IPA in the Pacific Northwest: Where to Get the Best
For years, breweries have been one-upping each other in an attempt to make the superlative IPA. They take this task very seriously in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. This region boasts a near-perfect climate for growing hops, a core ingredient in beer, especially IPAs. Cascade, Mosaic, Centennial… beer lovers know the names of the hop varieties in their favorite brews. In a region so suited to hoppy beers, it takes a bit of effort to find out where to get the best IPA in the Pacific Northwest.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a key spot for craft beer in the Pacific Northwest. Here brewers are experimenting with flavor profiles, brewing methods, and new styles to create exciting and innovative new beers.
Head to the supposedly haunted tap room in downtown Portland to try a scary good IPA. The brewery’s Shanghai’d IPA has won gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival, the North American Beer Awards, and the World Beer Cup.
Photo courtesy of Old Town
Brewed in homage to Portland’s infamous underground history, this ale is designed to captivate the senses. Medium-bodied with a balanced malt backbone, grapefruity aroma, and a notable bitterness, finished off with a resinous hop character.
Get dinner and sample some delicious brews at the two Breakside locations in Portland. We suggest trying their lauded Wanderlust IPA, this year’s silver medal American-Style Strong Pale Ale winner at the World Beer Cup.
Photo courtesy of Breakside
Golden IPA made with five different hops. Intense grapefruit and dank notes with a crisp finish.
Can’t tolerate gluten? Then you will definitely want to pay a visit to the Ground Breaker Brewery where they serve gluten-free beer and food. The brewery’s IPA No. 5 earned the silver medal for gluten-free beer from this year’s World Beer Cup. Yes, the best IPA in the Pacific Northwest can also be gluten-free.
Photo courtesy of Ground Breaker
IPA No. 5 is brewed with roasted chestnuts, roasted lentils, and Belgian-style candi sugar. Crystal and Santiam hops are used during the boil and for dry-hopping. Crystal hops bring the classic Northwest IPA pine and citrus notes while Santiam adds hints of tropical and stone fruits.
The Orbiter IPA from Ecliptic is truly out of this world. This delicious IPA has earned awards from both the World Beer Cup and the North American Beer Awards. Stop in the Portland brewery to sample Orbiter and their other award-winning beer.
Orbiter IPA unites a constellation of hops (Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and Columbus and Simcoe) to create a formidable IPA. Bright and citrusy hop flavors shine in a medium body with caramel malt character.
Bend, Oregon
The relatively small city of Bend boasts an impressive 19 breweries making it a desirable destination for the traveling beer lover! Sample some of the best IPA in the Pacific Northwest in this tiny town.
While the Boneyard taproom may be a bit tricky to find, you will be glad you made the effort once you have sampled their beer. Their Notorious IPA won a silver at the Best of Craft Beer Awards in 2017. If you plan on drinking this outrageous IPA, plan to take an Uber home from the taproom. Notorious IPA packs a walloping 11.5% ABV.
This ale pours a clear amber color with a light white head. Huge grapefruit and pine aroma lead to flavors of citrus, tropical fruits and honey. Hops are abundant and explode from the glass while balancing amazingly well with the malts. So balanced in fact, it’s dangerous!
Deschutes’s distribution is wide enough that you can now find their beer in 28 states. As always, the best place to taste the beer is straight from the brewery’s tap. That’s why we suggest trying the Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA at their original public house in downtown Bend.
Photo courtesy of Deschutes
A juicy citrus and grapefruit flavor profile. As if fresh Citra and Mosaic hops were squeezed straight into the bottle.
Washington
Oregon doesn’t get to have all the fun. Washington produces some of the best-loved IPAs in the world and yes that means that it is also some of the best IPA in the Pacific Northwest.
Make the trip to Silverdale, Washington to visit Cash Brewing Company, a sports grill and brewery. This year the Washington Beer Awards chose Cash’s Top Spin Double IPA as its gold medal winner.
Photo courtesy of Cash Brewing
Balances rich malt flavor with Mosaic, Amarillo and Cascade Hops, delivering notes of tropical fruit, floral and grapefruit. You will find no alcohol bite here, just a smooth and drinkable Double IPA.
Nestled in the midst of a crop of Cascade hops, the Bale Breaker brewery crafts beers from hops grown on-site in the Yakima Valley. The fresh ingredients result in genuinely tasty beer and some of the best IPA in the Pacific Northwest. Among these beers is the Topcutter IPA, which has been lauded by DRAFT magazine, Men’s Journal, and Food & Wine magazine as one of the best IPAs in America.
Photo courtesy of Bale Breaker
Our flagship IPA is a well-balanced yet aggressive West Coast IPA that showcases Yakima Valley hops at their finest. Late additions of Simcoe®, Citra®, Loral™, and Mosaic™ give this beer its complex citrus, fruity, and floral aroma and flavor. Named for a unique piece of farm equipment that removes hop vines from the trellis during the annual hop harvest, Topcutter IPA delivers loads of hoppiness all year long.
Would you add any favorites to our list of the best IPA in the Pacific Northwest? So, which of these beers will you try on your next trip to the area? Celebrating Oktoberfest? Try these other luxury craft beers at your party.
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