HOPIQ SCORE
The Best American Beers
1727 beers from 272 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.
American craft brewing spans more styles per capita than any national tradition — a deliberate eclecticism born from a blank slate. When US craft brewers started in earnest in the 1980s, they studied every world tradition simultaneously and produced their own Altbier, Belgian Tripel, Kölsch, English Bitter, and — most famously — a new kind of IPA. The hopIQ Score across all US-brewed beers shows that the most decorated American beers are not always the most famous.
The top group reflects that deliberate eclecticism: Nebraska Altbiers (Zipline Copper Alt), Maine Belgian Tripels (Allagash Tripel, consistently outperforming many Belgian originals at international competitions), home-grown IPAs (Pako's from Snake River, Santilli from Night Shift), and Missouri Kölsch (Schlafly's) all appear. The style range spans further than any single national tradition — a country that studied every world tradition and made its own version of each.
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 1727 beers from 272 breweries.
Top 5 of 50
BuschBest Overall#5 worldwide
ABV
4.3%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
pale gold 4
Busch was introduced regionally in 1955 as the first new Anheuser-Busch brand after Prohibition and has grown into a large value lager family. It is brewed from barley malt and corn with a blend of American-grown and imported hops. The…Busch was introduced regionally in 1955 as the first new Anheuser-Busch brand after Prohibition and has grown into a large value lager family. It is brewed from barley malt and corn with a blend of American-grown and imported hops. The beer pours a clear pale gold with a white head. The nose is faint, with grainy malt and sweet corn. On the palate grainy, lightly malty flavours lead into a smooth, mildly sweet finish with very little bitterness.
Budweiser#9 worldwide
ABV
5%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
pale gold 4
Budweiser is the American lager Adolphus Busch introduced in St. Louis in 1876, brewed from two-row and six-row barley malt, rice and a blend of American and European hops. After primary fermentation it matures over beechwood chips, where…Budweiser is the American lager Adolphus Busch introduced in St. Louis in 1876, brewed from two-row and six-row barley malt, rice and a blend of American and European hops. After primary fermentation it matures over beechwood chips, where the yeast carries out a second fermentation that builds natural carbonation. It pours clear gold with a subtle honey note and a trace of citrus on the nose, followed by soft malt, a light grainy sweetness from the rice and a gentle noble-hop finish. The body is medium and the close crisp and clean.
Coors Banquet#10 worldwide
ABV
5%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
pale gold 4
Coors Banquet is the brewery's original beer and is brewed only in Golden, with Rocky Mountain water and two-row Moravian barley malted at the brewery itself. The golden lager opens with a smell of freshly baked bread, with faint hints of…Coors Banquet is the brewery's original beer and is brewed only in Golden, with Rocky Mountain water and two-row Moravian barley malted at the brewery itself. The golden lager opens with a smell of freshly baked bread, with faint hints of banana and pear behind it. On the palate a light malt sweetness sits on a dry, grainy base, carbonation is lively and the finish crisp and short. Miners of the late 1800s gave it the Banquet name; outside the United States it is sold as Coors Original.
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Point Special#12 worldwide
ABV
4.8%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
pale gold 4
Point Special has been the brewery's flagship since 1857, a classic American-style lager with a soft malt base and a modest hop presence. It pours clear yellow-gold under a dense white head. The nose carries light hay, grain and a touch of…Point Special has been the brewery's flagship since 1857, a classic American-style lager with a soft malt base and a modest hop presence. It pours clear yellow-gold under a dense white head. The nose carries light hay, grain and a touch of sweet corn, with faint grassy and floral hop notes behind. On the palate mild malt sweetness moves into cereal and corn and a hint of fruit, before a crisp, dry finish with barely noticeable bitterness.
5
Miller High Life#18 worldwide
ABV
4.6%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
pale gold 4
Miller High Life has been brewed since 1903 and still comes in the clear, tapered bottle that earned it the nickname Champagne of Beers. The brewery describes it as a golden, pilsner-style American lager made from a blend of barley malts…Miller High Life has been brewed since 1903 and still comes in the clear, tapered bottle that earned it the nickname Champagne of Beers. The brewery describes it as a golden, pilsner-style American lager made from a blend of barley malts and light-stable Galena hops from the Pacific Northwest. Lightly toasted, bready malt and a hint of sweet corn lead, followed by a faint bittersweet hop note. Fine, persistent bubbles carry a light body into a crisp finish in which a restrained bitterness balances the sweetness.
Ranks 6–10
6
Miller Genuine Draft#29 worldwide
Miller Genuine Draft arrived in 1985 as a packaged beer meant to taste like lager poured from the keg. It shares its base recipe with High Life, but instead of heat pasteurisation it is cold-filtered four times. It pours pale golden with a…Miller Genuine Draft arrived in 1985 as a packaged beer meant to taste like lager poured from the keg. It shares its base recipe with High Life, but instead of heat pasteurisation it is cold-filtered four times. It pours pale golden with a creamy, lasting white head. The aroma is restrained, with light citrus, cereal grain and fresh bread. On the palate soft pale malt, a touch of corn sweetness and a faint fruity hop note sit on a light, creamy body, and the finish is short and clean with little lingering bitterness.
7
STiVO#40 worldwide
STiVO is an unfiltered, lightly dry-hopped keller pils brewed with Russian River, first created in 2016 as a meeting of Pivo Pils and Russian River's STS Pils. Weyermann pilsner malt gives a bready, cracker-like base with soft grain…STiVO is an unfiltered, lightly dry-hopped keller pils brewed with Russian River, first created in 2016 as a meeting of Pivo Pils and Russian River's STS Pils. Weyermann pilsner malt gives a bready, cracker-like base with soft grain sweetness, while German Saphir and French Aramis hops bring floral, herbal and lemony notes with a hint of stone fruit. Cold lager fermentation keeps the profile clean and dry, with a faint whiff of struck match typical of a fresh German lager. The finish is crisp, with a firm, lingering bitterness.
8
Mai Tai P.A.#44 worldwide
Mai Tai P.A. is a Pale Ale from Alvarado Street Brewery, based in sun-soaked Salinas, California. True to its tropical namesake, this Californian brew pours a clear, golden-amber hue with a bright white head. The aroma is an inviting wave…Mai Tai P.A. is a Pale Ale from Alvarado Street Brewery, based in sun-soaked Salinas, California. True to its tropical namesake, this Californian brew pours a clear, golden-amber hue with a bright white head. The aroma is an inviting wave of citrus and stone fruit — think fresh orange peel, passionfruit, and a hint of coconut — carried on a clean, biscuity malt backbone. On the palate, it's light to medium in body, refreshingly crisp, with juicy hop character balancing a gentle sweetness. Bitterness is moderate and approachable, never harsh. The finish is clean and dry, with lingering tropical fruit notes that make it as easy-drinking as a well-made poolside cocktail.
9
Johnny Utah#58 worldwide
Johnny Utah arrives as a light-colored ale where the malt steps back deliberately, leaving room for an assertive citrus and pine register. Pronounced grapefruit, citrus, and pine resin notes lead the charge, undercut by a faint verdant…Johnny Utah arrives as a light-colored ale where the malt steps back deliberately, leaving room for an assertive citrus and pine register. Pronounced grapefruit, citrus, and pine resin notes lead the charge, undercut by a faint verdant whisper that keeps the beer grounded. The clean finish moves decisively through the palate without a cloying bitterness—a restraint that makes this 5.6% ale drink lighter than its character suggests. The structure feels aperitif-ready, inviting another pour before the glass empties. Gold at GABF 2019 confirmed what Seattle drinkers already knew: a pale ale that lets hop character speak without shouting.
10
George Killian's Irish Red#66 worldwide
George Killian's Irish Red goes back to a family recipe from a brewery in Enniscorthy, Ireland. Coors brews the American version under licence, and as a lager rather than an ale. A caramel malt kilned hotter and longer than usual gives the…George Killian's Irish Red goes back to a family recipe from a brewery in Enniscorthy, Ireland. Coors brews the American version under licence, and as a lager rather than an ale. A caramel malt kilned hotter and longer than usual gives the red-amber colour, with no colouring added. Toasted caramel and sweet malt lead the nose, with light bread and a faint fruity note behind. The palate is malt-forward and nutty, bitterness is mild, the head creamy and the finish moderately dry.
The taste landscape
Of the 50 top beers, 30 lean malt-forward and 16 lean hop-forward.