American Amber Ale was the gateway craft category for a generation of drinkers moving from mainstream lager into hop-forward brewing. The 55 US amber beers on this ranking break down as 23 American Amber Ale (42%, the dominant sub-style — Sierra Nevada, New Belgium Fat Tire, Bell's Amber lineage), 6 Scottish Ale, 5 American Brown Ale (the lighter, more amber-family end of the Brown Ale category), 4 Altbier (US-brewed interpretations of the Düsseldorf tradition), 3 American Red Ale, 2 Irish Red Ale, and single entries in California Common, ESB, and other sub-styles. The 52 distinct breweries producing 55 beers is near-perfect brewery diversity — this is one of the deepest single-country amber rankings on hopIQ.
Currently leading the ranking: Sawtooth (Left Hand Brewing Company), Calico (Ballast Point Brewing) and Red Trolley Ale (Karl Strauss Brewing Company).
How this ranking works
The hopIQ Score judges every beer against its style first: it rewards medals from competitions that judge within style categories and deducts points where a beer measurably deviates from its style reference. Community ratings add to that. Non-alcoholic excluded. No paid placement — order follows the data alone. Ranking spans 128 beers from 97 breweries.
Top 5 of 49
ABV
5.3%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
amber 12
Well-rounded maltiness up front, then herbal, slightly citrusy hop flavors and a dry finish. Brewed since 1993, this amber ale (2-Row, Crystal, Munich, wheat and black malt; CTZ, US Goldings, Willamette and Cascade) took Great American…Well-rounded maltiness up front, then herbal, slightly citrusy hop flavors and a dry finish. Brewed since 1993, this amber ale (2-Row, Crystal, Munich, wheat and black malt; CTZ, US Goldings, Willamette and Cascade) took Great American Beer Festival golds in 2013 and 2023. 5.3 % ABV, 27 IBU, available year-round in cans, bottles and on draft, served in a pub glass.
Calico#171 worldwide
ABV
5.5%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
amber 12
The first beer brewed on the original 15-barrel brewhouse at Home Brew Mart, introduced in 1996 as Calico Amber Ale. A ruby-red, copper ale with four types of malt and American hops: toasted caramel, citrus and spice, with a nod to…The first beer brewed on the original 15-barrel brewhouse at Home Brew Mart, introduced in 1996 as Calico Amber Ale. A ruby-red, copper ale with four types of malt and American hops: toasted caramel, citrus and spice, with a nod to traditional ESBs. At 5.5%, seasonal and on draft; European Beer Star gold in 2012 and 2015.
Red Trolley Ale#256 worldwide
ABV
5.8%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
amber 13
Toffee leads the aroma, caramel runs through the malt, and hints of raisins and currants add a dried-fruit edge. Born as the brewery's first holiday ale, Red Trolley is now available all year, and each batch still uses about half a ton of…Toffee leads the aroma, caramel runs through the malt, and hints of raisins and currants add a dried-fruit edge. Born as the brewery's first holiday ale, Red Trolley is now available all year, and each batch still uses about half a ton of caramelized malts for its deep copper color. Pale 2-Row, Carapils and Caramel 60 and 80 meet Warrior and Willamette hops. Gold in Irish-style red ale at the World Beer Cup in 2010 and 2012 and at the Great American Beer Festival in 2013.
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Copper Alt#299 worldwide
ABV
5.0%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
deep amber 15
Zipline's most decorated beer — a German-style altbier and winner of World Beer Cup Gold (2023), U.S. Open Gold (2022), and GABF Gold (2015). A hybrid between ale and lager, this bronze-hued brew goes down easy with subtle nuances of…Zipline's most decorated beer — a German-style altbier and winner of World Beer Cup Gold (2023), U.S. Open Gold (2022), and GABF Gold (2015). A hybrid between ale and lager, this bronze-hued brew goes down easy with subtle nuances of chocolate and hazelnut.
5
Piper Down#465 worldwide
ABV
5.8%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
amber 12
Created for the Ballast Point Bagpipe Corps: a very low-hopped, malty ale built on UK Maris Otter malt, roasted barley and UK hops, fermented cool and given a three-hour boil to build sweet complexity. Malt-forward with rich roasted…Created for the Ballast Point Bagpipe Corps: a very low-hopped, malty ale built on UK Maris Otter malt, roasted barley and UK hops, fermented cool and given a three-hour boil to build sweet complexity. Malt-forward with rich roasted caramel at 5.8%. World Beer Cup silver in 2016, U.S. Open gold in 2017. Limited, draft only.
Ranks 6–10
6
Copper#576 worldwide
OMB's flagship, an authentic Düsseldorf-style Altbier — a 'lagered ale' brewed with noble Bavarian hops and traditional decoction. Copper-hued and full-flavoured, with toasty caramel malt giving way to a crisp, clean, smooth and remarkably…OMB's flagship, an authentic Düsseldorf-style Altbier — a 'lagered ale' brewed with noble Bavarian hops and traditional decoction. Copper-hued and full-flavoured, with toasty caramel malt giving way to a crisp, clean, smooth and remarkably refreshing finish. Beer made the old-fashioned way.
7
HopBack Amber Ale#596 worldwide
Grapefruit pith, caramel malt and toffee lead this deep amber ale, with pine sap alongside. Whole-flower hops swirl in hot wort in the 12-foot-tall HopBack vessel at the center of the brew deck, with Cascade, Nugget and Willamette as the…Grapefruit pith, caramel malt and toffee lead this deep amber ale, with pine sap alongside. Whole-flower hops swirl in hot wort in the 12-foot-tall HopBack vessel at the center of the brew deck, with Cascade, Nugget and Willamette as the hops and Crystal and Nugget in the HopBack. Silver at the Great American Beer Festival in 2010 and gold in 2012. 6.0% ABV and 55 IBU, from Hershey, Pennsylvania.
8
The Red Glove Double Red Ale#671 worldwide
A hop-forward Double Red Ale — the nose is dominated by candied sweetness from Amarillo/Simcoe hops, and the palate answers with a bitter counter-punch backed by a 100-IBU spine. The caramel malt builds the stage, but the show belongs to…A hop-forward Double Red Ale — the nose is dominated by candied sweetness from Amarillo/Simcoe hops, and the palate answers with a bitter counter-punch backed by a 100-IBU spine. The caramel malt builds the stage, but the show belongs to the hops. GABF Gold 2016 in the Double Red category — a note: at 100 IBU the perceived bitterness is much lower than the number suggests, because the malt sweetness cushions it.
9
90 Shilling Ale#674 worldwide
Named after the old Scottish way of taxing beer, where only the highest-quality brews were charged 90 shillings, this amber ale was Odell's flagship from the 1989 opening party. It pours burnished copper and tastes malty, built on British…Named after the old Scottish way of taxing beer, where only the highest-quality brews were charged 90 shillings, this amber ale was Odell's flagship from the 1989 opening party. It pours burnished copper and tastes malty, built on British Crystal malts with Perle and Nugget hops, the house yeast and Cache la Poudre River water. Medium-bodied at 5.3% ABV, it took Gold at the 2016 World Beer Cup in the German-Style Altbier category.
10
Amber Ale#820 worldwide
A rich, malty body with a pleasant caramel character from Caravienne malt, a complex hop aroma with a hint of floral and citrus from Cascade and Liberty hops, and a light fruitiness from the ale yeast. It was Saint Arnold's first official…A rich, malty body with a pleasant caramel character from Caravienne malt, a complex hop aroma with a hint of floral and citrus from Cascade and Liberty hops, and a light fruitiness from the ale yeast. It was Saint Arnold's first official brew in June 1994 and has not changed since the end of that year, after the first production batch turned out to be an accidental IPA that 17 people in Houston loved. Bronze at the 2023 World Beer Cup.
The taste landscape
Of the 49 top beers, 42 lean malt-forward and 4 lean hop-forward.