Regardless of your political affiliation, one thing is certain in these uncertain times: an amazing array of beer is being brewed across the United States. According to the latest data from the Brewers Association, there were 9,906 breweries operating across the U.S. in 2023, a record high, and they are brewing some of the world’s best beers.
Their mastery was recently highlighted by Untappd, the popular app that allows drinkers to rate their beers, in their second annual Untappd Community Awards. By using actual ratings instead of the blind-tasting formats used at the world’s major beer competitions, Untappd hopes to highlight the beers that everyday drinkers love. Think of it as the ultimate democratic experiment in drinking. The voters have gone to the booth and cast their votes.
Using ratings from its database of nearly 11 million beer lovers, Untappd recognized 26,004 of the world’s top-rated beers with gold, silver, or bronze medals from 7,032 breweries across the globe in 267 beer substyles. Best of all, more than half, or 3,444, of those breweries were in the U.S. At least one brewery in every state landed on its awards list. That’s a whole lot of cold ones just waiting to be enjoyed close to home.
The ten breweries that produced the highest number of brews at a state or national level include some legendary names plus a good sprinkling of newer craft brewers making some incredible beers. Many of them are located in the Northeastern U.S. Craft beer road trip, anyone?
1. Tree House Brewing Company (Charlton, MA): 160 Awards
2. Sapwood Cellars Brewery (Columbia, MD): 105 Awards
3. Hill Farmstead Brewery (Greensboro, VT): 73 Awards
4. Schilling Beer Co (Littleton, NH): 62 Awards
5. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, DE): 56 Awards
6. Anchorage Brewing Company (Anchorage, AK): 55 Awards
7. Boiler Brewing Co (Lincoln, NE): 51 Awards
8. Side Project Brewing (Saint Louis, MO): 51 Awards
9. Fox Farm Brewery (Salem, CT): 50 Awards
10. Fabled Brew Works (Erlanger, KY): 49 Awards
The highest-rated beer in the United States in 2024 was Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout (2024) from Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. in Decorah, IA. An imperial/double stout, it scored 4.86 out of 5 points on 423 ratings. Coming in second was Double Barrel Coconut Killa AF from the aforementioned Boiler Brewing Co. Another imperial/double stout, it also scored a 4.86 on 144 rantings. Rounding out the top five were Double Barrel Pear Leto (Copper Wax) and Double Barrel Pear Leto from Mortalis Brewing Company in Avon, NY, and Seven Years in Heaven from Pulpit Rock Brewing Company in Decorah, IL.
For a beer to qualify for inclusion on the awards list, it had to receive at least fifty ratings from unique Untapped users in 2024. To discourage brewery ballot box stuffing, the team at Untappd worked to screen out fraudulent votes from bots, bogus accounts, and other illegitimate sources. Best of all, Untappd does not require any breweries to pay an entry fee for their beers to be on its platform, so there is no preferential treatment on their side. The beers that landed on top truly are the most beloved by drinkers.
While there is an amazing amount of beer inside the U.S., the rest of the world has quickly been catching up with America’s booming craft beer scene. This was evidenced by the top ten breweries from outside the U.S. Pühaste Brewery in Tartu, Estonia, which landed on top for the second year in a row. It was followed Mikkeller (Copenhagen, Denmark), Salikatt, Stavanger, Norway), Põhjala (Tallinn, Estonia), Omnipollo (Sundbyberg, Sweden), Polly’s Brew Co (Mold, Whales) Brew Your Mind (Szekszárd, Hungary), WarPigs Brewery (Copenhagen, Denmark), Alder Beer Co. (Seregno, Italy), and Garage Project (Wellington, New Zealand).
If you are a beer lover, you already know that we live in the golden age of beer. Brewers everywhere are crafting some fantastic suds. But much like our current political climate, it can all seem a little overwhelming. Luckily, apps like Untappd take the guesswork out of finding the best beers and allow drinkers to highlight their favorite brewers, both local and abroad. That is something we all need these days.
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