On August 13th of this year, Other Half Brewing teamed up with The Veil Brewing to release one of the strangest, most seemingly paradoxical beers ever made. By now, both the Brooklyn and Virginia breweries are some of the most famed IPA makers in the country, proponents of the hazy Northeast-style “juice bombs” that are de rigeur these days. And on that Saturday in August, geeks were champing at the bit to acquire cans of their latest collaboration, Topical Depression. Now for the kicker: the IPA had a reported zero IBUs.

Standing for International Bitterness Units, IBUs were at one point the purest measure of hoppiness in a beer. If Scoville Units told you how scorching a hot sauce was, IBUs told you how hoppy an IPA was. Then, over the last few years, as breweries started relying on hop varietals that were fruity, not bitter—like the Galaxy and Citra used in Topical Depression—IBU numbers, and perceived bitterness, began dropping. Likewise, dry-hopping became a crucial weapon in an IPA brewer’s arsenal, adding an intense aroma and flavor, but not raising IBUs one lick. Thus, an unheard of zero IBU IPA suddenly became not just possible, but sought-after.

Still, I long for the days when IPAs were actually bitter, not just alcoholic fruit juice. That was the case back around the turn of the decade, when “hop bombs” were arising with punishing names like Palate Wrecker and Tongue Buckler. The average IPA then used to register around 70-100 IBUs, with most folks believing anything over 100 to be imperceptible and just a theoretical measurement. But that didn't stop an array of brewers, from Denmark to Delaware, from battling it out to hold the crown as makers of "the hoppiest beer ever." 

Here, we take a look at the 10 hoppiest beers of all time, as defined by IBUs—that brewing statistic that has almost become obsolete.

Released: 2015
IBUs: 658

Dogfish Head claims that Hoo Lawd is the highest IBU beer ever made that has been independently lab tested—most of the other IBU numbers below are based on in-house calculations. Like with Scoville Units, most brewers just estimate a number, usually well above what is technically thought to be even possible. Brewery founder Sam Calagione called Hoo Lawd “DEFCON-one-hoppy,” as it utilizes an experimental hop known as “Alpha Beast” alongside Simcoe, Warrior, and Amarillo hops. It was only available for one night last year at Dogfish Head’s Rehoboth Beach brewpub, and then earlier this year during Boston’s Extreme Beer Fest.

Released: 2012
IBUs: 666

We didn't realize the British isles cared about IBUs until this collaboration brew came out in early 2012. Uniquely, this was actually a black/Cascadian dark IPA, the “in” style of the moment. The offering created a minor frenzy in England, though the 6.66% ABV, 666 IBU beer is starting to make me think these boys might be some of them devil worshippers.

Released: 2010
IBUs: 1000

The second half of the aughts brought the world the IBU Wars. Trying to get out of the recession, people were bitter—and so were the beers. Mikkeller’s offering came at the tail end of this arms race, and pretty much put an end to it—both due to its extraordinary high number, and the farce of it all. The first (and still only) widely-released beer on this list, few drinkers believed 1000 IBUs was possible, nor that brewery founder Mikkel Borg Bjergsø had actually had that number independently confirmed. Wrote Mikkel to the haters: “truly sorry if we offended anyone by brewing our ‘1000IBU’. We do know about the difference in theory and actual measures and never stated to have brewed a beer with an actual IBU of 1000. When we brew a beer like ‘1000IBU’ it is a gimmick, yet it is also becourse we like to test the limits in brewing...(sic).”

Released: 2013
IBUs: 1000

You wonder if the only reason this brewery didn’t get a lawsuit for swiping Mikkeller’s name and idea is because Invicta is located in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. Hop assaults may have started late in the South American country, but it’s only fitting this popular craft brewery should have been the one that first laid down the IBU gauntlet. 

Released: 2011
IBUs: 1066

This gastrobrewery from Halifax got on the big board with this monster made by a brewer who claimed: “I didn’t design this beer to win any contests, rather for the full-on unforgettable experience of hop oil in your glass.” He also bragged that he didn’t utilize any hops extracts, throwing shade at Mikkeller who had allegedly used them. With a most excellent punny name, this was the rare IBU bomb that was well-received by drinkers, though the brewery went out of business in 2014.

Released: 2014
IBUs: 1100

This is perhaps the strangest beer on this list, mainly due to its stylistic confusion. The Citra-hopped offering is described by its Columbus, Ohio brewery as part-IPA, part-ESB, and part-barleywine. In fact, the beer used a half-pound of hops more per five gallons than the brewery’s hoppiest IPA. The brew comes in a sexy, label-less black bottle, befitting the bitterness attack inside.

Released: 2014
IBUs: 1254

My dad has over 4,000 friends on Facebook—big whoop. But passing a paltry 1000 fans was enough for this South African brewery to attempt an IBU bomb. By the time this beer was brewed, they now had 1254 fans, and that’s what the IBUs would be (theoretically!) set at. If you’re wondering, the brewery now sits at 3,513 fans, which would—spoiler alert—break the IBU record. Let’s do it!

Released: 2007
IBUs: 2007

Years before 1000 IBU, Mikkeller had first tested the heights of bitterness with this experimental beer brewed specifically for the Copenhagen Beer Festival. I’ll let Mikkel explain it again because he’s so articulate: “Some people hated it, some people liked it and one thing’s for sure—it did not taste like a 100, 200 or even 300 IBU beer…(it) tasted like chewing a hopfield…and I personally loved it… (sic)” Actually, most all people hated it, as the beer only registered a meager 78 (out of 100) on ratings website RateBeer.

Released: 2012
IBUs: 2012

Britain’s Arbor Ales brewed this 2012 IBU offering to celebrate London’s hosting of the 2012 Olympics. Another black/Cascadian IPA, the brew was packed with a fairly atypical mix of Bravo, Zeus, Galena, and Summit hops. Released strictly on cask, the beer was well-reviewed, though I’m surprised the IOC didn’t send them a cease and desist for the shameless logo theft. Those IOC folks are ruthless.

Released: 2011
IBUs: 2500

The bitterness inherent in hops come from alpha acids which, when boiled, are isomerized and increase IBUs. That was the thinking behind this 13.3% ABV beer, created by an unheralded Ontario brewery that decided to join the bitterness battle well after America had moved on to other interests. Released in honor of Ontario Craft Beer Week, only one keg and six bottles were ever packaged.

Released: 2015
IBUs: 2600

Managing to squeeze two of Carlin’s seven dirty words into one try-hard beer name, this Scottish brewery also claimed a whopping 2600 IBUs in its brew. Coming out in the summer of last year, the beer world mostly snored, almost completely ignoring this offering. (Do you know how hard it is to not get content-churning bloggers to cover your claim to hoppiest beer ever made?) The few folks that did try the beer f*cked up Carbon Smith’s sh*t via lackluster Untappd scores.