The World Beer Cup is commonly referred to as the “Olympics of Beer Competitions.” Originally conceived in 1996, it is an annual extravaganza organized by the Brewers Association—a trade group comprising over 5,400 beer makers. This spring its expert panel of judges, from 26 different countries, convened in Las Vegas to award bronze, silver and gold medals across 103 separate styles of suds.
We’ve served up a good look at many of these medalists over the past few weeks. But today it’s all about the IPAs. Because the modern craft beer movement remains obsessed with the hoppiest of categories. To wit, there were a total of eight subcategories of India Pale Ale in total at the 2024 World Beer Cup. When looking at the most entered styles, three of the top four wore IPA in the title. Hazy India Pale Ale reigned supreme with 326 offerings, followed by West-Coast Style India Pale Ale with 281. American-Style India Pale Ale boasted some 213 expressions.
So, yes, enthusiasts continue to be enthralled by the most bitter of beers out there. And though the earliest known mention of the term goes all the way back to 1835 England, contemporary examples of India Pale Ale bear little resemblance to its historic antecedent. Indeed, the style continues to redefine itself, which is why the judges at the World Beer Cup need to separate them into eight separate piles to begin with.
Enough throat-clearing. It’s time to enjoy a closer look at those eight gold medal examples. Let’s hops to it, shall we?
Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale: Beezer — Old Irving Brewing Company, Chicago, Illinois.
Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale: Jimmy Buffet Ruined My Life — Swells’a Brewing Beer Company, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.
American-Style India Pale Ale: High 6 — Highland Park Brewery, Los Angeles, California.
Experimental India Pale Ale: Kross IPA — Cervecería Kross, Santiago, Chile.
Imperial India Pale Ale: Chance Favors the Prepared Mind — Green Cheek Beer Company, Orange, California.
New Zealand-Style India Pale Ale: Wannabe Wallaby — Riip Beer Company, Huntington Beach, California.
Session India Pale Ale: Micro Blaster — Shred Beer Company, Rocklin, California.
West-Coast Style India Pale Ale: Western Standard Time — ISM Brewing & Kitchen, Long Beach, California.
As you can clearly see, California continues to be a master at the fine art of IPA. The Golden State, fittingly, accounted for five of the eight top prizes listed above. Four of them are from Southern California specifically. And because most of the winners are regional offerings absent of any meaningful national distribution, you probably ought to venture over to SoCal sometime soon if you’re interested in tasting most of them within close proximity. Barring that pilgrimage, the double dry-hopped Beezer IPA is perhaps the easiest one to get shipped your way. The pulpy, 6.9% ABV tropical-fruit bomb is available in canned 16 oz. 4-packs for $14.
Next up when it comes to big Brewers Association bashes is the Great American Beer Festival, taking place this year between October 10th and 12th in its usual home of Denver, Colorado. Stay tuned for all the major medalists to come. Hopefully there are plenty of lesser-known surprises in the mix. But one thing’s for certain: there’ll be no shortage of award-winning IPAs.
Raise a glass to the best India Pale Ales on the planet. (Photo by Philipp Guelland/Getty Images)