This Is The Hands Down Best IPA Beer You Can Buy

Indian Pale Ales, or IPAs, with their higher alcohol content and heavy hoppiness, can be polarizing. Some drinkers only think of hops' bitterness, but the pungent herb can add fruity or citrusy flavors to a brew. While ranking 12 popular IPA beers from worst to best, writer Andrew Joseffer named Bell's Two Hearted as the best you can buy. The extreme ends of the IPA scale drive a lot of conversation, but when a beer is well-rounded, easy to drink, and full of interesting flavors, it deserves credit. This is why we also named Two Hearted one of the best IPAs for beginners.

Two Hearted IPA has notes of grapefruit and pine, with a bit of bitterness smoothed out by the sweetness of malt. "What won us over was the brew's harmony, from its floral, yet sweet, aroma to its clean, lingering finish," Joseffer wrote of the number-one pick. It's not just us who thinks Two Hearted is delicious – BeerAdvocate gave it a score of 95 and the "World-Class" label. 

Michigan-based Bell's only uses Centennial hops from the Pacific Northwest during the brewing process, so the IPA keeps a clean, simple profile. The brewery began making Two Hearted Ale in 1997 as a winter seasonal, but expanded it to year-round sales in 2003. The name was changed to Two Hearted IPA in 2022.

Bell's Brewery has expanded the Two Hearted brand with a few variations. Double Two Hearted has two and a half times the amount of Centennial hops and brings the alcohol by volume from 7% up to 11%. Change of Heart IPA uses a different hop, Erebus, to introduce flavors of blueberry and melon. Cold Hearted IPA was created from a newer style of production: fermenting lager yeast at a lower temperature, followed by cold-filtering. 

As for food pairings, a clean IPA won't be a bad match for most foods. Grilled or smoked meats, sharp cheeses, spicy food, and savory pizza all work well. Sure, not everybody likes IPA, but these kinds of foods lend themselves to more than one brew style. A glass of beer pairs nicely with goat cheese, so a charcuterie spread is one good option to please a crowd.

Since Bell's Two Hearted IPA is popular, many grocery stores, liquor stores, bars, and restaurants carry it. You can use Bell's Beer Finder to enter a zip code and see which locations stock the brand. Prices vary between states and specific locations, but a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans costs around $20. From the tap, it'll cost anywhere from $5 to $10. If you happen to be in Michigan, consider heading to one of the brewery's two locations: a newer, larger brewery in Comstock or the original brewery in downtown Kalamazoo.