Sloop Brewing
Cyber Punk
A spicy, slightly sweaty nose offers tightly edited notes of light kiwi and honeydew melon, with faint black pepper and an ever-so-soft diesel note for structure. It’s refreshing to taste heftier IPAs that stray from the sweet-citrus mainstream, while the bright, focused, expressive hops (and taut body) make it a DIPA you’ll enjoy pint after pint.
ABV: 8.3%
Loc: Hopewell Junction, New York
South County
Riff Mountain
Soft guava with a hint of white tea and crisp linen offer an enticing start, and the sip follows with waves of sweet, tropical fruit that quickly resolve into satisfyingly drying light-fruit esters. It’s impressive to find such sweetness that finishes so clean, highlighted by an impossibly light malt body.
ABV: 8.8%
Loc: Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania
Pinthouse Pizza
Fog Runner
The first thing you notice is the 100 percent base-malt body—for such a big beer, it’s intentionally pale. The nose belies the intensity, with heady orange and tangerine notes. While other beers might cave with cloying sweetness, Fog Runner maintains a firm but accessible bitterness from start to finish that—strangely—amplifies the citrus character throughout.
ABV: 9%
Loc: Austin, Texas
Hill Farmstead
Double Nelson
Proving that hops quality goes hand-in-hand with process and finesse, Double Nelson showcases one of the most stunning examples of Southern Hemisphere hops we’ve tasted. It’s everything we love—clearly focused white grape, tropical green fruit, and a touch of minerality, supported by a pitch-perfect body with just enough sweetness to express the fruit.
ABV: 8%
Loc: Greensboro Bend, Vermont