Best Michigan-brewed, year-round IPA?

Would Rochester Mills' Cornerstone or Witches Hat's Big Doedish qualify? Those two would rate high for me. Not much of a fan of the year-round selections of MI IPAs though, having moved here from San Diego (I think I got too used to the "West Coast IPA" style a la Green Flash or anything from Alpine). Red's Rye is good, and so is Two Hearted and Singapore, but nothing compared to the seasonal selections of IPAs in the state - eg Kuhnhenn's DRIPA, Short's The Liberator and Controversiale, Founders' All Day IPA, Odd Side's Citra Pale Ale, and even some of the off-shoots like Big Red Coq, Anger, and Sky High Rye (especially in teh can).

Does anyone know why breweries don't brew some of those more popular IPAs year round? Is it the cost or availability of the hops? Wet hops for some?

 

Two Hearted, hands down. I moved to Michigan last year, used to treasure a sixer of this when I couldn't get it all the time. Now I love being able to order one of these at mainstream places like the local Buffalo Wild Wings here, it's so good fresh and on tap!
Honorable mentions:
Centennial
Crooked Tree
Huma Lupa
Mad Hatter

 

Arcadia IPA, Bells, Crooked Tree, Saugatuck and Founders Centennial.

 

Gotta say, Arcadia IPA was certainly my least favorite Michigan brewed IPA. Felt like I was drinking salt water or something. It was close to a drain pour for me.

 

Hands down Two Hearted. Hard to beat it on draft.

 

Bells two hearted ale.
Best out of the mini kegs
Markintihar one? No way, bro.

 

Where's Kzoobrew? He's always hating on Two-Hearted.....

 

It grew on me.

 

#1 - Crooked Tree

 

Two hearted, than huma, no other competitors.

 

Two Hearted is pretty darn good. Wouldn't be able to say if its better than Centennial though. Mad Hatter is also solid. Since this forum is dominated by them anyway I might as well mention Norm's Raggedy Ass from Griffin Claw Brewing in Birmingham. Not sure it stands up to centennial but its cheaper and smells amazing for a brew named after a donkey. If you're looking for something new and want to support a smaller brewer I'd recommend it for sure.

 

It's funny looking at this pole a year later.

Arbor Sacred Cow still sucks and still enough people have not had Crooked Tree. LOL.

I would throw Mad Hatter and Sacred Cow completely off this list and seeing Saugatuck Singapore mentioned is regrettable.

Arbor has however redeemed themselves as Buzzsaw is a fine IPA that I think Norm's is very solid as well. Another one that I did not see mentioned but I really enjoyed was Right Brain Spiny Norman - but I'm a sucker for Simcoe.

 

I always read your name in my head as "Tecate Toe"

I have nothing else to add.

 

This!
Living in Kzoo it's easy to take 2 Hearted for granted since it's my fallback beer when I have nothing new to tick at a bar/restaurant but it is great

**edit** Ha, I just noticed this thread was a year old

 

I cant get enough Norms IPA, Griffin Claw.

 

Bells Two Hearted is practically a flagship IPA everywhere it is distributed. In the last 28 hours I have been in 2 very different main stream restaurants who both served this as one of their only non-Sam Adams craft beer. I think you could expand this question to a Great Lakes Forum and Two Hearted would still hold the top spot. It's too good and so readily available that at this point in time it just can't be beat.

 

Didn't read the thread but it was so easy to choose Two-Hearted. Such a fantastic IPA that I can find anytime I come home to SE Michigan (parents still live in the metro Detroit area).

 

Still haven't tried Crooked Tree myself, almost picked up a six pack of it tonight too. Kind of regretting not getting some. And I must say that I enjoy Mad Hatter less and less each time I try it.

 

Centennial slightly over Two Hearted. I find it a bit more citrusy and super fresh Two Hearted is a bit too floral for me. Had some Two Hearted on tap recently that must have been a bit old because it was much more sweet malt forward and I actually thought it was really damn good.

P.S. Aren't Centennial and Two Hearted the only ones on this list with bottling dates?

 

Citra Pale Ale!