Beers created by two Wilmington-based breweries made Stacker’s recent list of the 10 best India pale ales from North Carolina. Using data from Beer Advocate, an online community supporting excellence in beer (and a subsidiary of Wilmington-based Next Glass), Stacker listed among its top 10 IPAs three brews from New Anthem Beer Project and one from Wilmington Brewing Co. A maximum of three IPAs from each brewery was allowed on the list, according to Stacker, a data journalism provider.
 
New Anthem had three IPAs on the list: The Vapors, a New England IPA; Lexington Queen, an American IPA; and Neon God, also a New England IPA.
 
Wilmington Brewing Co.’s IPA on the list was Kitten Biscuit, also a New England type.
 
“New England style is hazy: It’s not filtered and it’s not clear,” said Michelle Savard, co-owner with her husband, John, of Wilmington Brewing Co. “It’s not bitter; the hopping process is different and a lot of New England IPAs are fruited.”
 
Kitten Biscuit “definitely has gotten a following,” Savard said. “It runs out every time we make it.”
 
Far from being rivals on the Wilmington area beer scene, New Anthem and Wilmington Brewing collaborate annually on an IPA they call Secret Lovers. The brew is released each year around Valentine’s Day.
 
“After five years of being secret lovers, we’re wondering if it’s time to meet the parents,” Savard said with a laugh, adding that her establishment still has some Secret Lovers IPA on tap and in cans for anyone who wants to learn more about what a brewing affair can produce.

Other IPAs on Stacker's list were Jade IPA (Foothills Brewing, Winston-Salem); Hop, Drop 'n Roll (NoDa Brewing Co., Charlotte); Freak of Nature (Wicked Weed Brewing, Asheville); and Uber Quench'l, Blurred is the Word and Citrusquench'l (Heist Brewery, Charlotte).

Finding a memorable name for an IPA is part of the culture, according to Savard.

"It's a funny thing," she said. "Is it a beer, or is it a band name?"