Regional IPA rankings: Yes, it's true. I went there.

No one asked for it, but in this newsletter, I tried to highlight and rank my favorite IPAs from Syracuse, Buffalo and Rochester.

Note: This newsletter is supported by Donnelly’s Public House, a wonderful canal-side establishment in the village of Fairport.

I can’t remember the last time I visited a brewery and didn’t see an India pale ale on draft. And over the past 10 years, it certainly feels like the proliferation of IPAs has only increased.

It’s not uncommon to see a draft list featuring more than 75 percent IPAs. But again, if it’s what the kids want, it’s what you give them. I haven’t ranked and rated IPAs in at least four years.

So for this exercise, I am considering hoppy beers across the entire spectrum — from pale ales and session IPAs to triple and quad IPAs.

To narrow the scope, I limited my selection area to breweries within central and western New York (basically the 585, 716, and 315 areas codes).

(Note: I think it’s important to admit when you’re wrong. So I have amended and updated my rankings to include a brewery I shouldn’t have overlooked. Thanks for keeping me honest.)

So here are my seven* favorites:

1. Other Half FLX: For consistency, quality, and availability, OH cannot be topped in this region. If you love hoppy beers, you flock to OH FLX. Under the leadership of head brewer Felipe Higgins, I think OH FLX has quietly become the best and most consistent brewery in the OH family. (And that’s not even factoring in the otherworldly wild ales Higgins and lead brewer/blender Katie McNeal are regularly releasing.) I am especially fond of the single IPAs from East Bloomfield.

   Favorites from OH FLX: I’d Rather Be Juicing and Pontoon Juice.

2. Underground Beer Lab: This East Syracuse brewery is one of the smallest and most non-descript ones in our region. But don’t let appearances fool you. This brewery punches way above its weight class. Owner/brewer Keith Lindner and the UBL produce my favorite hazy and New England-style IPAs in the Syracuse area. In the year it is has been open, I’ve yet to have a hoppy beer I didn’t enjoy. I love how Keith uses a wide variety of different hops, including experimental unnamed varieties. He also has whole series devoted to different processes.

   Favorites from UBL: Quanta and Defies Logic.

3. Noble Shepherd: Like UBL, Bristol’s Noble Shepherd Craft Brewery is small. But unlike every other brewery in this region, Noble Shepherd is housed in a geodesic dome with a giraffe in a wizard cap protruding from the roof. The space is unmistakable and quirky. Brewers Tony Moringello and Ethan Cerne are a fantastic team and produce a big range of New England-style IPAs. Beers like Kettle Juice, an IPA with locally sourced maple syrup, demonstrate Noble Shepherd’s creativity and skill.

   Favorites from Noble Shepherd: Kettle Juice and Bucky’s Double.

   

4. Pressure Drop: Karl Kolbe is a lovable maniac. The owner/brewer at Buffalo’s Pressure Drop Brewing brings a West Coast sensibility to western New York. Influenced by his time brewing in California, Karl makes clear, filtered IPAs with refreshingly clean bitterness. He also excels with hazy IPAs. But Karl’s West Coast-inspired hoppy creations stand out. Pressure Drop is known for its versality, variety, and unabashed hoppiness.

   Favorites from Pressure Drop: Sticky Trees and Dank Sinatra.

5. Aurora Brewing: Cayuga County doesn’t have a ton of breweries. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a county with an upper tier of better breweries. Prison City and Lunkenheimer are two of my favorite breweries in this region. Word of advice: Get off the Thruway at Exit 41 and make the trip between Lunkenheimer, Prison City, and Aurora. Mix in a stop at Fillmore Glen State Park in Moravia for a truly awesome day. Aurora crafts some of the best IPAs in this region (and the cans feature beautiful labels from Rochester artist Tony Walker). Aurora IPAs stand out due to their wickedly smooth bodies, thicker mouthfeel, and sometimes aggressive hoppiness. In a world of hazy IPAs, Aurora’s examples feel unique to Aurora.

   Favorites from Aurora: Super Fresh to Death and In The Green Room.

6. Frequentem: When I started this exercise, I didn’t expect I would come to the conclusion that the best IPAs in this region are coming from Ontario County. But here we are. Frequentem, the most recent brewery to open in Canandaigua, excels with both traditional and classic styles (the Black Lager is exquisite), as well as fruited sours and sour IPAs. I like Frequentem’s IPAs a bunch, because they are all balanced and never feature the chalkiness or stalkiness you might find in other hazy IPAs.

   Favorites from Frequentem: 167 and 53 (but in truth, I mix up the names/number of Frequentem IPAs often and just ask Adam Matula, Frequentem’s chief of good vibes, what IPA he is enjoying best right now).

7. Prison City: I made a mistake. I overlooked Auburn’s Prison City Brewing and I shouldn’t have done that. After numerous readers pointed out my omission, I am remedying that mistake. Since 2014, brewer Ben Maeso and brewery founders Dawn and Marc Schulz have brought tons of attention to the upstate beer scene. Attention arrived with PCB’s Mass Riot IPA and the declaration by Paste Magazine that it was the best hazy IPA in the country. And the positive vibes haven’t stopped since. The original 5-barrel brewery at the State Street brewpub continues to produce thoughtful and exciting beers, while the expanded production space on North Street has widened PCB’s reach.

   Favorites from Prison City: Riot in Vermont and Double Doink.

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Special shoutout to Webster’s Knucklehead Craft Brewing, where brewer/owner Jake Dummer makes my favorite flagship IPA in Monroe County, Tainted Haze.

And another special shoutout to Three Heads Brewing in the Neighborhood of the Arts. For value and variety, it’s pretty tough to top 3HB. The brewing team of Casey Kindlon and Derek Armstrong has really hit its stride. Every release, regardless of the style, is consistently excellent.

Thirdly, a special shoutout for Big Ditch’s Hayburner IPA, which is consistently the freshest and best IPA for the buck anywhere in western New York. It’s really hard to go anywhere in this region and not find fresh Hayburner. And if you find yourself with Hayburner in your glass, you’re gonna be satisfied.

And extra special shoutout to some of my other favorites: Rising Storm, Big Ditch, Thin Man, Silver Lake, Fifth Frame, Lunkenheimer, Strangebird, Stoneyard, Iron Tug, Stumblin’ Monkey, Nine Maidens, Resurgence, Swiftwater, K2 Brothers, Mortalis, Community Beer Works, 42 North, Old First Ward, No BS, Brindle Haus, Young Lion, Willow Rock, Heroes, Irondequoit Beer, Heritage Hill, War Horse, Talking Cursive, Middle Ages, ONCO, Laurentide.

I would love to hear from you. Lemme know how I did, what I screwed up, or how badly I missed. Because beer is most fun when it’s a conversation.

Title sponsor: Donnelly’s Public House

This work is made possible through support from Donnelly’s Public House, 1 Water St. in Fairport. So make sure to get out to Fairport and support one of the best establishments in our area.

I remain open to sponsorships, sponsored content, and advertisements, especially if it’ll keep the newsletter free for readers. And if you have information about upcoming releases, events, or happenings, don’t hesitate to reach out. For more information, feel free to drop me a line at clevelandprost@gmail.com.

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