American Porter is the American craft engagement with a British-origin style that never went away in the US the way it did in Britain. Porter arrived in North America in the colonial period, was widely brewed through the 19th century, and — unlike in Britain, where the style was largely displaced by stout during the 20th century — survived in continuous American production, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast. When American craft brewing took off in the 1980s and 1990s, Porter was already a familiar template, and American craft brewers extended the style in directions British brewers had not.
The hopIQ ranking captures 49 distinct breweries producing 49 beers — a perfect 1:1 brewery-to-beer ratio, reflecting how broadly American craft has adopted the style. The 49 entries break down as 28 Porter, 6 American Porter, 3 Baltic Porter (the imperial-strength Nordic/Polish variant, brewed here by Devils Backbone Danzig and Jack's Abby Framinghammer — the latter notable for being a Baltic Porter from a brewery famous for craft lagers, playing on Baltic Porter's bottom-fermented heritage), 3 Robust Porter, 2 Coffee Porter, 2 Smoked Porter (Yazoo Sue being the Nashville reference), 1 Vanilla, 1 Oatmeal, 1 Imperial Milk, 1 Imperial, 1 English. American Porter is one of the deepest single-country porter rankings anywhere, and the sub-style breadth reflects a category American craft has thoroughly extended.
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 49 beers from 49 breweries.
Top 5 of 49
1
Pluff Mud PorterBest Overall#68 worldwide
Holy City Brewing · American Porter · United States
BitternessNoticeably bitter
Holy City's GABF gold-winning American porter, named for the Lowcountry's pungent marsh mud. It smells and drinks like a classic porter — gentle chocolate and soft roast over a medium body, with light caramel sweetness and a silky, clean… Ranked here for style-fit against the Porter reference and award history in Porter-specific categories.
2
Yuengling Porter#281 worldwide
D.G. Yuengling & Son · Porter · United States
BitternessNoticeably bitter
One of America's oldest surviving porter recipes. Dark chocolate and roasted malt with a light sweetness and clean lager-like finish. Yuengling has been brewing porter since the 1820s — possibly the oldest continuously produced porter in… Ranked here for style-fit against the Porter reference and award history in Porter-specific categories.
3
Robust Porter#308 worldwide
Reuben's Brews · Porter · United States
BitternessNoticeably bitter
A classic robust porter — roasted malt, dark chocolate, and a touch of coffee bitterness in the finish. Drinks lighter than its color suggests, making it dangerously sessionable for a beer this dark. Ranked here for style-fit against the Porter reference and award history in Porter-specific categories.
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Coco Loco Porter#540 worldwide
NoDa Brewing Company · American Porter · United States
BitternessNoticeably bitter
A 2012 GABF silver-medal robust porter. A big malty body brewed with cocoa nibs for deep dark-chocolate notes, layered with roast and a smooth, rich finish. A Charlotte staple that proves NoDa is more than just hops. Ranked here for style-fit against the Porter reference and award history in Porter-specific categories.
5
PorterMost Distinctive#549 worldwide
Big Timber Brewing Company · American Porter · United States
BitternessNoticeably bitter
Big Timber's acclaimed flagship porter — a deep, burnt-umber pour topped with a tan head. Rich coffee aroma and first taste give way to hints of chocolate and tobacco, finishing mildly sweet with the flavours lingering on the palate. One… Ranked here for style-fit against the Porter reference and award history in Porter-specific categories.
Ranks 6–10
6
Lightgrinder#674 worldwide
Burial Beer Co. · Porter · United States
Lightgrinder is an American porter from Burial Beer Co., the celebrated Asheville craft brewery known for its moody, evocative beers. It pours a deep mahogany-brown with a persistent tan head and good clarity at the edges. The aroma opens… Ranked here for style-fit against the Porter reference and award history in Porter-specific categories.
7
Anchor Porter#813 worldwide
Anchor Brewing Company · Porter · United States
A classic American porter with dark chocolate, coffee and roasted grain. Full-bodied but smooth, with a dry finish. Revived by Anchor in 1974, helping to reintroduce dark craft beer to American drinkers. Ranked here for style-fit against the Porter reference and award history in Porter-specific categories.
8
Maui Brewing CoCoNut PorTeR
Maui Brewing Company · Porter · United States
Maui's most celebrated beer — a robust porter brewed with real toasted coconut. Dark chocolate, roasted malt and a distinctive sweet coconut character in a smooth, full-bodied frame. CoCoNut PorTeR has won multiple GABF medals and is… Ranked here for style-fit against the Porter reference and award history in Porter-specific categories.
9
Raincloud
Foolproof Brewing Company · American Porter · United States
The perfect stay-at-home brew — dark, smooth, and a little mysterious. Brewed with chocolate and crystal malts and a subtle blend of European hops for a rich, rounded porter that rewards slow sipping. Ranked here for style-fit against the Porter reference and award history in Porter-specific categories.
10
Summit Great Northern Porter
Summit Brewing Company · Porter · United States
A classic robust porter built for Minnesota winters. Dark chocolate, roasted coffee and a hint of caramel in a smooth, medium-bodied frame. Summit's Great Northern has been warming Twin Cities drinkers since the 1980s. Ranked here for style-fit against the Porter reference and award history in Porter-specific categories.
Show all 49 ▾Show fewer ▴
11
Awake
Night Shift Brewing·Coffee Porter · 6%·Noticeably bitter·dark 35
12
Oatmeal Porter
Zipline Brewing Co.·Oatmeal Porter · 5.5%·Noticeably bitter·dark 35
13
Deschutes Black Butte Porter
Deschutes Brewery·Porter · 5.2%·Noticeably bitter·dark 35
14
Pig Iron Porter
Iron Hill Brewery·American Porter · 5%·Noticeably bitter·dark 32
15
Oatmeal Porter
Highland Brewing Company·American Porter · 5.9%·Noticeably bitter·dark 32
16
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Great Lakes Brewing Company·Porter · 5.8%·Noticeably bitter·dark 34
17
Central Waters Mudpuppy Porter
Central Waters Brewing Company·Porter · 5.7%·Noticeably bitter·dark 30
18
Kona Pipeline Porter
Kona Brewing Company·Porter · 5.3%·Noticeably bitter·dark 35
19
Bell's Porter
Bell's Brewery·Porter · 5.6%·Noticeably bitter·dark 35
20
People's Porter
Foothills Brewing·English Porter · 5.8%·Noticeably bitter·dark 30
21
Diamond Bear Pig Trail Porter
Diamond Bear Brewing Company·Porter · 6%·Noticeably bitter·dark 32
22
Night Swim
Coppertail Brewing Co.·Porter · 6.1%·Noticeably bitter·dark 32
23
Revolution Eugene Porter
Revolution Brewing·Robust Porter · 6.8%·Noticeably bitter·dark 32
24
Headwaters Porter
Blackfoot River Brewing Company·Robust Porter · 5.5%·Noticeably bitter·dark 35
25
Honolulu Beerworks Poʻino Porter
Honolulu Beerworks·Porter · 5.8%·Noticeably bitter·dark 32
26
Breckenridge Vanilla Porter
Breckenridge Brewery·Porter · 5.4%·Noticeably bitter·dark 35
27
Peregrine Porter
Bridge Brew Works·Baltic Porter · 7%·Noticeably bitter·dark 30
28
Sucker Punch Porter
Southern Prohibition Brewing·Porter · 6%·Noticeably bitter·dark 28
29
Framinghammer
Jack's Abby Craft Lagers·Baltic Porter · 9%·Noticeably bitter·dark 30
30
Atwater Vanilla Java Porter
Atwater Brewery·Porter · 5.5%·Noticeably bitter·dark 35
31
Midnight Sun Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter
Midnight Sun Brewing Company·Porter · 5.9%·Noticeably bitter·dark 35
32
State Park Porter
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company·Porter · 5.5%·Noticeably bitter·dark 25
33
Pile O' Dirt Porter
Crow Peak Brewing Company·Porter · 6%·Noticeably bitter·dark 28
34
Porter
Port City Brewing Company·Robust Porter · 7.5%·Noticeably bitter·dark 40
35
Java Porter
Blind Tiger Brewery·Coffee Porter · 5.7%·Lightly bitter·dark 32
36
Big Island Brewhaus White Mountain Porter
Big Island Brewhaus·Porter · 7.5%·Noticeably bitter·dark 36
37
Mystery Romp
Crooked Letter Brewing Company·Porter · 6.5%·Noticeably bitter·dark 28
38
Fiddlehead Hodad
Fiddlehead Brewing Company·Porter · 5.5%·Noticeably bitter·dark 38
39
Funky Buddha Maple Bacon Coffee Porter
Funky Buddha Brewery·Porter · 6.4%·Noticeably bitter·dark 38
40
Bismarck Porter
Rhombus Guys Brewing·Porter · 5.8%·Noticeably bitter·dark 25
41
Fernson Porter
Fernson Brewing Company·Porter · 5.5%·Noticeably bitter·dark 25
42
Lanikai Pillbox Porter
Lanikai Brewing Company·American Porter (Vanilla) · 6.5%·Strongly bitter·dark 32
43
(512) Pecan Porter
(512) Brewing Company·Porter · 6.8%·Noticeably bitter·dark 35
44
Devils Backbone Danzig Baltic Porter
Devils Backbone Brewing Company·Baltic Porter · 8%·Noticeably bitter·dark 38
45
Yazoo Sue
Yazoo Brewing Company·Smoked Porter · 8.5%·Noticeably bitter·dark 40
46
MOCHA MACHINE
Beachwood Brewing·Imperial Porter · 9.2%·Strongly bitter·dark 45
47
Ballast Point Victory at Sea
Ballast Point Brewing·Porter · 10%·Noticeably bitter·dark 45
48
Sunday Brunch
Kane Brewing Company·Imperial Milk Porter · 9.2%·Noticeably bitter·dark 40
49
Alaskan Smoked Porter
Alaskan Brewing Company·Smoked Porter · 6.5%·Strongly bitter·dark 92
The taste landscape
Of the 49 top beers, 43 lean malt-forward and 1 lean hop-forward.
