5 Low-Calorie IPAs, Ranked Worst To Best

Few things rival a crisp, refreshing beer when the hankering strikes. Whether you're sitting on the beach or tailgating on game day, the fizzy commingling of sweetness and bitterness hits right. That is, until you feel bloated and uncomfortable. Enter the low-calorie IPA.

If you are new to IPAs, let's do a bit of an overview. Pale ales evolved in England in the early 1700's as a substitute to the typical, dark, highly malty beers, namely stouts and porters. Pale ales are lighter (golden and amber) and more hoppy than malty (or a balanced hybrid of both). Now take that tasty pale ale and amp it up with more hoppy goodness and you have an IPA. There are many different styles of IPA, but in general, this beer is more bitter and citrusy than a traditional pale ale. Turns out, in the late 18^th century, brewers added extra hops (and alcohol) to pale ales to ensure they withstood the long transoceanic journeys. Once the beer landed on Indian shores, a new fan base emerged.

Back to low-calorie beer. Since I like drinking beer, but hate feeling distended, I decided to sample  some nationally available, low-calorie IPAs. I sampled five brands and ranked them from my least to my most favorite. Since they were all pretty good, it's not really a worst-to-best scenario here. Read on to discover the beers that delivered the perfect balance of hop-forward, citrusy bitterness, coupled with subtle sweetness from malt — all with fewer calories and carbs.

Bell's Light Hearted IPA has 4 percent ABV (alcohol by volume), which is comparable to the other IPAs, as well as many light beers and pale ales. Each 12-ounce can contains 110 calories and 11 grams of carbohydrates. The first thing I noticed about Bell's Light Hearted IPA was how dark it was, especially when compared to the others. That's not a negative; I was just surprised by how amber it was. The other IPAs were more gold. When I poured the beer, I was impressed by the volume of foam on top. It was thick, rich, and creamy. 

What I didn't like was the flavor of this IPA. I thought I detected a hint of sweetness (from the malt) on my first sip, but that essence was immediately followed by a very bitter, almost burnt orange peel taste. Yes, IPAs should have hoppy bitterness, but in a pleasant way. This wasn't an experience I enjoyed.

On a positive note, if you're looking for a low-calorie IPA with more of an audacious flavor and aroma than its light IPA brethren, this one fits the bill. It was distinctly different from the others in this lineup. I ranked Bell's fifth because it was more musty than hoppy, and that taste wasn't offset by any citrus or sweet notes. 

Dogfish Head 30 Minute Light IPA is the little sister to the brand's 60 Minute, 90 Minute, and 120 Minute IPAs. One 12-ounce Dogfish Head 30 Minute IPA has 4 percent ABV, 95 calories, and 3.6 grams of carbohydrates, which makes it the IPA with least number of calories in this grouping. 

When I poured the beer, I was overjoyed that a blanket of fluffy foam sealed the top of the liquid, ensuring flavor and aroma would be enhanced (and stay that way). The aroma was sweet, like fruit, and definitively bitter from the hops. 

According to the Dogfish website, hopping the brew for just 30 minutes decreases bitterness, and that was my experience. I had to take a few sips to determine what fruit I was detecting. At first, I thought peach, but there was something more tropical in the background. I landed on mango and it felt right. So, the sip started fruity and sweet and then turned bitter and savory, the way an IPA should. And, thanks to a clean, dry finish, it was fun to go back for another sip to start the process all over again. I ranked Dogfish Head 30 Minute IPA fourth because I preferred the other brands more. That said, this is a solid, nice-tasting IPA with respectable calorie and carb numbers.

With a name like Sweetwater High Light Easy IPA, I had a feeling I would like this beer. One 12-ounce can of Sweetwater High Light Easy IPA contains 4 percent ABV, 100 calories, and 5 grams of carbohydrates. According to Sweetwater Brewing Company, this IPA is made with hop hash, the gummy residue of the hop pelletizing process. When the whole hop leaves are ground into pellets, a gooey powder is left over, and it's this concentrated dust that yields tremendous flavor and aroma.

Once poured, the foam on this beer was admirable. Tiny bubbles ensured that the smooth foam held its shape, protecting the liquid below while emitting a sweet, mildly bitter aroma. Unlike like the other beers that started off fruity and leaned into hoppy, this beer hit my palate on the bitter side right out of the gate. Then, the bitterness transformed into sweeter, floral notes. In fact, this IPA seemed to get sweeter the more I sampled.

Let's face it, merging sweet, light, and easy almost always guarantees a good outcome. And, I enjoyed the result of that fusion. I liked this IPA, especially as it sweetened on my palate. For that reason, it made it to the top three. It's not first or second because I liked those IPAs more, and for different reasons. 

Holy foam — that's my first impression of Harpoon Rec. League Low-Cal Hazy IPA. There's no doubt, this beer had the thickest foam of the bunch, which catapults aroma before the first sip, so once you take your first slug, your nose is already ripe with hop-forward beer. To be frank, I was a tad overwhelmed by the bold aroma wafting from the foam, so I was certain I wouldn't like this IPA.

I was wrong. I really loved the flavor of this beer. It was a delicious marriage of bitterness and sweetness and left a clean finish on the palate. Harpoon Brewery states that this IPA is made with tropical modern hops, chia seeds, sea salt, and Eastern European buckwheat kasha. I'm convinced it was that medley that produced a creamy IPA with full-bodied, well-rounded flavor.

This beer was the only hazy IPA I sampled. Hazy IPAs (also known as New England IPAs or Northeast IPAs) are unrefined and unfiltered, and they are typically less bitter and more fruit-forward when compared to traditional IPAs. One 12-ounce can of Harpoon Rec. League Low-Cal Hazy IPA has 4 percent ABV, 120 calories, and 10 grams of carbohydrates. This IPA had the highest calorie count in this ranking, but I think the extra 5 to 15 calories is worth it. I gave this IPA the silver for one reason — I liked one other beer more.

Lagunitas DayTime IPA was, hands down, my favorite low-calorie IPA in this ranking. One 12-ounce can of has 4 percent ABV, 98 calories, and 3 grams of carbs, making this beer one of the lightest in the bunch. Golden in color and piled high with fluffy foam, I was excited for my first sip. When I put my nose to the glass, I was rewarded with an incredible aroma. This was the best smelling beer of the bunch. The scent was delightfully hoppy, with hints of sweetness and tang. Taking that whiff of my beer was the prelude to a fantastic first sip.

Lagunitas DayTime was crisp, refreshing, and had a perfectly balanced flavor profile. I detected bitter hops, tangy lemon, and perhaps grapefruit. But there was also a sweetness from the malt that married everything together on the palate. And, this IPA was creamy-smooth, which I suppose comes from the addition of oats.

I completely understand why Lagunitas DayTime is dubbed a "crisp session IPA." It's highly drinkable for a "session", or period of time. And, thanks to the lower alcohol content and calorie count, there's less worry about intoxication and/or bloating. I ranked Lagunitas DayTime in first place because it's an IPA I'll be going back to again and again. It's the ideal choice for practically any outing, from post-hike thirst-quenching to a casual gathering with friends.

For this ranking, I purchased five, nationally available brands of low-calorie India Pale Ale. I'll be honest, I was surprised I could only get my hands on five varieties; I'm reasonably confident folks appreciate great-tasting, lighter beers. Or perhaps the brands I found service the community just fine.

I chilled all the beers because light beers taste best when served at a lower temperatures. I poured each beer into the same style glass, and up to the top of the handle. I used this method so I could evaluate the level of foam. Why? When it comes to an IPA, more foam means more flavor and a better mouthfeel. The foam releases the hop and malt aromas, so you begin to enjoy the beer before the first sip. Once the foam hits your palate, it becomes creamy and fabulous. Lastly, foam acts as a canopy and prevents the beer from losing its flavor as it sits.

Next, I focused on aroma and taste. In some cases, the aroma was off-putting, but the taste was awesome; I noted that below. In terms of flavor, I judged each brew on its bitterness (which is the hallmark characteristic conferred from hops in beer), sweetness (from malt), and citrusy undertones. I'm aware that beer is a wildly personal choice, so I'm sharing my experience with each brand. What I found to be my least favorite could be someone else's first choice.