HOPIQ SCORE
The Best American Lagers
188 beers from 114 breweries · Ranked by style authenticity — not marketing
These rankings are dynamic. As more people rate, match and like beers on hopIQ, community signals will increasingly shape the results alongside style authenticity and award recognition.
America invented the light industrial lager and exported it to the world — and then, for two decades, its craft brewers refused to touch the style at all. The revival came late, but it arrived with a vengeance. Firestone Walker Pivo Pils, Notch Session Pilsner, Live Oak Pilz, and a wave of Northeast breweries have quietly turned Pilsner, Helles, and Vienna Lager into some of the most technically demanding categories in American brewing.
The hopIQ ranking cuts across all of it: German-precision pilsners from California, Bavarian-style Helles from Massachusetts, decoction-mashed Märzen from craft brewers with more patience than the market usually rewards. Bud Light and Coors do not appear near the top. The score rewards style precision and award recognition — and on both counts, the American craft lager movement is the story of the last decade.
How this ranking works
The hopIQ Score weights style authenticity (80%), user engagement (10%), notability (10%), and award history. Active, in-production beers only — non-alcoholic excluded. No paid placement — order follows the data alone. Ranking spans 188 beers from 114 breweries.
Top 5 of 50
Genesee Cream AleBest Overall#11 worldwide
Genesee Brewing Company · American Cream Ale · United States
ABV
5.1%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
pale gold 4
One of America's most historic beers — brewed since 1960, based on a style unique to North America. Light, clean and refreshingly smooth with a subtle corn sweetness, gentle malt and low bitterness. The original American Cream Ale. A… Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
Tenaya Creek Pilsner#108 worldwide
Tenaya Creek Brewery · European-Style Pilsner · United States
ABV
5.4%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
pale gold 4
Gold at the 2002 GABF for European-Style Pilsner — the beer that established Tenaya Creek as a serious brewer in a casino town. Clean, golden, spicy from Czech Saaz hops with a satisfying bready malt base. Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
Sly Fox Pikeland Pils#130 worldwide
Sly Fox Brewing Company · German Pilsner · United States
ABV
4.9%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
pale gold 4
Multiple GABF gold medals. A German-inspired pilsner named after Pikeland Township — Czech Saaz and German hops give a firm, spicy bitterness over a clean, light malt base. Crystal clear and brilliantly refreshing. Pennsylvania's finest… Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
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Schell's Deer Brand#159 worldwide
August Schell Brewing Company · American Lager · United States
ABV
4.4%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
pale gold 3
Schell's oldest continuously brewed beer — a light, clean American lager with a crisp finish and delicate grain character. Deer Brand has been quenching Minnesota thirsts since the 19th century. The original Minnesota lager. Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
5
Cerveza ChilebesoMost Distinctive#176 worldwide
Great Basin Brewing Company · Spiced Beer · United States
ABV
5%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
pale gold 3
Won GABF gold in 1994 in the Herb and Spice category — the brewery's very first festival. A light Mexican-style lager spiked with green chili peppers for a gentle heat that builds slowly. Uniquely Nevadan — beer meets the Southwest. Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
Ranks 6–10
6
Michelob Ultra#195 worldwide
Anheuser-Busch · American Lager · United States
AB InBev's premium light lager — positioned as the active lifestyle beer. Ultra-low carbs, clean grain character and a crisp, dry finish. Michelob Ultra surpassed Bud Light as America's fastest-growing beer brand in the 2020s. Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
7
Blue Point Toasted Lager#202 worldwide
Blue Point Brewing Company · American Amber Lager · United States
Long Island's signature craft lager. Rich toasted caramel malt, a hint of chocolate and a clean, balanced bitterness. Named for its distinctive amber colour from roasted malt. A Long Island classic. Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
8
Shiner Bock#285 worldwide
Spoetzl Brewery · American-Style Bock · United States
Texas's unofficial state beer. A dark amber lager with roasted caramel malt, light chocolate and a smooth, clean finish. Born from Czech and German immigrant brewing traditions. The taste of Texas at a backyard barbecue. Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
9
Straub American Lager#307 worldwide
Straub Brewery · American Lager · United States
Straub's flagship, brewed in St. Marys, Pennsylvania since 1872 by seven generations of the same family. All-malt, no adjuncts: domestic 2-row and caramel malts with a single-hop Apollo bill. Gold in the glass, 4.1% ABV, 8 IBU — one of… Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
10
Coors Light#316 worldwide
Molson Coors Brewing Company · American Lager · United States
The Silver Bullet — America's second best-selling beer. Brewed cold, filtered cold and packaged cold. Ultra-light body, clean finish and the iconic mountain cold indicator on the can. Coors Light is refreshment distilled to its simplest,… Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
12
Miller High Life
Miller Brewing Company·American Lager · 4.6%·Mild·pale gold 2·#342 worldwide
14
Miller Genuine Draft
Miller Brewing Company·American Lager · 4.7%·Mild·golden 5·#349 worldwide
15
Grain Belt Premium
August Schell Brewing Company·American Lager · 4.7%·Mild·pale gold 4·#356 worldwide
16
Coors Banquet
Molson Coors Brewing Company·American Lager · 5%·Mild·pale gold 2·#366 worldwide
18
Genesee Beer
Genesee Brewing Company·American Lager · 4.5%·Mild·pale gold 2·#407 worldwide
19
Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold
Great Lakes Brewing Company·Dortmunder Export · 5.8%·Lightly bitter·pale gold 3·#543 worldwide
20
Straub 1872 Pre-Prohibition Lager
Straub Brewery·Pre-Prohibition Lager · 5.4%·Lightly bitter·pale gold 4·#552 worldwide
21
Schell's Pils
August Schell Brewing Company·German Pilsner · 5%·Noticeably bitter·pale gold 4·#556 worldwide
22
Firestone Walker Pivo Hoppy Pils
Firestone Walker Brewing Company·German Pilsner · 5.3%·Noticeably bitter·pale gold 4·#606 worldwide
25
Tiny Bomb
Wiseacre Brewing Co.·American Pilsner · 4.5%·Noticeably bitter·pale gold 3·#631 worldwide
26
Yuengling Traditional Lager
D.G. Yuengling & Son·American Amber Lager · 4.4%·Lightly bitter·amber 12·#634 worldwide
27
Butcher Gold
Hop Butcher For The World·American Lager · 4.75%·Mild·pale gold 3·#645 worldwide
28
Schell's Firebrick
August Schell Brewing Company·Amber Lager · 5%·Lightly bitter·amber 9·#715 worldwide
31
Lone Star Beer
Lone Star Brewing Company·American Lager · 4.7%·Mild·golden 5·#871 worldwide
32
PILS
Alvarado Street Brewery·German Pilsner · 5.2%·Noticeably bitter·pale gold 4·#925 worldwide
34
Straub Amber
Straub Brewery·American Amber Lager · 4.1%·Lightly bitter·amber 12·#964 worldwide
35
10th Anniversary Lager
Dovetail Brewery·Lager · 4.8%·Lightly bitter·golden 5·#976 worldwide
37
Coors Pure
Molson Coors Brewing Company·Organic Light Lager · 3.8%·Lightly bitter·pale gold 2
42
Timbo Pils
Alvarado Street Brewery·West Coast Pilsner · 5.8%·Noticeably bitter·pale gold 4
The taste landscape
Of the 50 top beers, 27 lean malt-forward and 10 lean hop-forward.