US brewing covers a wide stylistic range: West Coast and Hazy IPA, American Pale Ale, American Lager, American Stout and Porter, barrel-aged Strong Ales, Sours and Farmhouse Ales. The hopIQ Score across all US beers evaluates each entry against its own style reference and weights medals from style-judged competitions.
Currently leading the ranking: Allagash White (Allagash Brewing Company), Allagash Tripel and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.).
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 4014 beers from 294 breweries.
Top 5 of 50
ABV
5.2%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
pale gold 3
Allagash White is a Belgian-style wheat beer and the beer the brewery opened with in 1995. Oats plus malted and raw wheat give it a hazy, pale straw appearance, while Nugget, Crystal and Czech Saaz hops stay in the background. Coriander…Allagash White is a Belgian-style wheat beer and the beer the brewery opened with in 1995. Oats plus malted and raw wheat give it a hazy, pale straw appearance, while Nugget, Crystal and Czech Saaz hops stay in the background. Coriander and Curaçao orange peel carry the aroma: orange zest, lemon and a peppery, slightly herbal spice over a soft, bready grain base. The body is light and made creamy by the oats, the carbonation lively, and the finish dry with a faint citrus tartness.
Allagash Tripel#2 worldwide
ABV
9.0%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
golden 5
Allagash Tripel is a strong golden ale in the Belgian abbey tradition, brewed only with the brewery's two-row barley blend and local pale malt, hopped with Nugget and Hallertau and fermented with the house yeast. Herbal notes and passion…Allagash Tripel is a strong golden ale in the Belgian abbey tradition, brewed only with the brewery's two-row barley blend and local pale malt, hopped with Nugget and Hallertau and fermented with the house yeast. Herbal notes and passion fruit open the aroma, followed by honey and biscuit on the palate and a light, peppery yeast spice. Despite 9 percent alcohol the body stays medium and the carbonation high, and the beer finishes clearly dry, with a faint warmth rather than sweetness.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale#4 worldwide
ABV
5.6%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
golden 7
The beer the brewery was built on, first brewed in 1980 and hopped exclusively with Cascade, a variety that was new at the time. Two-row pale and caramelized malts give a smooth, lightly toasty base with a touch of caramel sweetness. The…The beer the brewery was built on, first brewed in 1980 and hopped exclusively with Cascade, a variety that was new at the time. Two-row pale and caramelized malts give a smooth, lightly toasty base with a touch of caramel sweetness. The aroma leads with pine resin and grapefruit peel, followed by orange zest and a faint floral note; the palate stays balanced before a firm, drying bitterness closes the finish.
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Shiner Bock#5 worldwide
ABV
4.4%
Bitterness
Mild
Colour
deep amber 18
Originally a seasonal, Shiner Bock has been brewed year-round since 1973 and remains the beer most closely tied to the town. Despite the name, the brewery itself calls it an American-style amber lager, made with roasted barley malt and…Originally a seasonal, Shiner Bock has been brewed year-round since 1973 and remains the beer most closely tied to the town. Despite the name, the brewery itself calls it an American-style amber lager, made with roasted barley malt and German specialty hops. It pours crystal-clear amber under a dense tan head. The nose is sweet with a light toasty maltiness, while the palate shows roasted nuts and caramel, a slight sweetness and a soft, lightly hopped finish.
5
Real Heavy#9 worldwide
ABV
9.3%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 22
A toffee-accented malt character drives this malt-forward Scotch ale, rich brown in color and 9.3% ABV. It is built on Crystal malt and hops from England and fermented with the house English ale yeast, and the name comes from a crew of…A toffee-accented malt character drives this malt-forward Scotch ale, rich brown in color and 9.3% ABV. It is built on Crystal malt and hops from England and fermented with the house English ale yeast, and the name comes from a crew of metal fans: a Wee Heavy for headbangers. It has won gold at the Great American Beer Festival four times and silver at the 2026 World Beer Cup.
Ranks 6–10
6
Smōk#10 worldwide
A sip of this copper-hued smoked lager is meant to land you at a crackling campfire in the Alaskan wilds at dusk. Brewed in the style of a traditional German Rauchbier, it is a smoky, crisp and exceedingly drinkable classic, and each sip…A sip of this copper-hued smoked lager is meant to land you at a crackling campfire in the Alaskan wilds at dusk. Brewed in the style of a traditional German Rauchbier, it is a smoky, crisp and exceedingly drinkable classic, and each sip tastes better than the last. 5.7% ABV and 25 IBU, available year-round.
7
pFriem Japanese Lager#16 worldwide
pFriem Japanese Lager follows the Japanese practice of brewing a German-style lager with rice, which lightens the color and dries out the body. Pilsner malt makes up most of the grist, and Perle, Tettnang and Saphir give it a pronounced…pFriem Japanese Lager follows the Japanese practice of brewing a German-style lager with rice, which lightens the color and dries out the body. Pilsner malt makes up most of the grist, and Perle, Tettnang and Saphir give it a pronounced floral side. It pours champagne-pale under dense, snow-white foam. The aroma opens with shiso plum, fresh bread and violet; the palate carries jasmine rice, green tea and wildflowers into a sparkling, very dry finish. It has been part of the year-round lineup since 2024.
8
DBA#17 worldwide
DBA, short for Double Barrel Ale, was the brewery's first beer and pays tribute to English ales fermented in wooden casks: it is fermented in American oak barrels. The palate is built on malt rather than hops, with ribbons of caramel and…DBA, short for Double Barrel Ale, was the brewery's first beer and pays tribute to English ales fermented in wooden casks: it is fermented in American oak barrels. The palate is built on malt rather than hops, with ribbons of caramel and English toffee over a biscuity base, framed by toasted oak, a light vanilla touch and a faint smokiness. Bitterness stays in the background, and the finish is smooth and dry.
9
Guillaume#21 worldwide
Guillaume is the Belgian-style blonde ale of Pizza Port's Ocean Beach brewpub, kept deliberately light and low in strength. It pours a clear golden yellow. The Belgian yeast brings a soft note of banana and a touch of clove over a cereal,…Guillaume is the Belgian-style blonde ale of Pizza Port's Ocean Beach brewpub, kept deliberately light and low in strength. It pours a clear golden yellow. The Belgian yeast brings a soft note of banana and a touch of clove over a cereal, lightly bready malt with a hint of sweetness. The body is thin and crisp, a faint lime-peel freshness shows at the end, and the finish turns dry and slightly yeasty.
10
pFriem IPA#24 worldwide
pFriem IPA is the most bitter of the brewery's year-round beers at 65 IBU. Pale malt and a small share of crystal give it a light copper color and a candy-like backbone, while Chinook, Mosaic and Citra carry the hops. Dank aromas of peach,…pFriem IPA is the most bitter of the brewery's year-round beers at 65 IBU. Pale malt and a small share of crystal give it a light copper color and a candy-like backbone, while Chinook, Mosaic and Citra carry the hops. Dank aromas of peach, citrus, papaya and blueberry lead into bright flavors of lychee and grapefruit over gentle caramel sweetness. The finish is fresh and piney, with a touch of grapefruit rind and a firm bitterness.
The taste landscape
Of the 50 top beers, 22 lean malt-forward and 21 lean hop-forward.