In this article, we are going to discuss the 20 highest quality beers in the US. You can skip our detailed analysis of the economic impact of the American beer industry, the largest beer company in the world, and the new player in the beer market, and go directly to 5 Highest Quality Beers in the US.
Although it is the third-most popular drink in the world, beer is often more than just a beverage, boasting significant cultural and historical significance in many societies and traditions. In Germany, for example, beer is considered an essential part of the country's cultural heritage, and the government has strict regulations on the production of beer to ensure its quality and authenticity. In Ireland, beer (specifically Guinness) is associated with the country's national identity and is a common symbol of Irish culture. And in the United States, beer has become synonymous with sports events and tailgating parties, as well as being a popular drink for socializing with friends.
Economic Impact of the American Beer Industry:
Beer is the favorite tipple in America. As we mentioned in our article – 20 Biggest Beer Brands in America – the U.S. beer industry contributed over 2.4 million local jobs and $409 billion to the national economy in 2022, equivalent to 1.6% of GDP. The industry also paid $132 billion in wages and contributed $63.8 billion in taxes to the national kitty.
These economic figures represent substantial growth since the last study three years ago, with an uptick of $78 billion, or a 23.5% growth in economic impact. Also 400,000 new jobs were added in the last three years, representing a growth of 20%.
The 2.4 million jobs the industry provides fall into a multitude of sectors, including 92,159 brewer and beer-importer jobs, 77,847 manufacturing jobs, 137,420 distribution jobs, 52,220 agricultural jobs and 979,805 retail jobs. According to Beer Serves America, each job in the brewing industry generates 30 jobs in every corner of the country.
Largest Beer Company in the World:
The beer behemoth Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) is the Largest Alcohol Company in the World, with the industry giant boasting a share of over 25% in the entire global beer production. The Belgium-based company boasted a revenue of $57.8 billion in 2022, with a net profit of almost $6 billion. Across nearly 50 countries, AB InBev has 175 major breweries and 40 other operations including hop farms and barley malting facilities.
However, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) had to face some headwinds in the American market last year after the infamous controversy surrounding its best-selling brand Bud Light, which resulted in the iconic brew losing its crown as America’s Best-Selling Beer after nearly two decades. The resulting backlash caused the stock price of the company to collapse from $65.9 on May 4th, to $53.4 on May 31st, a decrease of almost 19% in less than a month.
The brewing giant is now looking to make a comeback after it scored a sponsorship for the upcoming Olympic Games, making it the first beer company to ever sponsor the grand event. The IOC specifically highlighted Corona Cero – the non-alcoholic version of the global best-seller Corona – as the beer of choice for the partnership, which will stretch from the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer games to Los Angeles 2028 Summer games.
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) also recently confirmed that it will air two and a half minutes of national advertising in Super Bowl LVIII, running ads for Budweiser, Michelob Ultra, and Bud Light, thus reaffirming the focus of its marketing efforts on sporting and music events as it attempts to bounce back up in the public eye.
New Player in the Beer Market:
The Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST) made headlines in 2022 after it acquired the CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective in a deal worth $330 million. The acquisition gave the beverage giant the ownership of CANarchy’s craft breweries including Cigar City, Oskar Blues, Deep Ellum, Perrin Brewing, Squatters, and Wasatch.
The deal provided Monster with a ready-made platform to join the alcohol industry, including infrastructure, people, distribution and licenses, alcoholic beverage development experience, and manufacturing capabilities. CANarchy is an interesting move for the Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST) because it entered alcohol through craft beer and hard seltzer, a pair of maturing yet popular categories where consumers have countless options to choose from.
The company spent the early weeks of 2023 rolling out a line of alcoholic beverages. Called The Beast Unleashed, the drinks are made with malt alcohol and contain 6% alcohol by volume, though no caffeine or energy-inducing ingredients. It was also announced earlier this week that effective immediately, CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective will operate under the name Monster Brewing Company.
With that said, here are the Best Beers in America in 2024.
20 Highest Quality Beers in the US
Ievgenii Meyer/Shutterstock.com
Methodology:
To collect data for this article, we have referred to sources such as VinePair, Craft Beer & Brewing, My Bartender, Reddit etc., looking for the Top Beers in America. To make sure we only give you the best of the best, we shortlisted beers that appeared multiple times in the aforementioned sources, assigned them a score based on the number of appearances, and ranked them accordingly. When two or more beers had the same score, we ranked them by their ratings on Beer Advocate.
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20. Dark Lord
Insider Monkey Score: 3
A demonic Russian-Style Imperial Stout brewed with coffee, Mexican vanilla, and Indian sugar, this beer defies description. The 3 Floyds brewery holds a festival every year to celebrate the release of its iconic beer. Dark Lord Day is the only day of the year to buy the Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout. Over the years, DLD has turned into an annual festival at 3 Floyds brewery where participants can meet other beer enthusiasts and sample beers from all over the world.
19. The Abyss
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Brewed by the Oregon-based Deschutes Brewery, this deep, dark, and mysterious barrel-aged imperial stout has hints of molasses, licorice, and other alluring flavors, making it something not just to quaff, but contemplate.
Deschutes Brewery has always been family-owned and operated. An Employee Stock Ownership Program was set up in 2013, so employees also now own a percentage of the company. In its first year in operation in 1988, the public house sold 310 barrels of beer and today Deschutes is one of the Largest Craft Breweries in the US by Volume.
18. Sip of Sunshine
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Sip of Sunshine is a lupulin-laden India Pale Ale inspired by the Vermont-based Lawson’s Finest Liquids’ original Double Sunshine IPA. This high-quality craft beer is packed with juicy tropical fruit character, bright floral aromas, and delectable layers of hop flavor.
As one of the industry leaders in sustainability, Lawson’s Finest Liquids generates 100% of its electricity through solar power, provided by a combination of rooftop arrays and the largest parking lot canopy in the Green Mountain State.
17. A Little Sumpin' Sumpin'
Insider Monkey Score: 4
One of the Best American Beers According to Reddit, A Little Sumpin' Sumpin IPA by Lagunitas is 50% wheat, 50% malted barley, and 100% delicious hoppiness, with hints of bubblegum, pineapple, light cedar, and pine.
Owned by Heineken N.V., the Chicago-based Lagunitas boasted $162.1 million in dollar sales in 2022, a 10.9% decrease from the previous year.
16. 90 Minute IPA
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Called ‘Perhaps the best IPA in America’ by Esquire Magazine, the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA holds the distinction of being the favorite brew of many IPA drinkers the world over. Named after the amount of time the beer is continuously hopped, ‘90’ also reflects the amount of IBUs, hop additions during the boil, and 9% ABV. The 60, 75, and 120 versions that follow suit are equally fantastic.
15. Hopslam Ale
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Starting with six different hop varieties added to the brew kettle and culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops, Bell's Hopslam Ale possesses the most complex hopping schedule in the brewery’s repertoire.
The 3 Floyds brewery is known for making some of the best craft beers in the Midwest and for commissioning artists to design bizarre labels for their beers. This ‘Undead Pale Ale’ is a medium-bodied single hop beer showcasing citra hops from the Yakima Valley.
13. Barrel-Aged Abraxas
Insider Monkey Score: 4
This 11% ABV Imperial Stout by Perennial Artisan Ales is aged for twelve months in Rittenhouse Rye barrels with cacao nibs, vanilla beans, ancho chiles, and cinnamon sticks. It's as good as it sounds, but is only released annually, making it a highly sought after bottle.
12. Blessed
Insider Monkey Score: 4
This American Imperial Stout is aged for 19 months in a blend of Woodford Reserve double oaked Bourbon barrels, Heaven Hill barrels, and Willet Bourbon barrels. Produced by the Alaska-based Anchorage Brewing Company, the beer is finished on Madagascar vanilla beans and raw and toasted coconut.
11. Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout
Insider Monkey Score: 5
This excellent stout by Goose Island is made with a different coffee from Chicago’s Intelligentsia Coffee each year. With the change in coffee comes a change in the flavor profile, making each release truly unique from the previous years.
10. CBS
Insider Monkey Score: 5
Produced by the Founders Brewing Company, one of the Best Craft Breweries in America, Canadian Breakfast Stout is an imperial stout brewed with a blend of coffees and imported chocolates, then aged in spent Bourbon barrels that have most recently been aging pure Michigan maple syrup.
CBS ranks among the Top 10 Beers in U.S.A.
9. Double Barrel-Aged Hunahpu’s
Insider Monkey Score: 5
Cigar City brews Hunahpu's Imperial Stout once a year and releases it only at the brewery on the second weekend in March. Imposing and assertive on the palate, this imperial stout immediately presents espresso, baker’s chocolate, and plum flavors that give way to cinnamon, toffee, and an earthy hop quality.
Cigar City Brewing boasted sales volume of 110,000 barrels in 2022.
8. Pliny the Younger
Insider Monkey Score: 6
This is almost a true Triple IPA with triple the amount of hops as a regular IPA. That said, it is extremely difficult, time and space consuming, and very expensive to make, and that is why the Russian River Brewing Company doesn’t make it more often.
The 2022 release of Russian River’s Pliny the Younger generated $6.1 million in economic impact, a record for the brewery and $1 million (20%) increase compared to 2020, the last year that the Triple IPA was released.
Pliny the Younger is rated as one of the Top Beers on Untappd.
7. Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout
Insider Monkey Score: 7
Rated not only as the #1 Craft Beer in America, but also the Best Beer in the World by BeerAdvocate and RateBeer, Toppling Goliath’s Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout is chocolate chip pancakes drenched with maple syrup, served with espresso and a shot of bourbon, all in one sip. The culmination of everything one would want on a chilly morning.
6. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Insider Monkey Score: 8
Described as ‘a balance between aggressive hops and hearty malt flavor’, Sierra Nevada’s flagship Pale Ale is packed with intense aromas of pine and citrus with a 5.6% ABV finish.
100% family-owned and operated, Sierra Nevada is among the largest craft breweries in America by volume and boasts an annual revenue of over $320 million, turning its owner Ken Grossman into a beer billionaire.
