Beer rules. It’s the third most consumed beverage in the world, after water and tea. It’s also our favorite form of alcohol: A Gallup poll last year found that 40% of American drinkers prefer beer to the other possibilities. (Wine came in second, at 30%.) And the variety of beer that’s available to us, both domestic and imported, is immense and growing all the time.
Five years ago, according to the Brewers Association, there were 2,822 breweries in America. Today, there are more than 6,000. About 98% of these are small, independent operations — craft breweries. While they are numerous, their output is tiny compared with that of the major commercial brands, accounting for only about 3% of annual beer sales.
Major commercial breweries may produce 40 or 50 million 31-gallon barrels a year or more. To be considered a craft brewery, according to the Brewers Association, a producer must make fewer than six million barrels annually — and most are far smaller. (The term “microbrewery” applies to those that make fewer than 15,000 barrels, and some brewpubs turn out only 10 or 20.)
That means that craft beers can be hard to find, some of them very much so: Some breweries sell special bottlings only by lottery or make them available only for a single day each year. They’re also often quite expensive, in some instances $50 or $100 a bottle or more, reflecting the high costs of production on such a small scale as well as their rarity.
It’s also worth noting that many craft breweries release successive “vintages” of their specialty beers, with the alcohol content, flavorings, and other factors varying at least slightly from year to year.
Nonetheless, craft beers are what get true beer-lovers most excited. They offer complexity and power and sometimes elegance that put them in a different class altogether from that Budweiser or Heineken you might quaff with pleasure simply to quench your thirst.
A number of specialist publications and organizations rate craft beers regularly, among them the American Homebrewers Association (not to be confused with the Brewers Association), ratebeer.com, and beeradvocate.com. The list that follows is based on their most recent ratings, as well as other compiled lists of what are widely considered the best-tasting beers American breweries have to offer.
Virtually all these beers fall into one of two categories: IPAs or flavored stouts. IPA stands for India Pale Ale, a style of ale with a pronounced flavor of hops. (“India” is a reference to the fact that this style’s ancestors were formulated to withstand the long sea voyage to India and other one-time British colonies.) Stout is a strong dark beer made with roasted malt or barley, to which craft brewers often add other flavorings, like coffee, chocolate, and even chiles. They’re two completely different styles, but between them they add up to the craft beers that the experts consider our country’s finest.
Correction: In a previous version of this article, we incorrectly identified the brewery location for No. 38 Hopslam Ale as New Jersey. In fact, Bell’s Brewery is in Michigan.
Click here to see 40 of America’s most delicious beers
40. Todd The Axe Man
> Brewery: Surly Brewing Co. (Minnesota)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.46 out of 5
Originally made in collaboration with Denmark’s Amager Brewery; described by Surly as “not quite a West Coast [i.e., heavily hopped] IPA;” intensely flavorful and full of fruity hops flavors.
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39. Hop JuJu Imperial IPA
> Brewery: Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon (Ohio/Pennsylvania)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.46 out of 5
Rich and heady, with intense resiny hops flavor.
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38. Hopslam Ale
> Brewery: Bell’s Brewery (Michigan)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.46 out of 5
Very aromatic and reasonably potent (10% alcohol by volume); heavily hopped but softened slightly with a touch of honey.
37. Bomb!
> Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales (Oklahoma)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.50 out of 5
A high-alcohol (13%), complexly flavored stout, aged with the addition of chocolate, coffee, vanilla beans, and ancho chiles.
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36. Wide Awake It’s Morning
> Brewery: Funky Buddha Brewery (Florida)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.53 out of 5
Breakfast in a bottle, flavored with coffee and maple-cured bacon — a malty, lightly smoky, heavier version of the brewery’s popular Maple Bacon Coffee Porter.
35. Breakfast Stout
> Brewery: Founders Brewing Company (Michigan)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.51 out of 5
A full-bodied oatmeal-based stout, flavored with bitter chocolate and two kinds of coffee.
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34. Last Buffalo In The Park
> Brewery: Funky Buddha Brewery (Florida)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.55 out of 5
A black, syrupy elaboration of Funky Buddha’s Last Snow porter, flavored with coffee and coconut.
33. Pseudo Sue
> Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company (Iowa)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.52 out of 5
One of four Toppling Goliath beers in Beer Advocate’s top 25; citrusy, bright, and faintly bitter, with a piney aftertaste.
32. Ann
> Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery (Vermont)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.61 out of 5
A fruity, honeyed, vinous beer (it’s aged in wine barrels) in the spicy, amply carbonated Belgian saison style; available only by lottery, directly from the brewery.
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31. Black Note Stout
> Brewery: Bell’s Brewery (Michigan)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.54 out of 5
Creamy and toasty, with notes of butterscotch, espresso, and chocolate, and a whiff of whiskey from the bourbon barrels it was aged in.
30. Aaron
> Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery (Vermont)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.60 out of 5
An example of the potent English ale style called barleywine, aged in bourbon barrels; dense and sweet.
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29. Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout
> Brewery: Cigar City Brewing (Florida)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.57 out of 5
Dark, meaty, and complex in flavor; brewed with cacao nibs, vanilla, cinnamon, and two kinds of chile, and aged in bourbon barrels.
28. Sip Of Sunshine IPA
> Brewery: Lawson’s Finest Liquids (Vermont)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.57 out of 5
Classic IPA, generously hopped but with some malt flavor, a floral aroma, and notes of citrus, tropical fruit, and pine.
27. Focal Banger
> Brewery: The Alchemist Brewery (Vermont)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.58 out of 5
Crisp, lemony, and comparatively light, but with plenty of flavor.
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26. Green
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company (Massachusetts)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.59 out of 5
Flavored with Australian and American hops; lots of tropical fruit in the aroma and flavor, with good balance and a smooth mouth-feel.
25. Zombie Dust
> Brewery: 3 Floyds Brewing Co. (Indiana)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.59 out of 5
Strongly hopped and nicely bitter, with orange zest and resin flavors.
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24. Bourbon County Brand Stout
> Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co. (Illinois)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.60 out of 5
From a onetime Chicago brewpub now owned by the massive Anheuser-Busch InBev company; aged in bourbon barrels; very dark and malty, with flavors of dried fruit, caramel, and cocoa.
23. Bourbon Barrel-Aged Expedition Stout
> Brewery: Bell’s Brewery (Michigan)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.48 out of 5
Very dark and chocolatey, with suggestions of licorice and caramel and a hint of oaky bourbon.
22. KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)
> Brewery: Founders Brewing Company (Michigan)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.60 out of 5
Rich, malty, and earthy; brewed with chocolate and coffee; packs a 12.3% alcoholic punch.
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21. Dreadnaught Imperial IPA
> Brewery: 3 Floyds Brewing Company (Indiana)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.40 out of 5
Showing plenty of malt and citrusy hops in both aroma and flavor; nice bitterness and a touch of yeasty character.
20. King Sue
> Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company (Iowa)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.62 out of 5
Quintessential IPA, bitter, citrusy, herbaceous, and floral.
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19. Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout
> Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co. (Illinois)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.67 out of 5
Malty and dark, with hints of bourbon and an aromatic infusion of Intelligentsia coffee beans.
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18. Parabola Russian Imperial Stout
> Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co. (California)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.61 out of 5
From a Central Coast wine country brewery founded by a scion of the Firestone Tire (and winery) family and later bought by the major Belgian brewery Duvel Moortgat; dark, malty, and velvety smooth; aged for a year in bourbon barrels.
17. Abner
> Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery (Vermont)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.63 out of 5
A double-hopped IPA, floral and fruity, with a crisp finish but not much hoppy bitterness.
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16. Morning Wood
> Brewery: Funky Buddha Brewery (Florida)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.65 out of 5
An assertive (12% alcohol by volume) porter, bourbon-barrel-aged and flavored with coffee, bacon, and maple syrup.
15. Assassin
> Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company (Iowa)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.65 out of 5
Rich and chewy, with plenty of malt in the nose and a flavor that suggests chocolate, dried fruit, and caramel.
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14. Expedition Stout
> Brewery: Bell’s Brewery (Michigan)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.26 out of 5
Licorice, chocolate, and caramel combine on the palate in this dark, malty offering. (See No. 29 for a bourbon-barrel-aged version.)
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13. Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout
> Brewery: 3 Floyds Brewing Company (Indiana)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.27 out of 5
Syrupy, sweet, and strong (last year’s version was 15% alcohol by volume); flavored with coffee, Mexican vanilla, and Indian sugar; sold only at the brewery on one day in April each year.
12. Abraxas – Barrel Aged
> Brewery: Perennial Artisan Ales (Missouri)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.47 out of 5
Very dark and viscous, with a pronounced cinnamon flavor and a touch of heat (it’s brewed with cinnamon sticks, ancho chiles, cacao nibs, and vanilla beans).
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11. Pliny The Elder
> Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company (California)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.65 out of 5
Malty and medium-bitter, with an earthy forest-floor aroma; malt and citrus on the palate.
10. Julius
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company (Massachusetts)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.66 out of 5
Pineapple and grapefruit in the aroma, followed by juicy mixed tropical fruit in the mouth; clean and easily quaffable.
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9. Speedway Stout
> Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company (California)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.38 out of 5
Brewed with locally roasted coffee; brownish-black and chocolatey, with nice malt flavor.
8. CBS (Canadian Breakfast Stout)
> Brewery: Founders Brewing Company (Michigan)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.66 out of 5
Very dark, smooth, and oaky; brewed with a blend of chocolates and coffees and aged in old bourbon barrels that most recently held maple syrup — and displaying traces of all those flavors.
7. Mornin’ Delight
> Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company (Iowa)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.70 out of 5
Brewed with coffee and maple syrup; medium-rich and sweet with 12% alcohol by volume; available only by lottery, directly from the brewery.
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6. Fundamental Observation
> Brewery: Bottle Logic Brewing (California)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.71 out of 5
Chocolate fudge and lots of vanilla in the flavor. It’s brewed with Madagascar vanilla beans; rich and dark; aged in bourbon barrels, but with fairly subtle oak and whiskey flavors.
5. Speedway Stout – Bourbon Barrel Aged
> Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company (California)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.52 out of 5
Brewed with locally roasted coffee; chocolate and caramel in the mouth, with a noticeable shot of bourbon flavor.
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4. Pliny The Younger
> Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company (California)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.70 out of 5
A triple IPA (i.e., with three times the usual dose of hops), floral and piney, with plenty of heft and alcohol (10.25%), plus a touch of sweetness.
3. Hunahpu’s Double Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
> Brewery: Cigar City Brewing (Florida)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.73 out of 5
Infused, like the regular Hunahpu’s, with cacao nibs, vanilla, cinnamon, and two kinds of chile; aged in rum and apple-brandy barrels, adding notes of vanilla and spice.
2. Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout
> Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company (Iowa)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.84 out of 5
A hearty stout brewed with coffee and aged in bourbon barrels; quite sweet, with some raisiny fruit, vanilla, and an elegant overlay of whiskey.
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1. Heady Topper
> Brewery: The Alchemist Brewery (Vermont)
> Beer Advocate avg. rating: 4.72 out of 5
One of the original cult beers (before it became more widely available, there was an independent website devoted to hunting for it, and people sold it — illegally — on eBay); nicely floral, with typical IPA citrus and pine aromas and flavors; well-balanced and very flavorful.
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