Best beers: IPAs, pale ales and low-alcohol beers

Looking for a new favourite beer, or a last-minute gift? We've rounded up the best of supermarket options, as rated by a panel of experts in a blind taste test.

We asked a panel of beer experts to taste and rate over 30 beers from the likes of BrewDog, Camden Brewery, Beavertown, Goose Island and more.

Our independent taste tests uncovered five standout Best Buys, plus some good-value cheaper options if you're looking for a brilliant beer on a budget. 

Whether you’re after a classic pale ale, a punchy IPA or a low-alcohol alternative, we reveal the best-tasting beers worth trying.

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Best pale ales

Our experts tasted pale ales from the likes of Adnams, Fuller's and Timothy Taylor's. 

They uncovered two Best Buy amber ales, as well as a Great Value bitter. However, there were also some big letdowns, with several beers lacking in all-important hop character.

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Pale ales on test:

• Adnams Ghost Ship 4.5% ABV, £2 for 500ml (£4 per litre). Available from Co-op, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Adnams Southwold Bitter 4.1% ABV, £5 for 4 x 500ml cans (£2.50 per litre). Available from Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Badger Hopping Hare Ale 4% ABV, £2 for 500ml (£4 per litre). Available from Ocado, Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
• Badger Fursty Ferret 4.4% ABV, £2 for 500ml (£4 per litre). Available from Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Bath Ales Gem Amer Ale 4.8% ABV, £2 for a 500ml bottle (£4 per litre). Available from Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Black Sheep Ale 4.4% ABV, £1.90 for 500ml (£3.80 per litre). Available from Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Fuller's London Pride Amber Ale 4.7% ABV, £6.50 for 4 x 500ml bottle (£3.25 per litre). Available from Ocado, Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
• Otter Ale 4.5% ABV, £2.50 for 500ml (£5 per litre). Available from Morrisons and Tesco.
• Sharp's Doom Bar Amber Ale 4.3% ABV, £1.99 for 500ml (£3.98 per litre). Available from Aldi, Iceland, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's and Tesco.
• Sharp's Atlantic Pale Ale 4.5% ABV, £2.50 for 500ml (£5 per litre). Available from Morrisons, Ocado, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Shepherd Neame Spitfire Amber Ale 4.2% ABV, £1.50 for 500ml (£3 per litre). Available from Asda, Morrisons and Tesco.
• St Austell Tribute Pale Ale 4.2% ABV, £2 for 500ml (£4 per litre). Available from Amazon, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Timothy Taylor's Landlord Pale Ale 4.1% ABV, £2.25 for 500ml (£4.50 per litre). Available from Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.

Best IPAs (up to 5% ABV)

This category featured IPAs from a selection of popular brands including Beavertown, Goose Island and Greene King. 

Our Best Buy won by a clear margin, earning praise for its tropical aroma and good levels of bitterness, while others left a bad taste – the lowest-scoring beer drew criticism for its unbalanced profile, which caused it to drop to the bottom of the rankings. 

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IPAs up to 5% ABV on test:

• Adnams Ease Up IPA 4.6% ABV, £2 for 500ml (£4 per litre). Available from Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Beavertown Neck Oil Session IPA 4.3% ABV, £8.25 for 4 x 330ml cans (£6.25 per litre). Available from Ocado, Sainsbury's and Tesco.
• Fourpure Session IPA 4.2% ABV, £6.75 for 4 x 330ml cans (£5.11 per litre). Available from Ocado.
• Goose Island Midway Session IPA 4.1% ABV, £20 for 12 x 330ml cans (£5.05 per litre). Available from Amazon.
• Greene King Level Head IPA 4% ABV, £5.50 for 4 x 330ml (£4.17 per litre). Available from Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Meantime Anytime IPA 4.7% ABV, £6.60 for 4 x 330ml cans (£5 per litre). Available from Ocado and Waitrose.

Best IPAs (over 5% ABV)

High-strength IPAs went head to head in this category, which included beers from BrewDog, Camden Town Brewery and St Austell. 

Our experts uncovered several decent options, but only one stood out enough to be named a Best Buy, with its vibrant fruity flavour netting it top marks.

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IPAs over 5% ABV on test:

• BrewDog Hazy Jane IPA 5.0% ABV, £6.25 for 4 x 330ml cans (£4.73 per litre). Available from Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Brooklyn Defender IPA 5.6% ABV, Not currently available (checked January 2024).
• Camden Off Menu IPA 5.8% ABV, £6.25 for 4 x 330ml cans (£4.73 per litre). Available from Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose.
• Goose Island IPA 5.9% ABV, £6 for 4 x 330ml cans (£4.55 per litre). Available from Asda, Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose.
• St Austell Proper Job India Pale Ale 5.5% ABV, £1.89 for 500ml (£3.78 per litre). Available from Aldi, Asda, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Tiny Rebel Clwb Tropica IPA 5.5% ABV, £7 for 4 x 330ml (£5.30 per litre). Available from Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.

Best low-alcohol beers

Making a great-tasting beer without the booze is a tricky thing, and our test showed that if you want a decent low alcohol option, it pays to be picky. We pitted beers from the likes of BrewDog, Big Drop and Nirvana Brewery against each other to find out who does it best.

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Low-alcohol beers on test:

• Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5% ABV, £1.50 for 500ml (£3 per litre). Available from Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Big Drop Low Alcohol Pale Ale 0.5% ABV, £1.75 for 330ml (£5.30 per litre). Available from Morrisons and Ocado.
• BrewDog Nanny State Alcohol Free Hoppy Ale 0.5% ABV, £5 for 4 x 330ml (£3.79 per litre). Available from Morrisons, Ocado and Sainsbury's.
• Days 0.0% Alcohol Free Pale Ale 0.0% ABV, £5.50 for 4 x 330ml (£4.17 per litre). Available from Ocado and Tesco.
• Doom Bar Zero Alcohol Free Amber Ale 0.0% ABV, £1.50 for 500ml (£3 per litre). Available from Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Drop Bear Beer Co. Yuzu Pale Ale 0.5% ABV, £1.90 for 330ml (£5.76 per litre). Available from Ocado.
• Nirvana Brewery Alcohol-Free Hoppy Pale Ale 0.5% ABV, £1.80 for 330ml (£5.45 per litre). Available from Ocado.
• Nirvana Brewery Traditional Pale Ale 0.0% ABV, £1.80 for 330ml (£5.45 per litre). Available from Ocado.
• Smashed Pale Ale 0% ABV, £5.50 for 4 x 330ml (£4.17 per litre). Available from Sainsbury's.

Price and availability checked January 2024.

Want more expert booze picks? See our pick of the best red wine, plus much more besides in our Best food and drink guide.

Get the best from your beer: how to store and serve

Even the best beers can fall flat in the wrong environment. Follow these tips from our beer experts to keep yours in top condition:

• Store your beer in a cool, dark place, especially in summer. Exposure to UV light will break down the compounds in the hops, which become ‘off’ flavours. 
• Store corked bottles on their side and bottles with metal crown caps or cans standing up.
• Too-cold temperatures can mute the flavours, so it’s worth taking beer out of the fridge in advance to warm up a little before serving. Pale ales and IPAs are at their best at 7-10°C, and for traditional British ales it's 10-13°C.
• Make sure your glasses are properly clean. Bubbles adhering to the side of the glass means they’re not completely clean, and can influence the taste of the beer.
• Pour into a glass angled at 45 degrees and leave space for the head, as it adds to the aroma and taste of the first sip. 
• Be mindful when pouring in case there's sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Our experts recommend leaving the final centimetre in the bottle just in case.

How to match food and beer

Not everyone’s tastes are the same, but when matching beers with food, some go better than others. 

Our experts suggest aiming to match the intensity of the beer with the intensity of the food. So, if you're having a light summer dish, choose a light beer to drink with it – a beer that's too heavy can overwhelm the flavours in your food.

Try cutting through, complementing, and contrasting flavours too. For example, you could try a sharp citrussy beer with oily sardines, or a sweeter beer with salty halloumi.

If you’re looking for something to serve alongside grilled meat such as burgers, ribs, or other fatty meat dishes, our experts recommend choosing a bitter, malt-driven beer that cuts through the fat, such as a West Coast-style IPA. Lagers like pilsners, which are bubbly and bitter, also do a good job of cutting through fat and salt. 

Sweeter, paler beers with more tropical aromatics, such as East Coast or New England style IPAs, work better with aromatic curries and Thai dishes.

Why region matters for beer too

Hops are a key ingredient in beer production, impacting the flavour, aroma and bitterness. 

Our experts said it’s worth paying attention to where the hops originate from when choosing, as there can be regional variation in taste profile.

Hops from the UK tend to be grassy, herbal, floral, and earthy, whereas those from warmer regions such as the US, Australia, and New Zealand are typically bolder with more citrus or tropical fruit flavours.

Mosaic and Citra are American hop varieties commonly chosen for modern pale ales and IPAs. Citra leans more towards citrus, while Mosaic is more tropical (and can even have an oniony pungency in some cases), though both have very rich and complex aromatics.

How we tested beers 

Our panel of four independent beer experts blind-tasted 34 beers across four different categories in April 2023 to find the best branded options available in supermarkets for the summer and beyond. 

The categories were: pale ales, IPAs up to 5%, IPAs over 5%, and low-alcohol beers.

Our expert panel included: 

• Tim Webb – author, beer expert and international beer judge
• Claire Bullen – beer judge, writer and Editor in Chief at Good Beer Hunting
• Steven Gibbs – brewer, historian and Founder of The Durham Brewery
• Jaega Wise – head brewer at Wild Card Brewery, author, TV and radio presenter

Products were anonymised so the experts didn't know which beer they were trying, and the order of tasting was rotated to avoid any bias. 

After all the beers in a category had been tasted, the panel discussed the scores they'd given for each product, including any strong differences of opinion and the overall quality of the products, before agreeing on which deserved to be Best Buys. Only after results were finalised were the beers revealed.

How to recycle beer bottles and cans

Glass bottles can usually go in your household recycling bin. If your council doesn’t accept them, you can take them to a local bottle bank. Make sure to empty out all the liquid, give the bottle a quick rinse and put the lid back on to reduce the chance of it getting lost during the sorting process.  

Metal drinks cans can usually go in your household recycling bin. Make sure to give the tin a quick rinse and pop the lid inside. Labels are removed as part of the recycling process, so you don’t need to take them off beforehand. If you buy a multipack, you can usually recycle the plastic ring joiners and wrappers at supermarket soft plastic collection points.

Please drink responsibly. See Drinkaware for advice.