Special Report
The Top-Rated Local Beer From Every State and D.C.
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If you’re a beer lover, beer isn’t just a beverage; it’s a way of life. And whereas names like Heady Topper, Pliny the Younger, Dinner, and CBS might be meaningless if you’re not initiated, for those in the know, they’re sought-after brews that are as worthy of a special occasion as a fine wine.
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. 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 English-style barleywines to saison farmhouse ales, the variety of high-quality American beers just keeps getting better and better. (You’ll find plenty of examples among America’s 40 most delicious beers).
To compile a list of the top-rated beer from every state and the District of Columbia, 24/7 Tempo reviewed “Top 250 Rated Beers” on BeerAdvocate, as judged by its readers. 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.
Information on beer type and alcohol by volume – ABV – also came from BeerAdvocate. Information on international bitterness units, a gauge of beer’s bitterness, came from Untappd, a beer rating app. IBU is a measure of the parts per million of isohumulone found in a beer, represented on a scale from 1 to 100, with 100 being the bitterest.
Click here to see the top-rated beer from every state and the District of Columbia
You’ll notice that there are a whole lot of stouts and IPAs on this list, reflective of the super-popularity of these beers and the high potential for experimentation by the brewer that’s inherent in the styles. If those styles don’t strike your fancy, then you’ll be happy to learn that the vast majority of these breweries also brew beers in a wide variety of other styles for you to try, and most also have tasting rooms that are open to the public. Road trip, anyone?
Alabama: El Gordo
> Average score: 4.5 (140 votes)
> Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
> ABV: 13.9%
> IBU: 79
> Brewery: Good People Brewing Company
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Alaska: Blessed
> Average score: 4.8 (213 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 14.0%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Anchorage Brewing Company
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Arizona: White Russian Imperial Stout
> Average score: 4.4 (107 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 9.2%
> IBU: 65
> Brewery: Sun Up Brewing Co.
Arkansas: BDCS
> Average score: 4.5 (538 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 10.2%
> IBU: 69
> Brewery: Ozark Beer Co.
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California: Pliny The Younger
> Average score: 4.7 (3,495 votes)
> Style: IPA – Imperial
> ABV: 10.3%
> IBU: 90
> Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company
Colorado: Medianoche – Coconut
> Average score: 4.6 (194 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 14.1%
> IBU: 65
> Brewery: WeldWerks Brewing Co.
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Connecticut: Fuzzy Baby Ducks
> Average score: 4.5 (1,136 votes)
> Style: IPA – New England
> ABV: 6.2%
> IBU: 60
> Brewery: New England Brewing Co.
Delaware: Utopias Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout
> Average score: 4.4 (283 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 17.3%
> IBU: 70
> Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
District of Columbia: On The Wings Of Armageddon
> Average score: 4.3 (2,110 votes)
> Style: IPA – Imperial
> ABV: 9.2%
> IBU: 110
> Brewery: DC Brau Brewing Co.
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Florida: Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout – Double Barrel Aged
> Average score: 4.7 (1,658 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 11.5%
> IBU: 80
> Brewery: Cigar City Brewing
Georgia: Mexican Siberius Maximus
> Average score: 4.6 (76 votes)
> Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
> ABV: 11.0%
> IBU: 74
> Brewery: The Wrecking Bar Brewpub
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Hawaii: Imperial Coconut Porter
> Average score: 4.2 (271 votes)
> Style: Porter – Imperial
> ABV: 9.4%
> IBU: 32
> Brewery: Maui Brewing Co.
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Idaho: Ada County
> Average score: 4.4 (30 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 15.0%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Woodland Empire Ale Craft
Illinois: V.S.O.J. (Very Special Old Jacket)
> Average score: 4.7 (298 votes)
> Style: Barleywine – English
> ABV: 14.0%
> IBU: 23
> Brewery: Revolution Brewing
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Indiana: Marshmallow Handjee
> Average score: 4.7 (1,782 votes)
> Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
> ABV: 15.0%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: 3 Floyds Brewing Co.
Iowa: Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout
> Average score: 4.8 (895 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 12.0%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
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Kansas: Old Backus Barleywine
> Average score: 4.2 (262 votes)
> Style: Barleywine – American
> ABV: 10.5%
> IBU: 100
> Brewery: Free State Brewing Co.
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Kentucky: Baba Yaga
> Average score: 4.5 (26 votes)
> Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
> ABV: 13.1%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Ethereal Brewing
Louisiana: Ghost In The Machine – Double Dry-Hopped
> Average score: 4.6 (369 votes)
> Style: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.5%
> IBU: 100
> Brewery: Parish Brewing Company
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Maine: Dinner
> Average score: 4.6 (2,696 votes)
> Style: IPA – Imperial
> ABV: 8.2%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Maine Beer Company
Maryland: Gose Gone Wild
> Average score: 4.4 (1,125 votes)
> Style: Sour – Gose
> ABV: 4.3%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Stillwater Artisanal Ales
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Massachusetts: King JJJuliusss
> Average score: 4.7 (817 votes)
> Style: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.4%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
Michigan: CBS (Canadian Breakfast Stout)
> Average score: 4.6 (6,730 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 11.3%
> IBU: 45
> Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Minnesota: Nillerzzzzz
> Average score: 4.6 (118 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 14.0%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Forager Brewing Company
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Mississippi: Paradise Lost
> Average score: 4.3 (73 votes)
> Style: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.1%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Southern Prohibition Brewing
Missouri: Abraxas – Barrel-Aged
> Average score: 4.7 (1,641 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 11.0%
> IBU: 60
> Brewery: Perennial Artisan Ales
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Montana: Ivan The Terrible Imperial Stout – Barrel-Aged
> Average score: 4.3 (895 votes)
> Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
> ABV: 11.6%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Big Sky Brewing Company
Nebraska: Bourbon Barrel Aged Champurrado
> Average score: 4.5 (14 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 12.1%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: White Elm Brewing Company
Nevada: Coconut Pie Face
> Average score: 4.4 (19 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 11.7%
> IBU: 50
> Brewery: Revision Brewing Company
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New Hampshire: Vinatta Russian Imperial Stout
> Average score: 4.4 (92 votes)
> Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
> ABV: 12.0%
> IBU: 86
> Brewery: Kelsen Brewing Company
New Jersey: Double Double Cask
> Average score: 4.6 (75 votes)
> Style: Barleywine – American
> ABV: 15.7%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Kane Brewing Company
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New Mexico: Project Dank
> Average score: 4.4 (904 votes)
> Style: IPA – American
> ABV: 7.5%
> IBU: 100
> Brewery: La Cumbre Brewing Co.
New York: 4th Anniversary
> Average score: 4.6 (247 votes)
> Style: IPA – New England
> ABV: 10.0%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Other Half Brewing Company
North Carolina: Citraquench’l
> Average score: 4.5 (357 votes)
> Style: IPA – New England
> ABV: 7.1%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Heist Brewery
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North Dakota: Freak Parade
> Average score: 4.3 (112 votes)
> Style: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.2%
> IBU: 70
> Brewery: Drekker Brewing Company
Ohio: Appervation
> Average score: 4.5 (328 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 15.0%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery
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Oklahoma: Bourbon Paradise
> Average score: 4.6 (809 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 13.7%
> IBU: 9
> Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales
Oregon: Nectarine Premiere
> Average score: 4.6 (397 votes)
> Style: Farmhouse Ale – Saison
> ABV: 7.1%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: de Garde Brewing
Pennsylvania: Albatross
> Average score: 4.5 (93 votes)
> Style: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.0%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Brew Gentlemen
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Rhode Island: The Chosen One
> Average score: 4.5 (161 votes)
> Style: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.5%
> IBU: 80
> Brewery: Tilted Barn Brewery
South Carolina: Mexican Cake – Maple Bourbon Barrel-Aged
> Average score: 4.6 (191 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 10.2%
> IBU: 20
> Brewery: Westbrook Brewing Co.
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South Dakota: SoDank IPA
> Average score: 4.1 (12 votes)
> Style: IPA – American
> ABV: 6.8%
> IBU: 68
> Brewery: Lost Cabin Beer Co.
Tennessee: Astronaut Status
> Average score: 4.4 (209 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 12.2%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Wiseacre Brewing
Texas: Atrial Rubicite
> Average score: 4.6 (1,994 votes)
> Style: Wild Ale
> ABV: 5.8%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Jester King Brewery
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Utah: Big Bad Baptista
> Average score: 4.4 (809 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 11.7%
> IBU: 65
> Brewery: Epic Brewing Company
Vermont: Heady Topper
> Average score: 4.7 (15,079 votes)
> Style: IPA – Imperial
> ABV: 8.0%
> IBU: 100
> Brewery: The Alchemist
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Virginia: Double Orange Starfish
> Average score: 4.5 (460 votes)
> Style: IPA – New England
> ABV: 8.3%
> IBU: N/A
> Brewery: Aslin Beer Company
Washington: Coffee Cinnamon B-Bomb
> Average score: 4.6 (1,108 votes)
> Style: Strong Ale – American
> ABV: 13.0%
> IBU: 50
> Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
West Virginia: Halleck Pale Ale
> Average score: 4.3 (56 votes)
> Style: Pale Ale – American
> ABV: 6.0%
> IBU: 50
> Brewery: Chestnut Brew Works
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Wisconsin: Black Gold
> Average score: 4.5 (859 votes)
> Style: Stout – American Imperial
> ABV: 11.0%
> IBU: 50
> Brewery: Central Waters Brewing Co.
Wyoming: 2×4 DIPA
> Average score: 4.3 (874 votes)
> Style: IPA – Imperial
> ABV: 9.9%
> IBU: 100
> Brewery: Melvin Brewing / Thai Me Up
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