Best American Craft Beers

If you need proof we are in the midst of a beer revolution, you need only take a look at your local grocery stores, liquor shops, and bars that hold such a large craft beer selection—it can make your head spin. Craft beer sales and the number of microbreweries opening nation-wide continue to rise each year, and are certainly making an impact in the American food and beverage world.

Just like artisan foods and wines, craft beer is defined as being of independent and small nature: Craft breweries are not owned by any large industries and only produce a certain amount of beer per year.

These 50 beers have made a name for themselves in the craft beer market, and for good reason—they are divine.

Hoppy and piney, a go-to pale ale

Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery

Style: Pale Ale

Alcohol: 6.5%

 

Belgian-style; dark, sweet fruit and booze flavor

Brewery: Brewery Ommegang

Style: Quadrupel

Alcohol: 9.8%

 

Caramel malts, toasted grains, slightly hoppy

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co. 

Style: Strong Ale

Alcohol: 7.2%

 

Nutty, sweet, and pleasantly hoppy

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales

Style: Brown Ale

Alcohol: 7.2%

 

The best mass-market lager around

Brewery: Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Co.)

Style: Lager

Alcohol: 4.9%

 

Sweet, light hops; toasty malts

Brewery: New Belgium Brewing

Style: Amber Ale

Alcohol: 5.2%

 

Floral, grassy, hoppy, slight malt taste

Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.

Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 7.2%

 

The least-plain lager around; light malts and hops, slightly fruity

Brewery: Shmatlz Brewing Co.

Style: Amber Lager

Alcohol: 5.5%

 

The crème de la crème of milk stouts; chocolatey malts, smooth, creamy

Brewery: Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Co.)

Style: Milk Stout

Alcohol: 4.9%

 

An after-dinner dessert; slight vanilla and coffee flavors

Brewery: Breckenridge Brewery

Style: Porter

Alcohol: 4.7%

 

Slight hop flavor, with a caramel-malty mellowness

Brewery: Rogue Ales

Style: Bock

Alcohol: 6.5%

 

The standard American IPA; citrusy, hoppy, piney

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 7.2%

 

A tasty lighter ale with malty sweetness, slight floral hops

Brewery: Highland Brewing Co.

Style: Amber Ale

Alcohol: 5.6%

 

Everything an IPA should be; hoppy, pine and citrus flavors

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.

Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 6.9%

 

Roasted smokiness, slight sweet licorice flavor

Brewery: Bell's Brewing

Style: Stout

Alcohol: 6%

 

Rye and tart citrus hops, boozy, bittersweet chocolate and dark fruit flavor

Brewery: Shmatlz Brewing Co.

Style: Imperial India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 10%

 

Slight up-front citrus hops, bready, caramel notes

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.

Style: Amber Ale

Alcohol: 4.4%

 

A very bold pale wheat ale; solid wheat foundation with overriding citrus bitterness

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co.

Style: Pale Wheat Ale

Alcohol: 7.5%

 

Velvety smooth; perfection of porters

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery

Style: Porter

Alcohol: 5.2%

 

Dark and stormy; smoked malts, whisky and oak flavors

Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery

Style: Scotch Ale

Alcohol: 8%

 

Superb hop/malt balance; earthy; caramel, orange, and toasted bread flavor

Brewery: Deschutes Brewery

Style: Pale Ale

Alcohol: 5%

 

Caramel, earthy, floral; named for throwback brewing process

Brewery: Anchor Brewing

Style: Steam-Brewed Beer

Alcohol: 4.9%

 

Coffee-chocolate malt bitterness

Brewery: Rogue Ales

Style: Porter

Alcohol: 5.3%

 

A mellow IPA; lemony, spicy

Brewery: Anchor Brewing

Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 6%

 

Balanced citrus hops and bready malts

Brewery: Heavy Seas Beer

Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 7.3%

 

Caramel malts and tropical hop balance

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co.

Style: Imperial India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 8.2%

 

Coffee, chocolate milk flavors; creamy and smooth; Guinness' American brother

Brewery: Left Hand Brewing

Style: Milk Stout

Alcohol: 6%

 

Light, lemony, crisp; easy-drinking

Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery

Style: Pilsner

Alcohol: 5.3%

 

Aggressive hops; pine and grapefruit flavors

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co.

Style: Imperial IPA

Alcohol: 8%

 

Pleasant; lightly hopped; floral and caramel flavors

Brewery: North Coast Brewing Co.

Style: Red Ale

Alcohol: 5.5%

 

The godfather of craft beer; a creamy, full-bodied stout with bitter dark chocolate notes and a boozy nose

Brewery: North Coast Brewing Co.

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Alcohol: 9%

 

Sweet chocolate-coffee flavor combines with roasted, lingering malts

Brewery: Highland Brewing Co.

Style: Porter

Alcohol: 5.8%

 

Well-balanced, sweet, light pear flavor

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co.

Style: Pilsner

Alcohol: 6.2%

 

Rich and decadent; coffee, caramel, and hazelnut flavors

Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.

Style: Porter

Alcohol: 6.5%

 

Wheaty with fresh raspberry flavor; fruity and drinkable

Brewery: Abita

Style: Wheat Beer

Alcohol: 4.2%

 

A perfect rye bite, balance by piney hops and sweet malts

Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.

Style: Rye Beer

Alcohol: 6.6%

 

Slightly lemony, slightly grassy; great anytime beer

Brewery: Victory Brewing Co.

Style: Pilsner

Alcohol: 5.3%

 

Sweet bitter pop up front, turns smooth and mellow

Brewery: Left Hand Brewing

Style: Extra Special Bitter

Alcohol: 5.3%

 

Nutty, sweet, and comforting

Brewery: Rogue Ales

Style: Brown Ale

Alcohol: 6.2%

 

An explosion of hops that punch right away and stay until the very end

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.

Style: Imperial IPA

Alcohol: 7.7%

 

Sweet, fruity hops; floral and citrus flavors shining through

Brewery: Sweetwater Brewing Co.

Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 6.3%

 

A very mellow dark beer; sweet malts, toffee-chocolate flavors

Brewery: Abita

Style: Brown Ale

Alcohol: 5.6%

 

Uber-piney, a little spicy, something different; world-class IPA

Brewery: Victory Brewing Co.

Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 6.7%

 

Grapefruit and lemon hop; crisp and clean

Brewery: Bell's Brewery Inc.

Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 7%

 

Not for the faint of heart; boozy, rich, strong malts and cocoa

Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co.

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Alcohol: 9.5%

 

The founding father of the American pale ale style; a hoppy classic

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Style: Pale Ale

Alcohol: 5.6%

 

An earthy, piney hopped beer; balanced by toffee malts

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales

Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 6%

 

Peppery, crisp, and wheaty; banana and clove flavors

Brewery: Brewery Ommegang

Style: Farmhouse Saison

Alcohol: 7.7%

 

Perfectly spiced, hopped, malted; this beer doesn’t disappoint

Brewery: Brewery Ommegang

Style: Dubbel

Alcohol: 8.2%

 

This IPA is hard to beat; piney, hoppy, citrusy, strong – everything it should be

Brewery: Cigar City Brewing

Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol: 7.5%