What would be good IPA choices in the midwest area?

Question

I am trying to get into different IPA's and just wanting some suggestions. I have been drinking Surly's IPAs, but I want to branch out and try some others.

Answer 1

IPAs are actually a pretty broad range of beers themselves. If you want to amp up the bitter side of things, look for west coast IPAs. Some nationally available ones would be things from Stone, Sierra Nevada, or even Sam Adams Rebel IPA, among many many more.

East Coast/NE IPAs tend to not be as bitter, have more sweetness and highlight some more of what the hops and other ingredients bring. Sam Adams has a NE IPA as well, though I mostly know more regional brewers for this stuff.

Of course, categories often fall apart when you try to map the real world into them, so there are a lot of IPAs that won't fit cleanly into either, and some of these are really well known. Heady Topper helped really get the IPA scene roaring in NE, but wouldn't really fit a lot of people's expectations for a NE IPA now. Nor would Lunch or Dinner, though all three are delicious. They're just markedly different from, say, Congress Street from Trillium or Julius from Treehouse.

So, the real way to get into IPAs will be to look for local brewers who are making things and go try them. There's a ton of variety within the style, so you'll just have to try things to find what you like.

The national brands can give you a sense of what to expect from the different variations, but that will just help you point in the right direction.

I don't know how widely distributed things in the midwest are, but Listerman's Brewering in Ohio makes some decent stuff, like Hank the Dumpster Kitty. M-43 from Old Nation Brewing in Michigan is not too bad either. I'm unfortunately not super familiar with that area though.

Answer 2

In my opinion IPAs are best consumed fresh. This suggests looking for local breweries where you can get beers perhaps only a few weeks after bottling or canning. Beer Advocate is a decent source of beer reviews. You don't mention where you live, but since you can get Surly, here is the rankings for Minnesota beers.