years later I’m wondering if I should circle back and try some IPA’s again, I’ve really never given them a shot, but then I don’t care for bitter stuff even if it isn’t beer.
Except it does.
People keep mentioning Sierra Nevada Pale Ale because it’s one of the oldest and best pale ales around; in fact, many believe it created the genre. Before Sierra Nevada Pale ale, there was very little beer of this type or quality available, and certainly nothing with the IBUs. Is there higher IBU IPAs around now? Hell yeah. But that doesn’t negate the quality of Sierra Nevada’s.
And yeah, so it’s called a “Pale Ale” and not an “IPA”. You’re splitting hairs here. It’s a superb example of the style, easily and cheaply available around the country, and it’s without question a good choice for anyone wanting to learn about IPAs or beer in general.
Yeah, I’ll agree with silenus and Athena on this one. The line between IPA (India Pale Ale) and APA (American Pale Ale) (and then West Coast IPA) is all kind of fuzzy. Sierra Nevada is like just a slightly toned down version of an IPA, but, for the purposes of this thread, I think it’s a good introduction to IPAs, even if it very technically may not be one. Put it this way: if you sat that beer down in front of me and I had never tasted it before, I probably would have guessed it’s an American IPA of some sort.
Which one is that? They have a couple. The Latitude 48 and Whitewater, which I’ve both had, are both IPAs as far as I know. Neither stand out, although the Whitewater is pretty interesting with a bit of wheat in the mash. The Latitude 48 is middle-of-the-road as far as IPAs go, but what was fun was a couple years ago when it first came out they also did a “deconstructed” Latitude 48, where there were bottles with the same malt base but single hopped, so you can taste each of the six hops they use and what character they contribute to the beer. Now that’s something beer geeks like me love. Their Simcoe Latitude 48 Deconstructed was particularly good.
I think you’ll be fine. My impression is the focus on IPAs (which to me seems to have been more like the last 5-10 years of the craft brew scene) has been fading over the last 2-3 years, much to my delight. Now, I love IPAs, but the world only needs so many of them. After awhile, I just can’t tell the difference between the thousands that must be out there. American craft brewing can use a few more straight-ahead lagers and beers of that nature, where “bigger”/extreme/wild flavors is not necessarily better.