Are These the 50 Best Craft Beers?
We asked the craft brew world’s best palates to pick iconic beers in their respective realms of expertise. This is what they chose. Whether you’re more of a dark beer guy, want something to cellar, or are just looking for a thirst quencher, we’ve got the right craft brews for you.
By: William Bostwick, Illustrations by Paul Tuller
THE BEST HERBAL BEERS:
Our Expert: Jim Woods of MateVeza (@MateVeza)
Welcome to the weird, wild world of beers without hops. In the Middle Ages and before, beer, also called gruit, brimmed with herbs and spices—medicinal, hallucinogenic, religious, or just tasty. More preservative (and less, er, potent than, say, henbane or fly agaric), hops became the spice of choice in the modern age, and these days, few brewers are keen on dredging the medieval muck for a taste of history. But those that do reward us with some nutty flavors indeed. Jim Woods’s brewery, MateVeza, started with mate—its minty, herbal bite not a far cry from hops anyway—and now, in his corner-shop SF brew pub, serves up pennyroyal saisons, chocolate mint porters, and even a beer made with the herbs in that other Bay Area treat, Fernet-and-Coke.
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Professor Fritz Briem 13th Century Grut Bier
This old-school gruit is packed with herbs — bay, ginger, caraway, anise, and others — unfiltered and refermented in the bottle with a touch of wild yeast. But through the potpurri, Jim says, “the bay really pops, its lemony character brought out by a bit of tang from lactobacillus.”
Moonlight Working for Tips
A malty brown ale brewed with redwood tips plucked from the brewer’s Sonoma County backyard. “Every time I take a sip of this beer, I picture the brewmaster running around in a loincloth scavenging in the forests.”
Dupont Posca Rustica
From the folks behind the archetypal saison, Saison Dupont, a throwback to ancient Rome inspired by ruins near the brewery, spiced with an ancient herb blend including woodruff and bog myrtle.
Mill Valley Beerworks Botanical Series
This herbal series combines old-world and new-world herbs — #3 had juniper and bay, #4 had local yerba santa. With Beerworks, it’s “all about food pairing,” Jim says — try these at the source, Mill Valley’s Marin-County brewpub.
Gageleer CVBA
Peppy carbonation keeps the harsher notes of gale and bay at, well, bay. “A model of subtlety,” Jim says. “A great gateway gruit.”
THE BEST PUB-STYLE SESSION BEERS:
Our Expert: Dave McLean of Magnolia (@magnoliapub)
Good beer can be about a lot of things: balance, power, rarity, consistency. But above it all, good beer should have a good story. And some of the richest tales are told around the subtlest brews. These are session beers, made for lazy afternoons or long winding evenings of stories told and retold in convivial pubs. No one knows the style better than Dave McLean who turned a bustling corner of Haight Street into a slice of foggy Londontown with Magnolia, San Francisco’s— if not the country’s—best home for British-style pub beer.
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Timothy Taylor Landlord
First made by this Yorkshire stalwart for the region’s thirsty miners, this bitter is all about balance. Snappy hops but “a showcase for bright, refreshing Golden Promise malt.”
Fuller’s London Pride
"London in a glass." The classic English pale from the classic English brewery. "I will always remember my first taste after dragging my jet-lagged self up the steps from the Tube near Earls Court and into the nearest Fuller’s pub."
Alaskan Summer Ale
Served extra cold in the proper kölsch glass (a 200mL sort called a stange, or rod), this bright ale/lager cross ranks up there with even the Cologne-brewed classics of the style. Best when fresh, so make sure to check the bottle date (on Alaskans, it’s a “best before” date).
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Two-buck bottles of this west-coast icon bought in Grateful-Dead-show parking lots introduced Dave to craft beer, and it’s still, Dave says, a legend. “My desert island beer.”
THE BEST IMPORTS:
Our Expert: Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso of Evil Twin (@EvilTwinBrewing)
The U.S. still rules the beer world, but challengers to our craft crown are filling the wings. From Mexico to New Zealand, Japan to Scandinavia, international brewers bring their own regional and culinary twists, like Italy’s foraged herbs or Belgium’s Trappist tradition. Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso is a veteran of the scene. His Copenhagen bottle shop and Danish cult hit Evil Twin brewing helped put Northern Europe on the craft beer map. Now, he brings the rarest and best to our shores at Torst, his new Scando-style beer bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar
All orange and pine, with a long-lingering, bittersweet, slightly spicy finish, “the Nebuchadnezzar is Sweden’s best IPA and Omnipollo is by far one of the most innovative new breweries in all of Scandinavia.”
De Dolle Stille Nacht
From Belgium’s “mad brewers” De Dolle, a gooey-sweet mix of caramel, rum cake, and Heath Bar. “The best holiday beer in the world.”
De La Senne Band of Brothers
A collaboration between Brussels’ legendary beer bar Moeder Lambic and equally legendary brewery Brasserie de la Senne, this untraditionally low-booze, highly hopped brew represents, Jeppe says, the new Belgian style.
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
Dark and rich, and hearty but with a bright, goat-like kick of a finish (hence the bucking mascot), this is, plain and simple, “the best of Germany.”
Birrificio del Ducato, Beersel Morning
A blend of 18-month-old lambic from Drie Fonteinen and this Italian pioneer’s own chamomile-and-coriander-spiced saison. “Blending seemingly mismatched beers is a trend, and this is a perfect example.”
Orval Trappist Ale
The one and only dry-hopped Trappist beer “brewed for hundreds of years but still represents what the beer world is all about these days” — tart fruit and bitter hops.
THE BEST CASK BEERS:
Our Expert: Greg Engert of ChurchKey (@churchkeydc)
Warm and flat. Yeah, some beer really is better this way. Served from a cask, these beers are carbonated with living yeast, instead of pressurized gas. (That hand pump isn’t just a romantic touch, it suctions the beer up from the cask below.) That means they have to be kept a bit warmer—cellar temperature, it’s called, around 50 degrees—to keep the bugs alive and kicking. With lighter, less harsh carbonation, and no metallic tang one sometimes picks up from CO2, these are delicate treats. Greg Engert runs the beer program at a fleet of D.C. suds meccas—Birch and Barley, Churchkey—stocking cellars with casks of the style’s best.
Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted
All-star beer importer B. United actually casks this British showcase for floral Hersbrucker and lemony Challenger hops stateside, so “it’s never tasted fresher — an entirely new vibrancy.”
Heavy Seas Loose Cannon
"No one does real ale in the US like Heavy Seas." Fruit-forward hops and smooth, creamy body define this Maryland brewery’s flagship.
Buxton Special Reserve III Tsar Bomba
Brewed with dregs from the cult-hit, 1978 vintage Courage Imperial Russian Stout. “Cherry pie and earthy, deep-roasted complexity — magic.” Only two pins (a smaller, 5-gallon cask) have been released so far, but keep an eye out for bottles.
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald (Cinnamon Edition)
A triumph of balance named after tragedy from these Erie-side brewers. Even with cinnamon added, Greg says, the porter’s “luscious, silky texture is enlivened—never overpowered—by the spice.”
Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA
A blend of Delaware rock star’s iconic 60 Minute and 90 Minute IPAs, primed in the firkin with maple syrup from brewer Sam Calagione’s family farm. “Brilliant” Greg says. Again, rare on cask but look for it in bottles.
THE BEST BEERS TO AGE:
Our Expert: Christian Albertson of Monk’s Kettle (@monkskettle)
Most beers are best fresh. Ever had a butterscotchy Newcastle or a skunky Corona and you know—even a few minutes in the sun can ruin light, delicate lagers and ales. But some things get better with time. These days it’s not uncommon to hear beer talked about like wine—sipped, savored, swirled even. And what with the trends of barrel-aging, limited releases, the terroir of local hops, and magnum-sized price tags, the lines are blurring even more. And like wines, some brews need time. Christian Albertson moved from SF beer temple Monk’s Kettle to open the new restaurant Abbot’s Cellar, focusing especially on a mind-blowing bottle-aging program. These are his picks to buy now, and drink—if you can bear it—later.
Anker Gouden Carolus Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw (Blue)
Anker brews this “emperor’s blend” once a year on Charles V’s birthday. Like most Belgian beers, it’s bottle-conditioned, which means there’s a little extra living yeast in each bottle that keeps fermentation going even after it’s sealed up. A good way to start your cellar, it’s “amazing at 2 years old.”
Deschutes The Abyss
The Bend brewery’s Black Butte porter is a classic; this imperial stout turns it to eleven. Literally. 11% ABV give it the staying power to last for years. “Anything with a high ABV tends to age well, and this is especially true when it’s dark, sweet, and malt-based.”
Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella
Already three years old when bottled, this unflavored lambic is built to last. “I have been putting a few bottles aside from just about every case we get,” Christian says, and he plans on keeping them under lock and key for decades.
Alaskan Brewing Smoked Porter
The alder wood smoke not only gives this brew a rich, bacony sweetness, but actually helps preserve it, so even though it isn’t as strong as other stouts and porters, it can stand up to some time in the cellar. At eighteen years old, “like a smoky sherry.”
Russian River Beatification
American sour masters Russian River call this lambic-style brew a “Sonambic,” fermented with wild, Sonoma County microflora. “Aging sours integrates the flavors,” Christian says. Full of slow-moving bacteria and yeast, “true lambics are perfect for aging ten or more years.”
STRONG ALES AND BARLEYWINES:
Our Experts: Michael O’Connor and Geoff Phillips of Bailey’s (@baileystaproom)
Bailey’s two dozen, digitally updated and meticulously curated taps have helmed Portland’s craft scene for years, helping those thirsty hipsters drink away the dreary northwest drizzle. The best way through those rainy days (and days, and days…) is a snifter or two of burly, high proof beer, and no one knows craft beer’s deep end better than Bailey’s co-owners Michael O’Connor and Geoff Phillips. No need for snootiness—save the swishing for your brandy and wine—but don’t chug ‘em. Let these beers warm up a bit, stoke the fire, and enjoy.
North Coast Old Stock
A classic British-style “old ale,” made with UK-grown barley and hops, Fort Bragg’s favorite fog-busting boozer is rich and fruity, like wine-soaked bread pudding.
Hair of the Dog Adam
This cult favorite German-style barleywine is Hair of the Dog’s flagship—mellow on the hops, heavy on the caramel-and-tobacco malt, like a fine cigar.
Boulevard Rye-on-Rye
Peppery, even tingling Szechuan-style spice from rye malt and Magnum hops mellows into warm caramel sweetness after aging in Templeton whisky barrels.
Block 15 Figgy Pudding
Inspired by a Medieval Christmas feast: a bready British pale brewed extra strong with a dose of molasses, then aged in brandy barrels with figs, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
A quintessentially hop-heavy American barleywine from the quintessentially hop-heavy American craft brewery: bushels of Chinooks make Bigfoot Pine-Sol-strong when fresh, but mellow into warm, toffee goo when aged.
THE BEST WEST COAST-STYLE IPAS:
Our Expert: Jimmy Han of Beer Belly (@BeerBelly_LA)
Driven by big shots like Stone and Lost Abbey, SoCal’s craft beer scene is on the up and up. Even Los Angeles, once beer-averse unless it came canned, with a lime wedge, boasts a few upstarts. The region’s bread and butter is dank, citrusy IPAs, and while his K-Town bar Beer Belly serves a cellar full of rare sours and vintage bottles, Jimmy Han knows the region’s best and bitterest too.
Alpine Nelson
A peppery, rye-forward IPA from San Diego County, balanced with New Zealand’s signature, berry and white-wine-like Nelson Sauvin hop.
Almanac Single Origin Chinook IPA
Farm-to-barrel San Francisco brewery Almanac makes this IPA—their first—with Chinook hops from the Hops-Meister Farm in Clearlake. Bitter, tannic grapefruit rind and a blooming, yeasty finish.
Beachwood Hop Ninja
"Beachwood is perhaps the rookie-of-the-year brewery for west-coast IPAs, and Hop Ninja proves it"—massively hopped with woodsy Simcoe and Columbus and fruity Amarillo, but finishing deceptively dry.
Smog City Amarilla Gorilla
Loaded with Amarillo hops, a taste of the tropics—guava, mango, a spritz of lime juice—from this Torrance, CA, husband-and-wife outfit.
Cismontane Dos Cone Es (barrel-aged)
A true double IPA — twice the malt, twice the hops, and nearly twice the ABV as this upstart SoCal brewer’s Coulter IPA—then aged on oak for five weeks. Piney hops, fiery, fruity booze, and a smooth vanilla finish.
THE BEST SOUR BEERS:
Our Expert: Shahin Khojastehzad of Novare Res (@NovareResBierCf)
No best-beer list would be complete without sours. You know ‘em, you love ‘em, you hate ‘em, or maybe you’re just scared. No surprise—this is beer gone bad, in a good way. Infected with the same kinds of bacteria in pickles and kraut, they’re not for the faint of heart, or stomach. But the best of the style can be as deep and complex as aged balsamic or fine wine, and some are just as rare and expensive. Tucked off a brick alley in Portland, Maine’s waterfront, Novare Res is a drool-worthy cache of the best. Shahin Khojastehzad runs the puckering show.
Cantillon Fou’ Foune
"An amazing balance of acidity, tannins, and funk," Fou’ Foune takes Cantillon’s flagship two-year-old lambic and adds a touch of locally grown, sweet-sour Bergeron apricots.
Drie Fonteinen Armand’4 Oude Geuze Lente (Spring)
A limited-edition blend of one-, two-, and three-year-old beers from champion lambic brewer Drie Fonteinen. “Lemon acidity, barnyard funk, and a mild hop bite,” says Shahin—one of the classics, and one of Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso’s favorites as well.
Allagash Coolship Cerise
True terroir from this Portland brewery: local cherries and a lambic-style, all-natural, spontaneous fermentation with the region’s unique microflora. As fresh and bright as roadside diner pie. “The most authentic sour-beer-making process I’ve seen outside of Belgium.”
Oxbow Barrel Aged Farmhouse Pale
From a Belgian-style farmhouse brewery tucked in the Maine forest, a hoppy saison barrel-aged with wild brettanomyces. A mix of spritzy, clementine acid and woodsy funk.
Lost Abbey Cable Car Kriek
Brewed in homage to legendary San Francisco beer bar Toronado, a remix of SoCal brewer Lost Abbey’s Cable Car gueze (an unflavored, sparkling sour), aged with cherries.
Russian River Consecration
Dark and balsamic-sweet, aged with currants in cabernet barrels. “A sour list wouldn’t be complete without Russian River. The currants help balance out the acidity with a raisiny, port-like finish.”
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