When you’re thirsty, nothing hits the spot quite like an ice cold beer. And thankfully, we happen to be living through a golden age of brewing right now.
It wasn’t too long ago that if you wanted a beer, your options were limited to the mass-produced classics like Bud or Coors and perhaps a handful of imports. But over the past couple decades, craft brewing has exploded the world over, with 716 craft breweries opening just in the U.S. along in 2020 alone, according to the Brewers Association. (Speaking of mass-produced, these are America’s top-selling beer brands).
What these breweries are able to do with the raw materials of malt, hops, yeast, water, and often some imaginative added flavorings, is nothing short of astonishing. From super-hoppy double IPAs to jet-black imperial stouts to crisp lagers to fruity sour ales to oak-aged barleywines, new beers come onto the market seemingly on a daily basis that are simply astonishing. (These are America’s 40 most delicious beers).
To compile a list of the best new beers in America, 24/7 Tempo reviewed BeerAdvocate’s most recent rating of beers added to the site within the last 18 months, as judged by its readers. (Information on alcohol by volume – ABV – also came from BeerAdvocate.) The site asks reviewers to score beers on a scale of 1.00 to 5.00 in 0.25-point increments on five ratable attributes: appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and overall impressions. The site then calculates ratings by weighting attributes differently (most important is taste, weighted at 40%). The weighting accounts for the fact that in the ranking here, the highest placed beers don’t necessarily have the highest reader scores. Scores are current as of mid-April 2022.
Click here to see the 30 best new beers made in America
It’s interesting to note that while craft beer is made in every one of the 50 states, only 10 states are represented in the top 30, with more than a third of the highest ranked beers coming from Massachusetts. Note, too, that that state’s Tree House Brewing Company places nine beers on the list. Clearly the Bay State knows what it’s doing when it comes to brewing.
30. Big Nugget
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
> Location: Massachusetts
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 11.40%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.45
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29. Generational
> Brewery: Side Project Brewing
> Location: Missouri
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 15%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.61
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28. Term Oil Coconut Monster Cookie
> Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
> Location: Iowa
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 13.40%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.54
27. Nine
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
> Location: Massachusetts
> Type: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.40%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.52
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26. Continuance (TWCP 2021)
> Brewery: Side Project Brewing
> Location: Missouri
> Type: Barleywine – English
> ABV: 16%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.85
25. Double Dry-Hopped Pliny The Elder
> Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
> Location: California
> Type: IPA – Imperial
> ABV: 8%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.41
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24. Term Oil Fluffernutter
> Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
> Location: Iowa
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 13.9
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.53
23. Brownie
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
> Location: Massachusetts
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 12.6
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.67
22. Max Legroom
> Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
> Location: Massachusetts
> Type: IPA – Imperial
> ABV: 9.10%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.53
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21. Deprecophobia
> Brewery: Bottle Logic Brewing, California
> Location: California
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 13.61%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.65
20. Mega Treat
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
> Location: Massachusetts
> Type: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.70%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.43
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19. Cinnamon Coconut B-Bomb
> Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
> Location: Washington
> Type: Strong Ale – American
> ABV: 13%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.48
18. Twice The Daily Serving: Mixed Berry
> Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
> Location: Massachusetts
> Type: Sour – Fruited Kettle Sour
> ABV: 7.20%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.62
17.Continuance Blend #1
> Brewery: Side Project Brewing
> Location: Missouri
> Type: Strong Ale – American
> ABV: 15%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.6
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16. Weekend – Bourbon Barrel-Aged
> Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales
> Location: Oklahoma
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 14.20%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.45
15. Brew 5000
> Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
> Location: Washington
> Type: Barleywine – English
> ABV: 12.20%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.5
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14. Persist
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
> Location: Massachusetts
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 10.50%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.51
13. King Creamsicle
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
> Location: Massachusetts
> Type: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.10%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.52
12. Bourbon County Double Barrel Toasted Barrel Stout
> Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co.
> Location: Illinois
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 16%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.53
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11. XTRA DUBL Benthic
> Brewery: Half Acre Beer Company
> Location: Illinois
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 13.50%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.62
10. A Deal With The Devil – Double Oak-Aged – Madagascar Vanilla Beans
> Brewery: Anchorage Brewing Company
> Location: Alaska
> Type: Barleywine – American
> ABV: 17%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.69
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9. M.J.K.
> Brewery: Side Project Brewing
> Location: Missouri
> Type: Barleywine – English
> ABV: 20%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.8
8. Assassin – Double Barrel-Aged
> Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
> Location: Iowa
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 14.89%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.8
7. Medianoche Reserve (2021)
> Brewery: WeldWerks Brewing Co.
> Location: Colorado
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 13.50%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.62
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6. Bourbon County Brand Reserve Blanton’s Stout
> Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co.
> Location: Illinois
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 15.40%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.62
5. JJJuiceee Machine
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
> Location: Massachusetts
> Type: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.60%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.56
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4. Emperor Julius
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
> Location: Massachusetts
> Type: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.80%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.57
3. Double Double Cask
> Brewery: Kane Brewing Company
> Location: New Jersey
> Type: Barleywine – American
> ABV: 15.70%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.64
2. Very HHHazyyy
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
> Location: Massachusetts
> Type: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.80%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.64
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1. Beer:Barrel:Time (2021)
> Brewery: Side Project Brewing
> Location: Missouri
> Type: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 15%
> BeerAdvocate score: 4.79
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