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One of the biggest downfalls of the IPA is the way its flavor profile is perceived (unfairly) in broad strokes. There’s an assumption among IPA haters that all IPAs are brutally hopped. They’re often thought to be exploding with citrus or filled with dank funk and finish dry and uncomfortably, mouth-puckering bitter. And that’s pretty fair … sometimes.

Clearly, there are a lot of IPAs that fall into that category, and those are brewed because there’s a wide swath of drinkers who prefer those hoppy, bitter bombs (and it’s also a lot faster/cheaper to make). But the IPA is a complex beer with tons of different styles, versions, and offshoots. Many of which are much more subdued and easy to drink.

That’s why we decided it was a great time to find some of these hoppy, yet more well-balanced IPAs. To find them, we went to the professionals for help and asked a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us the best easy-drinking IPAs for spring. Keep scrolling to see them all.

Levante Cloudy and Cumbersome NE-Style IPA

Stephen Hood, assistant food and beverage operations manager at The Notary Hotel in Philadelphia

ABV: 5.9%

Average Price: $13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

I really like the Levante Cloudy and Cumbersome because it’s not as bold as a traditional IPA. Levante cloudy and cumbersome give me citrus (not too much) as well as refreshing.

Tasting Notes:

It has a nose of citrus peels, bready malts, and floral hops, leading to a palate of tropical fruits, citrus rinds, and gentle bitterness.

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Cosimo Bruno, beverage curator at Daxton Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

The best IPA to drink in the spring is Bell’s Two Hearted IPA. This iconic IPA has a refreshing flavor profile of citrus, grapefruit, and pine that will have you thinking spring with each sip.

Tasting Notes:

Caramel malts, tangerine, lemon, and dank pine make up a well-balanced, highly drinkable IPA.

Founders All Day IPA

Robbie Robinson, bartender at The Gallery Bar at The Ballantyne in Charlotte, North Carolina

ABV: 4.7%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Founders All Day IPA is a great choice for those die-hard IPA drinkers that still want to get out there and enjoy the emerging spring weather. Founders is a session beer, meaning that it has a low ABV (4.7%) compared to many IPA choices that are in the high sevens, all the way up to 11%. Founders All Day IPA will have you out enjoying the weather instead of passing out on your couch after two beers.

Tasting Notes:

It has the very traditional piney hops notes with some lime zest and a bit of fresh-cut grass. It drinks quite a bit lighter than its bigger brothers but definitely lets you know you are still drinking an IPA.

Topa Topa Chief Peak India Pale Ale

Austin Jacobs, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Beverly Hills, California

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $15 for a six-pack

The Beer:

My favorite springtime IPA is Chief Peak from Topa Topa Brewing Co. based out of Ventura County, California. Springtime beers call for citrusy hops, which incorporate a citrusy bright flavor.

Tasting Notes:

Chief Peak uses Citra and Galaxy, some of the best-known citrus-flavored hops, as well as Magnum and Simcoe to give it a classic piney finish. This beer is bright, refreshing, and crushable — perfect for spring.

Maine Brewing Spring IPA

Thomas Muscolino, director of beverage innovation at Landmark Hospitality in Plainfield, New Jersey

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: $8 for a 16.9-ounce bottle

The Beer:

They made it easy for us with the name on this one. You might have tried Maine’s more well-known IPAs like “Lunch” or “Dinner”, but this one is also a can’t-miss beer.

Tasting Notes:

The flavor profile features bright citrus and floral notes with some ripe tropical fruit and a beautiful bitter finish.

Riverlands Anchor Hook IPA

Lauren Porto, Cicerone at The Graceful Ordinary in St. Charles, Illinois

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Riverlands Anchor Hook IPA is a modern West Coast IPA hopped with Citra, Citra Incognito, Citra Cryo, Mosaic, and Simcoe. This modern or “California Style” West Coast IPA brings notes of bright juicy citrus fruit, fresh picked berries, pineapple, and just enough pine resiny bitterness to keep it crushable.

Tasting Notes:

The berries and citrus complement themselves. It’s very juicy and crisp, and a delightful reminder that summer and warmer weather are on the way.

Bell’s Light Hearted Ale Lo-Cal IPA

Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago

ABV: 3.7%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Bell’s Light Hearted is a low-cal alternative to their Two Hearted IPA. With great hoppy flavor and only 110 calories, this is a great beer for any pregame or park hang. It’s a perfect easy-drinking spring IPA.

Tasting Notes:

Complex flavors of cracker malts, lemon, grapefruit, light spices, and dank, piney hops make for a classic, yet low-ABV IPA.

Lagunitas Island Beats IPA

Mario Flores, beverage director at Maple & Ash in Chicago

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

For an easy-drinking springtime IPA, I go with Lagunitas Island Beats. It’s a very tropical option making it perfect for the season. It was crafted to be a juicy and delicious beer that transports you to a tropical paradise.

Tasting Notes:

It has citrus flavors and notes of pineapple and passion fruit. It’s juicy, sweet, tropical, and a great respite from potentially cold and rainy spring weather.

Tonewood Fuego India Pale Ale

Jason Ranck, head brewer at Neshaminy Creek Brewing in Croydon, Pennsylvania

ABV: 6.2%

Average Price: $14 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Fuego by Tonewood Brewing (6.2% ABV) is a ca n’t-miss spring IPA. I love the fruit character from the hops, and it’s still a highly sessionable IPA. Well suited for spring drinking, but you’ll want to keep it on hand all throughout summer as well.

Tasting Notes:

It begins with light and refreshing flavors of grapefruit, peach, and mangos that give you a deliciously resinous and clean finish.

Almanac Love Hazy IPA

Shiva Thapa, head bartender at Miller & Lux in San Francisco

ABV: 6.1%

Average Price: $17 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Love is in the air! Love Hazy IPA from Almanac, a local brewery in Alameda, California, is our most popular beer this season. Starting with a base of Pilsner malt and rolled oats, it is double dry hopped with Mosaic, Citra, and Sabro.

Tasting Notes:

The hoppy tropical flavors and notes of ripe mango and melon are a match for the hints of warmer weather. Flavorful while still on the lighter side, this refreshing IPA offers a smooth, pillowy mouthfeel.

If you’re a big fan of rum, there’s a good chance you spend most of your time sipping dark rum exclusively. That’s not surprising as maturing in charred oak imparts various flavors like vanilla, caramel, spice, and oak. There are seemingly countless dark rums well-suited for sipping neat or on the rocks like your favorite whiskey. But (as you know) before your favorite dark rum was aged, it began its life as a white rum. While it doesn’t have as many nuanced flavors imparted by spending months or years in charred wood, it still has its place in the spirits world as both a sipper and mixer.

And while there are tons of bottom-shelf, bargain white rums on the market, there are also plenty of complex and high-quality white rums waiting to be enjoyed. Some are great as a base for your favorite tiki cocktails and others are perfect for sipping neat or on the rocks. The throughline is that they all deserve more attention.

To find these sugar-cane-based diamonds in the proverbial rough, we once again went to the professionals for help. We asked a few well-known bartenders to tell us the best and most underappreciated white rums they pour and mix with. Keep scrolling to see all the bottles you need to stock up on this spring and into the summer.

Ten To One Caribbean White Rum

Erin Birmingham, bartender at Le Salon Cocktail Bar in Brooklyn, New York

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $35

The Rum:

Ten To One White is a blend of Caribbean rums that nods briefly to several distillations methods and lets some of that Jamaican funk shine through. I love using this in a shaken raspberry daiquiri.

Tasting Notes:

This is a very fruity rum with a ton of pineapple, ripe tropical fruit, and light peppery spice flavors that make it a highly flavorful, mixable rum.

Diplomatico Planas

Cosimo Bruno, beverage curator at Daxton Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $30

The Rum:

A surprisingly underrated white rum that I’ve been enjoying lately is Planas by Diplomatico. This aged (the color is filtered out after resting in oak) white rum is fresh and smooth while delivering a complex taste for an elevated beverage experience.

Tasting Notes:

The fresh and tropical aromas lead into a fruity and silky finish with any cocktail.

Captain Morgan White Rum

Robbie Robinson, bartender at Gallery Bar at The Ballantyne in Charlotte, North Carolina

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $15

The Rum:

Captain Morgan White is actually a pretty underrated white rum. I think mostly this has to do with it being overshadowed by Captain Morgan Spiced rum. If anyone asks for Captain Morgan, they are looking for the flagship spirit.

Tasting Notes:

Captain Morgan White has a little vanilla, cola, and a bit of citrus on the nose. The palate is consistent with sweet sugar, vanilla, a touch of caramel, and hints of banana throughout.

Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum

Austin Jacobs, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Beverly Hills, California

ABV: 63%

Average Price: $26

The Rum:

My favorite white rum is Wray and Nephew overproof rum distilled in Jamaica. It has such a nice, funky, molasses flavor for a light rum, and at 110 proof it’s not scared to hold up as the backbone in even the most elaborate cocktail. It really is a treat.

Tasting Notes:

A funky, nutty sweetness is followed by caramelized bananas, pineapple, vanilla, and gentle spices. For such a high-proof rum, it’s surprisingly flavorful.

Clairin Le Rocher White Rum

Thomas Muscolino, director of beverage innovation at Landmark Hospitality in Plainfield, New Jersey

ABV: 46.5%

Average Price: $45

The Rum:

Clairin Le Rocher is a highly underrated white rum. It is a Haitian rum produced with organic sugarcane juice. A purely agricultural spirit, it is one of the purest expressions in the world. Seek it out if you’ve never tried it.

Tasting Notes:

For a white rum, it’s surprisingly complex and flavorful. There are notes of banana, pineapple, grass, wood smoke, and spice.

Siesta Key Silver Rum

Michelle Taglieri, bartender at The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Florida

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $20

The Rum:

My personal local favorite (and overall favorite) is the unmatched Siesta Key Silver Rum. This small-batch rum does the trick when it comes to quality. We often use it to support our local community, and it mixes perfectly with fresh juice or a traditional rum and Coke.

Tasting notes:

This rum features subtle hints of butterscotch and almond. It’s a great mixing rum but works as a slow sipper on the rocks as well.

Trois Rivières Cuveé de l’Océan White Rum

Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago

ABV: 42%

Average Price: $40

The Rum:

Trois Rivières Cuveé de l’Océan is a white rum from Martinique. It’s distilled from sugar cane grown in close proximity to the ocean and aged for six years using oak barrels that have been exposed to ocean air makes for a briny finish that is amazing as a sipper or in any number of rum cocktails, especially a funky daiquiri.

Tasting Notes:

This funky, flavorful, and earthy rum has flavors of toasted vanilla beans, coconut, pineapple, candied almonds, and gentle spices that work perfectly in a mixed drink or on the rocks.

Hard Truth White Rum

Drew Russ, head bartender at Venteux in Chicago

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $19

The Rum:

Hard Truth is a highly underrated white rum that deserves much more attention than it gets. It’s surprisingly balanced for a rum and great to throw in a mai tai, other tiki drinks, or your favorite tropical cocktail. Distilled with molasses and pure cane sugar, it’s fermented and distilled at a low proof to keep its sweetness intact.

Tasting Notes:

Molasses cookies, vanilla, caramel, and stone fruits make for an amazing base for a fruity, tropical rum-based cocktail.

Denizen White Rum

Mario Flores, beverage director at Maple & Ash in Chicago

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $20

The Rum:

Denizen White Rum is a fantastic one with a really good price point. It packs great notes of oak and vanilla, and I personally love using it for daiquiris. It’s aged for three years, creating nuanced, complex flavors great for slow sipping or mixing.

Tasting Notes:

This rum is propelled by flavors of toasted coconuts, pineapples, raw sugar, vanilla, grass, and mango.

Myer’s Rum Platinum White

Keith Meicher, beverage director at Sepia in Chicago

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $15

The Rum:

Myers’s Platinum White Rum is my pick. It’s cheap, mixable, and always available.

Tasting Notes:

This charcoal-filtered white rum is known for its flavors of banana, vanilla, and sweet molasses.

If you’re a big fan of rum, there’s a good chance you spend most of your time sipping dark rum exclusively. That’s not surprising as maturing in charred oak imparts various flavors like vanilla, caramel, spice, and oak. There are seemingly countless dark rums well-suited for sipping neat or on the rocks like your favorite whiskey. But (as you know) before your favorite dark rum was aged, it began its life as a white rum. While it doesn’t have as many nuanced flavors imparted by spending months or years in charred wood, it still has its place in the spirits world as both a sipper and mixer.

And while there are tons of bottom-shelf, bargain white rums on the market, there are also plenty of complex and high-quality white rums waiting to be enjoyed. Some are great as a base for your favorite tiki cocktails and others are perfect for sipping neat or on the rocks. The throughline is that they all deserve more attention.

To find these sugar-cane-based diamonds in the proverbial rough, we once again went to the professionals for help. We asked a few well-known bartenders to tell us the best and most underappreciated white rums they pour and mix with. Keep scrolling to see all the bottles you need to stock up on this spring and into the summer.

Ten To One Caribbean White Rum

Erin Birmingham, bartender at Le Salon Cocktail Bar in Brooklyn, New York

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $35

The Rum:

Ten To One White is a blend of Caribbean rums that nods briefly to several distillations methods and lets some of that Jamaican funk shine through. I love using this in a shaken raspberry daiquiri.

Tasting Notes:

This is a very fruity rum with a ton of pineapple, ripe tropical fruit, and light peppery spice flavors that make it a highly flavorful, mixable rum.

Diplomatico Planas

Cosimo Bruno, beverage curator at Daxton Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $30

The Rum:

A surprisingly underrated white rum that I’ve been enjoying lately is Planas by Diplomatico. This aged (the color is filtered out after resting in oak) white rum is fresh and smooth while delivering a complex taste for an elevated beverage experience.

Tasting Notes:

The fresh and tropical aromas lead into a fruity and silky finish with any cocktail.

Captain Morgan White Rum

Robbie Robinson, bartender at Gallery Bar at The Ballantyne in Charlotte, North Carolina

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $15

The Rum:

Captain Morgan White is actually a pretty underrated white rum. I think mostly this has to do with it being overshadowed by Captain Morgan Spiced rum. If anyone asks for Captain Morgan, they are looking for the flagship spirit.

Tasting Notes:

Captain Morgan White has a little vanilla, cola, and a bit of citrus on the nose. The palate is consistent with sweet sugar, vanilla, a touch of caramel, and hints of banana throughout.

Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum

Austin Jacobs, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Beverly Hills, California

ABV: 63%

Average Price: $26

The Rum:

My favorite white rum is Wray and Nephew overproof rum distilled in Jamaica. It has such a nice, funky, molasses flavor for a light rum, and at 110 proof it’s not scared to hold up as the backbone in even the most elaborate cocktail. It really is a treat.

Tasting Notes:

A funky, nutty sweetness is followed by caramelized bananas, pineapple, vanilla, and gentle spices. For such a high-proof rum, it’s surprisingly flavorful.

Clairin Le Rocher White Rum

Thomas Muscolino, director of beverage innovation at Landmark Hospitality in Plainfield, New Jersey

ABV: 46.5%

Average Price: $45

The Rum:

Clairin Le Rocher is a highly underrated white rum. It is a Haitian rum produced with organic sugarcane juice. A purely agricultural spirit, it is one of the purest expressions in the world. Seek it out if you’ve never tried it.

Tasting Notes:

For a white rum, it’s surprisingly complex and flavorful. There are notes of banana, pineapple, grass, wood smoke, and spice.

Siesta Key Silver Rum

Michelle Taglieri, bartender at The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Florida

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $20

The Rum:

My personal local favorite (and overall favorite) is the unmatched Siesta Key Silver Rum. This small-batch rum does the trick when it comes to quality. We often use it to support our local community, and it mixes perfectly with fresh juice or a traditional rum and Coke.

Tasting notes:

This rum features subtle hints of butterscotch and almond. It’s a great mixing rum but works as a slow sipper on the rocks as well.

Trois Rivières Cuveé de l’Océan White Rum

Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago

ABV: 42%

Average Price: $40

The Rum:

Trois Rivières Cuveé de l’Océan is a white rum from Martinique. It’s distilled from sugar cane grown in close proximity to the ocean and aged for six years using oak barrels that have been exposed to ocean air makes for a briny finish that is amazing as a sipper or in any number of rum cocktails, especially a funky daiquiri.

Tasting Notes:

This funky, flavorful, and earthy rum has flavors of toasted vanilla beans, coconut, pineapple, candied almonds, and gentle spices that work perfectly in a mixed drink or on the rocks.

Hard Truth White Rum

Drew Russ, head bartender at Venteux in Chicago

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $19

The Rum:

Hard Truth is a highly underrated white rum that deserves much more attention than it gets. It’s surprisingly balanced for a rum and great to throw in a mai tai, other tiki drinks, or your favorite tropical cocktail. Distilled with molasses and pure cane sugar, it’s fermented and distilled at a low proof to keep its sweetness intact.

Tasting Notes:

Molasses cookies, vanilla, caramel, and stone fruits make for an amazing base for a fruity, tropical rum-based cocktail.

Denizen White Rum

Mario Flores, beverage director at Maple & Ash in Chicago

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $20

The Rum:

Denizen White Rum is a fantastic one with a really good price point. It packs great notes of oak and vanilla, and I personally love using it for daiquiris. It’s aged for three years, creating nuanced, complex flavors great for slow sipping or mixing.

Tasting Notes:

This rum is propelled by flavors of toasted coconuts, pineapples, raw sugar, vanilla, grass, and mango.

Myer’s Rum Platinum White

Keith Meicher, beverage director at Sepia in Chicago

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $15

The Rum:

Myers’s Platinum White Rum is my pick. It’s cheap, mixable, and always available.

Tasting Notes:

This charcoal-filtered white rum is known for its flavors of banana, vanilla, and sweet molasses.

One of the biggest downfalls of the IPA is the way its flavor profile is perceived (unfairly) in broad strokes. There’s an assumption among IPA haters that all IPAs are brutally hopped. They’re often thought to be exploding with citrus or filled with dank funk and finish dry and uncomfortably, mouth-puckering bitter. And that’s pretty fair … sometimes.

Clearly, there are a lot of IPAs that fall into that category, and those are brewed because there’s a wide swath of drinkers who prefer those hoppy, bitter bombs (and it’s also a lot faster/cheaper to make). But the IPA is a complex beer with tons of different styles, versions, and offshoots. Many of which are much more subdued and easy to drink.

That’s why we decided it was a great time to find some of these hoppy, yet more well-balanced IPAs. To find them, we went to the professionals for help and asked a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us the best easy-drinking IPAs for spring. Keep scrolling to see them all.

Levante Cloudy and Cumbersome NE-Style IPA

Stephen Hood, assistant food and beverage operations manager at The Notary Hotel in Philadelphia

ABV: 5.9%

Average Price: $13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

I really like the Levante Cloudy and Cumbersome because it’s not as bold as a traditional IPA. Levante cloudy and cumbersome give me citrus (not too much) as well as refreshing.

Tasting Notes:

It has a nose of citrus peels, bready malts, and floral hops, leading to a palate of tropical fruits, citrus rinds, and gentle bitterness.

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Cosimo Bruno, beverage curator at Daxton Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

The best IPA to drink in the spring is Bell’s Two Hearted IPA. This iconic IPA has a refreshing flavor profile of citrus, grapefruit, and pine that will have you thinking spring with each sip.

Tasting Notes:

Caramel malts, tangerine, lemon, and dank pine make up a well-balanced, highly drinkable IPA.

Founders All Day IPA

Robbie Robinson, bartender at The Gallery Bar at The Ballantyne in Charlotte, North Carolina

ABV: 4.7%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Founders All Day IPA is a great choice for those die-hard IPA drinkers that still want to get out there and enjoy the emerging spring weather. Founders is a session beer, meaning that it has a low ABV (4.7%) compared to many IPA choices that are in the high sevens, all the way up to 11%. Founders All Day IPA will have you out enjoying the weather instead of passing out on your couch after two beers.

Tasting Notes:

It has the very traditional piney hops notes with some lime zest and a bit of fresh-cut grass. It drinks quite a bit lighter than its bigger brothers but definitely lets you know you are still drinking an IPA.

Topa Topa Chief Peak India Pale Ale

Austin Jacobs, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Beverly Hills, California

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $15 for a six-pack

The Beer:

My favorite springtime IPA is Chief Peak from Topa Topa Brewing Co. based out of Ventura County, California. Springtime beers call for citrusy hops, which incorporate a citrusy bright flavor.

Tasting Notes:

Chief Peak uses Citra and Galaxy, some of the best-known citrus-flavored hops, as well as Magnum and Simcoe to give it a classic piney finish. This beer is bright, refreshing, and crushable — perfect for spring.

Maine Brewing Spring IPA

Thomas Muscolino, director of beverage innovation at Landmark Hospitality in Plainfield, New Jersey

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: $8 for a 16.9-ounce bottle

The Beer:

They made it easy for us with the name on this one. You might have tried Maine’s more well-known IPAs like “Lunch” or “Dinner”, but this one is also a can’t-miss beer.

Tasting Notes:

The flavor profile features bright citrus and floral notes with some ripe tropical fruit and a beautiful bitter finish.

Riverlands Anchor Hook IPA

Lauren Porto, Cicerone at The Graceful Ordinary in St. Charles, Illinois

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Riverlands Anchor Hook IPA is a modern West Coast IPA hopped with Citra, Citra Incognito, Citra Cryo, Mosaic, and Simcoe. This modern or “California Style” West Coast IPA brings notes of bright juicy citrus fruit, fresh picked berries, pineapple, and just enough pine resiny bitterness to keep it crushable.

Tasting Notes:

The berries and citrus complement themselves. It’s very juicy and crisp, and a delightful reminder that summer and warmer weather are on the way.

Bell’s Light Hearted Ale Lo-Cal IPA

Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago

ABV: 3.7%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Bell’s Light Hearted is a low-cal alternative to their Two Hearted IPA. With great hoppy flavor and only 110 calories, this is a great beer for any pregame or park hang. It’s a perfect easy-drinking spring IPA.

Tasting Notes:

Complex flavors of cracker malts, lemon, grapefruit, light spices, and dank, piney hops make for a classic, yet low-ABV IPA.

Lagunitas Island Beats IPA

Mario Flores, beverage director at Maple & Ash in Chicago

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

For an easy-drinking springtime IPA, I go with Lagunitas Island Beats. It’s a very tropical option making it perfect for the season. It was crafted to be a juicy and delicious beer that transports you to a tropical paradise.

Tasting Notes:

It has citrus flavors and notes of pineapple and passion fruit. It’s juicy, sweet, tropical, and a great respite from potentially cold and rainy spring weather.

Tonewood Fuego India Pale Ale

Jason Ranck, head brewer at Neshaminy Creek Brewing in Croydon, Pennsylvania

ABV: 6.2%

Average Price: $14 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Fuego by Tonewood Brewing (6.2% ABV) is a ca n’t-miss spring IPA. I love the fruit character from the hops, and it’s still a highly sessionable IPA. Well suited for spring drinking, but you’ll want to keep it on hand all throughout summer as well.

Tasting Notes:

It begins with light and refreshing flavors of grapefruit, peach, and mangos that give you a deliciously resinous and clean finish.

Almanac Love Hazy IPA

Shiva Thapa, head bartender at Miller & Lux in San Francisco

ABV: 6.1%

Average Price: $17 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Love is in the air! Love Hazy IPA from Almanac, a local brewery in Alameda, California, is our most popular beer this season. Starting with a base of Pilsner malt and rolled oats, it is double dry hopped with Mosaic, Citra, and Sabro.

Tasting Notes:

The hoppy tropical flavors and notes of ripe mango and melon are a match for the hints of warmer weather. Flavorful while still on the lighter side, this refreshing IPA offers a smooth, pillowy mouthfeel.

One of the biggest downfalls of the IPA is the way its flavor profile is perceived (unfairly) in broad strokes. There’s an assumption among IPA haters that all IPAs are brutally hopped. They’re often thought to be exploding with citrus or filled with dank funk and finish dry and uncomfortably, mouth-puckering bitter. And that’s pretty fair … sometimes.

Clearly, there are a lot of IPAs that fall into that category, and those are brewed because there’s a wide swath of drinkers who prefer those hoppy, bitter bombs (and it’s also a lot faster/cheaper to make). But the IPA is a complex beer with tons of different styles, versions, and offshoots. Many of which are much more subdued and easy to drink.

That’s why we decided it was a great time to find some of these hoppy, yet more well-balanced IPAs. To find them, we went to the professionals for help and asked a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us the best easy-drinking IPAs for spring. Keep scrolling to see them all.

Levante Cloudy and Cumbersome NE-Style IPA

Stephen Hood, assistant food and beverage operations manager at The Notary Hotel in Philadelphia

ABV: 5.9%

Average Price: $13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

I really like the Levante Cloudy and Cumbersome because it’s not as bold as a traditional IPA. Levante cloudy and cumbersome give me citrus (not too much) as well as refreshing.

Tasting Notes:

It has a nose of citrus peels, bready malts, and floral hops, leading to a palate of tropical fruits, citrus rinds, and gentle bitterness.

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Cosimo Bruno, beverage curator at Daxton Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

The best IPA to drink in the spring is Bell’s Two Hearted IPA. This iconic IPA has a refreshing flavor profile of citrus, grapefruit, and pine that will have you thinking spring with each sip.

Tasting Notes:

Caramel malts, tangerine, lemon, and dank pine make up a well-balanced, highly drinkable IPA.

Founders All Day IPA

Robbie Robinson, bartender at The Gallery Bar at The Ballantyne in Charlotte, North Carolina

ABV: 4.7%

Average Price: $10 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Founders All Day IPA is a great choice for those die-hard IPA drinkers that still want to get out there and enjoy the emerging spring weather. Founders is a session beer, meaning that it has a low ABV (4.7%) compared to many IPA choices that are in the high sevens, all the way up to 11%. Founders All Day IPA will have you out enjoying the weather instead of passing out on your couch after two beers.

Tasting Notes:

It has the very traditional piney hops notes with some lime zest and a bit of fresh-cut grass. It drinks quite a bit lighter than its bigger brothers but definitely lets you know you are still drinking an IPA.

Topa Topa Chief Peak India Pale Ale

Austin Jacobs, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Beverly Hills, California

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $15 for a six-pack

The Beer:

My favorite springtime IPA is Chief Peak from Topa Topa Brewing Co. based out of Ventura County, California. Springtime beers call for citrusy hops, which incorporate a citrusy bright flavor.

Tasting Notes:

Chief Peak uses Citra and Galaxy, some of the best-known citrus-flavored hops, as well as Magnum and Simcoe to give it a classic piney finish. This beer is bright, refreshing, and crushable — perfect for spring.

Maine Brewing Spring IPA

Thomas Muscolino, director of beverage innovation at Landmark Hospitality in Plainfield, New Jersey

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: $8 for a 16.9-ounce bottle

The Beer:

They made it easy for us with the name on this one. You might have tried Maine’s more well-known IPAs like “Lunch” or “Dinner”, but this one is also a can’t-miss beer.

Tasting Notes:

The flavor profile features bright citrus and floral notes with some ripe tropical fruit and a beautiful bitter finish.

Riverlands Anchor Hook IPA

Lauren Porto, Cicerone at The Graceful Ordinary in St. Charles, Illinois

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Riverlands Anchor Hook IPA is a modern West Coast IPA hopped with Citra, Citra Incognito, Citra Cryo, Mosaic, and Simcoe. This modern or “California Style” West Coast IPA brings notes of bright juicy citrus fruit, fresh picked berries, pineapple, and just enough pine resiny bitterness to keep it crushable.

Tasting Notes:

The berries and citrus complement themselves. It’s very juicy and crisp, and a delightful reminder that summer and warmer weather are on the way.

Bell’s Light Hearted Ale Lo-Cal IPA

Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago

ABV: 3.7%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Bell’s Light Hearted is a low-cal alternative to their Two Hearted IPA. With great hoppy flavor and only 110 calories, this is a great beer for any pregame or park hang. It’s a perfect easy-drinking spring IPA.

Tasting Notes:

Complex flavors of cracker malts, lemon, grapefruit, light spices, and dank, piney hops make for a classic, yet low-ABV IPA.

Lagunitas Island Beats IPA

Mario Flores, beverage director at Maple & Ash in Chicago

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

For an easy-drinking springtime IPA, I go with Lagunitas Island Beats. It’s a very tropical option making it perfect for the season. It was crafted to be a juicy and delicious beer that transports you to a tropical paradise.

Tasting Notes:

It has citrus flavors and notes of pineapple and passion fruit. It’s juicy, sweet, tropical, and a great respite from potentially cold and rainy spring weather.

Tonewood Fuego India Pale Ale

Jason Ranck, head brewer at Neshaminy Creek Brewing in Croydon, Pennsylvania

ABV: 6.2%

Average Price: $14 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Fuego by Tonewood Brewing (6.2% ABV) is a ca n’t-miss spring IPA. I love the fruit character from the hops, and it’s still a highly sessionable IPA. Well suited for spring drinking, but you’ll want to keep it on hand all throughout summer as well.

Tasting Notes:

It begins with light and refreshing flavors of grapefruit, peach, and mangos that give you a deliciously resinous and clean finish.

Almanac Love Hazy IPA

Shiva Thapa, head bartender at Miller & Lux in San Francisco

ABV: 6.1%

Average Price: $17 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Love is in the air! Love Hazy IPA from Almanac, a local brewery in Alameda, California, is our most popular beer this season. Starting with a base of Pilsner malt and rolled oats, it is double dry hopped with Mosaic, Citra, and Sabro.

Tasting Notes:

The hoppy tropical flavors and notes of ripe mango and melon are a match for the hints of warmer weather. Flavorful while still on the lighter side, this refreshing IPA offers a smooth, pillowy mouthfeel.

While there can be a certain level of artifice surrounding a lot of pop stars, that doesn’t appear to be the case with Billie Eilish, who often shares what’s on her mind and pulls the curtain back on some aspects of her life. Now, she has once again offered fans some behind-the-scenes looks at her day-to-day goings-on and her past.

Yesterday (April 11), Eilish shared an Instagram post featuring photos from her Easter weekend. The final slide includes a note revealing that her first word was “dog” and that she said it when she was 8.5 months old, on September 4, 2002.

Later that day, Eilish took to her Instagram Story to answer fan questions while Finneas was “doing a million production things.” Most of Eilish’s responses were to fans asking for photos and videos from certain days or events. One fan asked what is Eilish’s favorite hair color/style she’s ever had, and Eilish responded, “green roots was fresh as sh*ttiuuut. but black has been my favorite to live in.”

She also offered some music recommendations. When asked for her “favorite song to listen to when u drive late at night,” she responded with Kavinsky’s “Nightcall” (a song from the Drive soundtrack that was co-produced by Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo) and called it “the greatest song ever made.” When asked for a song she’s “obsessed with these days,” Eilish shared Manu Chao’s “Me Gustas Tu.”

While there can be a certain level of artifice surrounding a lot of pop stars, that doesn’t appear to be the case with Billie Eilish, who often shares what’s on her mind and pulls the curtain back on some aspects of her life. Now, she has once again offered fans some behind-the-scenes looks at her day-to-day goings-on and her past.

Yesterday (April 11), Eilish shared an Instagram post featuring photos from her Easter weekend. The final slide includes a note revealing that her first word was “dog” and that she said it when she was 8.5 months old, on September 4, 2002.

Later that day, Eilish took to her Instagram Story to answer fan questions while Finneas was “doing a million production things.” Most of Eilish’s responses were to fans asking for photos and videos from certain days or events. One fan asked what is Eilish’s favorite hair color/style she’s ever had, and Eilish responded, “green roots was fresh as sh*ttiuuut. but black has been my favorite to live in.”

She also offered some music recommendations. When asked for her “favorite song to listen to when u drive late at night,” she responded with Kavinsky’s “Nightcall” (a song from the Drive soundtrack that was co-produced by Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo) and called it “the greatest song ever made.” When asked for a song she’s “obsessed with these days,” Eilish shared Manu Chao’s “Me Gustas Tu.”

Over the past couple days, a Twitter user has been facing backlash after an attempt to body-shame Lizzo. Lizzo herself appears to have even offered a response. This story starts a couple years ago, though.

On April 20, 2021, Lizzo shared a naked photo of herself (with her most private areas covered) on Instagram and wrote, “WELCOME TO TAURUS SEASON. To celebrate I wanna give y’all this unedited selfie.. now normally I would fix my belly and smooth my skin but baby I wanted show u how I do it au natural — I am excited to be partnering with @dove and the #DoveSelfEsteemProject which is helping to reverse the negative effects of social media and changing the conversation about beauty standards. Let’s get real y’all.”

Then, a couple days ago on April 10, a Twitter user, who goes by Cassandra, responded to a tweet about the photo, writing, “Make obesity bad again.” Minutes later, she shared the photo, alongside one of herself, and asked, “Me or Lizzo?”

The post quickly gained traction, racking up about 3.8 million views in under two days. One user responded, “Lizzo. I don’t know you but Lizzo is a publicly kind and inspiring individual. Loving yourself and others should be the basis of humanity. She preaches that. I can only assume you’re terrible.” Cassandra replied, “You don’t know me but you think I’m terrible. Which speaks volumes about how terrible you are.”

Other users overwhelmingly chose Lizzo. One wrote, “To do what? You need to be more specific. To hang out with and have fun? Lizzo every single damn day. To clean out my garage? I guess you might be okay for that. It’s all in the details, ‘Cassy.’” Another wrote, “One has four Grammys and is classically trained on the flute. The other just posted a six year old blurred picture of herself drinking wine with ice from a straw. Lizzo. Truth hurts.” Somebody else chimed in, “you’ve chosen a bright unedited nude photo of lizzo and a dark blurry hard to see photo of yourself, and people are still choosing lizzo. Absolute loser areas cassandra.”

Even Lizzo herself appears to have chimed in, tweeting simply, “Lizzo.”

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Following a one-year hiatus, the Lakers are back in the playoffs. In overtime, they squeaked past the Timberwolves, 108-102, in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 Play-In Tournament matchup on Tuesday night and will face the second-seeded Grizzlies in the first round, beginning this weekend.

On Friday, Minnesota will battle the winner of Wednesday’s Pelicans-Thunder game at home for a playoff berth.

Los Angeles’ star duo, Anthony Davis and LeBron James, led the way Tuesday night. Davis was a menace defensively, particularly in the second half, and stymied Minnesota’s offense, while notching 24 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals. James made some head-scratching decisions (five turnovers), but dropped 30 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal. Dennis Schroder added 21 points off the bench and provided some welcomed paint pressure.

Both offenses went cold in the fourth, with a combined 31 points, which included two different scoreless droughts of more than two minutes. Some of the credit should go to each club’s defense, though. The second scoreless stretch was snapped by this Schroder triple, a presumptive game-winner with only 1.1 seconds remaining.

On the ensuing inbounds play, Davis fouled Conley, who promptly drilled all three free throws to send the game to overtime.

In the extra period, Minnesota’s offense remained stagnant. The Timberwolves scored 60 points before intermission, but could only muster 42 over the final 47 minutes. The Lakers didn’t look much better, but did enough to complete the comeback win after trailing by double-digits for lengthy durations of the night.

Minnesota clung to a 60-49 lead entering the break, thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns’ 17 points (5-of-5 shooting), along with a 9-of-17 showing beyond the arc, headlined by veterans Mike Conley Jr. (3-of-3) and Taurean Prince (2-of-2). The Lakers defense was scattershot that half, but elected to switch everything down the stretch of the game and shut off the Timberwolves’ water.

Towns, who ended with 24 points, spent most of the second half in foul trouble, which quelled his aggression. The Lakers also made a conscious effort to push his touches farther away from the rim. Anthony Edwards struggled mightily, scoring nine points on 3-of-17 shooting and missing all nine of his long balls. Los Angeles siphoned off his driving lanes and forced him into tough jumpers.

Between the second half and overtime, Minnesota went 7 of 24 from deep and often resorted to late clock prayers as its offensive rhythm dissipated.

The Wolves have a chance for redemption later this week, when Rudy Gobert is back in the fold after serving his one-game suspension for striking Kyle Anderson during the Timberwolves’ victory over the Pelicans on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Lakers are moving on to the NBA playoffs after picking up a 108-102 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. The team came awfully close to picking up the win in regulation, but with 0.1 seconds remaining, Anthony Davis fouled Mike Conley while he was taking a three. Conley miss the three badly, but the contact sent him to the charity stripe and he hit all three of his attempts from the line to tie things up and force the extra period.

Things went pretty poorly for Minnesota once they got there — Los Angeles outscored them in OT, 10-4 — and as a result, they’ll host either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday with the 8-seed up for grabs. The Lakers, meanwhile, were understandably in a very good mood after the game, so much so that when Davis interrupted LeBron James‘ postgame interview on TNT, all anyone could do was laugh.

James gave his All-Star running mate a very good-natured ribbing here, and made it a point to point at him and raise his voice a little. Davis, to his credit, came running in and was a good sport about the entire thing, which I suppose is easier when you know you don’t have a win-or-go-home game a little later in the week.