Best Double IPA Options: Top 10 Brands

The American taste in beer has been stymied in its development by the systematic dismantling of the American breweries and distilleries in the past.

The lighter German style of lager dominates our advertising, which promises us great flavor in a light beer, but in reality, all you end up with is a can that tastes like a beer cut with water.

The Double IPA is the antithesis of the boring, watery, light lager. Literally doubling down on the factors that make an IPA, the Double IPA represents an advanced guard of beer drinking. If you are of such an adventurous palate that you have come to love Double IPAs, we congratulate you.

Many are discouraged by strong tastes and strong drinks. However, if you are just beginning your Double IPA journey, we hope to provide much in the way of useful information for your beer drinking experience.

By the end of this article, we hope that we've answered all of your questions regarding double IPAs.  We will be covering our top 10 double IPAs as well as revealing our overall favorite.

Knowledge is all but wasted if it cannot be integrated into a context, so join us as we tally the pros and cons of each of the top brands of Double IPA.

Beer holds a special place in many people's heart, and this can be especially true when it comes to heavy-duty styles like the Double IPA. In reviewing each brand, we kept in mind that taste is of course king. 

However, taste is not the only factor we evaluated. We explored each of the top ten contenders in terms of their flavor profiles, their pairings, their manufacturing process, their brand reputation, and of course their price points.

We also considered each individual beer's pros and cons. The resulting list has only the top quality, most flavorful selections available. 

Although some Double IPAs like to justify charging you extra for their higher amount of alcohol, the nice thing about beer is that you can often buy the higher end selections without breaking the bank. Expect to pay about $10-$18 for a six pack of Double IPA.

You should also be aware, however, that not all double IPAs are available in six packs, and in fact there is a trend for selling high-impact beers in either two-packs or four-packs of tall boys. 

1. What Exactly is an IPA?

“IPA” stands for India Pale Ale. The story goes that during the period of trade expansion into the Indian subcontinent, British traders would want to bring their beloved brews with them on the long journey.

When they packed the beers they customarily drank in England (bitters, pale ales, etc), they found that the beer would quickly go bad while at sea.

Their solution to this problem was to increase the alcohol content of the beer to deal with unwanted inoculations and bacterial overgrowths. This, however, resulted in beer that was a bit too strong.

What were those beer makers to do to cover this alcohol bite? They increased the amount of the hops used. More hops are required to make the beer heavier.

You may have noticed the that IPAs tend to be high-alcohol, high-hop. This is because the higher alcohol beer came first and needed the additional hops to cover the taste.

2. What Does it Mean to Be a Double IPA?

A Double IPA is simply an IPA style beer that has alcohol over 7.5% by volume. Typically, being “Double” also indicates that hops are even stronger on the tongue. Being “Double” also can means that the beer has double the burn. 

Double IPAs are also known as Imperial IPAs, a name that retains its empire-spanning origins and helps to connotate the tyrannical presence of its flavors. 

3. Which Foods Pair Well with Double IPAs?

Like its little brother the IPA, Double IPAs pair excellently with intensely flavorful or highly spiced dishes.

We love a spicy Double IPA with Indian or Thai curry. It even does a great job refreshing one's palate for bold and sweet desserts like flourless chocolate cake, Coca-cola cake, and crème brûlée.

The Double IPA can also compliment dishes that are not explicitly paired with single IPAs. Double IPAs can bring out the best in smoked meats such as Texas style beef brisket, and we've found it to be an excellent companion to grilled lamb of multiple styles.

However, perhaps our favorite pairing for a lazy Sunday is a cold Double IPA and a hearty chunk of Southern style chicken-fried steak.

Like a good wine,  double IPAs can also be a great compliment to cheese. Whereas the milder blue cheeses like Gorgonzola and Cambozola do a great job supporting the flavors of a single IPA, Double IPAs really pair well with the strong blues. 

Reach for the sharpest, richest American artisanal blue cheese you can find, and you'll likely never have a Double IPA you enjoy more.

4. Where Can You Buy Double IPAs?

The craft beer revolution means that you can find Double IPAs in more and more bars and liquor stores than ever before.

There are also many local breweries around the country that may offer their very own take on a double IPA. If you have no luck find a double IPA in your area, however, all the options we listed are available to purchase online.

Mach 10 by Bear Republic takes the cake for the best IPA on our list. The flavor, aroma, and overall mouth feel are above and beyond in terms of craft brewing. We would recommend that anyone new to beer to start with this killer choice and work backwards through the list. 

Featured Image via Pixabay