The World’s Best IPA—According To The European Beer Star Competition

Four different IPAs in separate subcategories were named the world’s best IPA at the European Beer Star competition in late November. The German-based event is one of the world’s most prestigious and respected beer competitions. For this year’s competition, a panel of expert judges blind-taste tested 2360 beers from 50 countries in 75 categories at the Nuremberg Exhibition Center in mid-September. European Beer Star awards three medals per category—gold, silver, and bronze. Overall, there were four IPA styles: traditional, new style, Hazy IPA and imperial IPA.

Pilsners, lagers, and many other traditional styles have long been more popular in Europe and have seen increased interest in the U.S., but IPAs remain the dominant global force in U.S. brewing and throughout much of the craft beer world. So the competition for the top IPA awards was particularly intense.

The World’s Best IPA By Sub-Style

The breweries that took home gold medals and “world’s best IPA” bragging rights were located in three separate countries: Switzerland, Italy, and the U.S., which took home two gold medals. Here they are:

Best traditional-style India Pale Ale: Brauerei Schützengarten from Switzerland for Schützengarten Slow Brewed IPA.

Best New-Style IPA: pFriem Family Brewers, for Oregon, for their beer titled simply, IPA.

Best Hazy IPA: Birrificio Legnon, from Italy, for Cowgirl.

Best Imperial IPA: Urban Roots, from California, for Extra Guacamole

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What Do The World’s Best IPAs Taste Like?

Even though all IPAs feature hops prominently, the flavor differences between a traditional style IPA and a hazy are apparent even to non-connoisseurs. So those lucky enough to taste through these four award-winning IPAs will be treated to quite a flavor tour. pFriem Family Brewers’ tasting notes for its award-winning beer, IPA, highlight “dank” aromas of peach, citrus, papaya, and blueberry, with hints of lychee fruit and a hoppy and piney finish. Urban Roots is a brewery and BBQ smokehouse, so it’s no surprise their award-winning Extra Guacamole imperial IPA has a food-inspired name. The amped-up big brother to another beer the brewery has called Guacamole, per Urban Roots Extra Guacamole, has “notes of passionfruit and citrus that are balanced out with a West Coast dankness and [a] crispy clean finish.” Meanwhile, the winning beers from Switzerland and Italy are celebrated for a mix of fruity hop flavor and balance. One fan praised Birrifficio Legnon’s Cowgirl for its tropical fruit flavor and resinous finish.

The Continued Dominance Of IPAs In The U.S.

Though other styles of beer are gaining traction, some brewers estimate that IPAs account for roughly 70-80 percent of their beer sales. Hazy IPAs remain the most popular IPAs overall, and other styles of IPA remain popular as well. So it’s no surprise that two U.S. breweries took home gold medals for IPAs at the European Beer Star competition. However, as this competition’s results also indicate, when it comes to producing the best IPA in the world, the U.S. is a brewing force but not the only one.