With more than 9,500 breweries in the U.S. alone, it’s safe to say that the beer scene has boomed this decade. There are so many beers going to market that it can be hard to know which ones are worth trying.
There’s a steep competition to be one of the best beers in the world. This list has been compiled from various consumer-rated and expert-rated sources to help you discover the best beers in the world.
Best Beers in the World
- Galaxy Dry Hopped Fort Point, Pale Ale
- Barrel Aged Japanese Denim Lager
- Blue Sude Shew Mead
- King JJJuliusss IPA
- Gggreeennn! Hazy IPA
- DDH Alien Church (Citra & Galaxy) Hazy IPA
- R&D Sour Fruit
- Kentucky Brunch Brand Imperial Stout (Silver Wax)
- MJK Barleywine
1. Galaxy Dry Hopped Fort Point
This world-class beer from Trillium is a signature American Pale Ale with an intense hop profile.
It’s light in appearance, more hazy and blonde than many American Pale Ales. The bitterness from Galaxy and Columbus hops is subdued by the perfectly balanced and subtle malt mixture.
The 6.6% ABV is lower than many comparable Trillium beers, making it a great option for those looking for lighter drinks.
Trillium Brewing rates as one of the best breweries in the world. It’s located in Massachusetts and consistently ranks high in every beer it releases. As a valuable beer brand, any list of top brews will likely include a few Trillium names.
- Brewery: Trillium Brewing Co.
- Style: Pale Ale, American
- Year: 2013
- Tasting notes: Citrus, passionfruit, pineapple, grapefruit, peach, mango
2. Barrel Aged Japanese Denim
One of the best lighter brews in the world is an Asian beer. The Japanese Denim Lager from The Veil Brewing Co. is barrel-aged in Chardonnay barrels for just under a year before it is bottled. This special release was brewed in 2019 and bottled in 2020.
The oakiness of the chardonnay compliments the light malt base, leaving a smooth and airy feeling in the mouth. The 4.5% ABV is a sneakily high alcohol content for this light beer. The refreshing taste goes well on a warm afternoon.
The Veil Brewing Co. is based out of Norfolk, Virginia, and produces various experimental beers. They often work with fruit beers and a variety of spirit-aged brews. They’ve built a strong reputation for their unique beers.
- Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co.
- Style: Lager- Japanese Rice
- Year: 2021
- Tasting notes: Soda, citrus, creamy, chardonnay, oaky, yuzu
3. Blue Suede Shew
An off-shoot of beer, mead deserves its place when discussing the best beers in the world, and the Pips Meadery Blue Suede Shew Mead ranks wildly high across all beer platforms.
When poured, it has a deep red-purple color that is reminiscent of a pinot noir. The aroma is strong blueberry and caramel, with nutty undertones.
The taste has been compared to blueberry pancakes by some. It’s jammy and slightly acidic, with strong blueberries on the front and light and sweet honey on the end. There are nutty cashew flavors throughout that balance the sweetness of the floral honey.
Pips Meadery is based out of Gurnee, Illinois. They specialize in creating dessert wines that are both traditional and experimental but most often are fruit-forward and made with wild yeast.
- Brewery: Pips Meadery
- Style: Stout – Mead
- Year: 2016
- Tasting notes: Orange blossom honey wine, wild blueberries, cashew
4. King JJJuliusss
For their 4th anniversary celebration in 2016, Tree House Brewing released the crowd favorite King Jjjuliusss IPA. It’s all about the hops, but in true Tree House style, the hop profile somehow remains perfectly balanced.
This New England IPA is extra kettle-hopped and extra dry-hopped. The bitterness expected from the extra hops is dimmed with the juiciness and fluffiness of the base, and its 8.4% ABV sneaks up on you.
Getting your hands on a Tree House’s great beer is notoriously difficult. Your only option is to show up at one of their locations in Massachusetts. The beer sold there is limited each day in both type and quantity.
- Brewery: Tree House Brewing Co.
- Style: Stout – IPA- Imperial/ Double
- Year: 2016
- Tasting notes: Intensely citrus, mango, pineapple, grapefruit, orange, sweet
5. Gggreennn!
Impressively, Tree House Brewing Co. makes the list again with another New England Hazy IPA. The equally famous Gggreennn! beer brings a refined base perfectly balanced with the typical and massive Tree House hop profile. As usual, the hops avoid overwhelming the base.
Expect intense hops when it hits your mouth. It’s richly saturated after both kettle and dry hop additions and brings a special richness that is hard to find in other intensely hopped beers.
This beer is part of a series that Tree House Brewing Co. continues to do, the Green series. You may find a chance to try another one from them, like Green, Green!, or Very Gggreennn.
- Brewery: Tree House Brewing Co.
- Style: Stout – IPA- New England Hazy
- Year: 2018
- Tasting notes: Pineapple, dried jackfruit, guava, tropical fruit, and citrus
6. DDH Alien Church (Citra & Galaxy)
This Tired Hands unique release combined their previous beers, Reptoid Alien and Photosynthesizing Tongue Oat IPA. It’s a fuzzy, hazy, and very hop-forward New England IPA. It’s not for the faint of heart and should only be sought after if you enjoy intensely hopped beers.
The fluffy malted oat base is mixed with Cascade and Columbus hops during brewing and dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Chinook. It’s then secondarily dry-hopped with more Citra and Galaxy hops. The hops balance the oat malt but are intense throughout the taste.
Tired Hands Brewing Co. is based in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and specializes in intense ales.
- Brewery: Tired Hands Brewing Co.
- Style: Stout – IPA- New England Hazy
- Year: 2020
- Tasting notes: Peach, grapefruit, lemon, pine
Best Beers in the World (But Harder to Find)
Craft beer is unique in that no batch is the same. Some of the best beers ever made will never be identical.
Luckily, some breweries invest in large batches since these beers get better as they age. You can still find the bottles, but it may take more work. If you’re up for the hunt, consider some of these legendary beers:
7. R&D Sour Fruit
The R&D Sour Fruit beer is one of the best sour beers ever made. It’s the fourth in a series of spontaneous sour ales for New Glarus Brewing Co. and stands out as one of the tastiest and funkiest beers of that series.
Due to the low hop content, this sour will not expire quickly, and many believe it only improves with age. Many reviews on beer ranking websites claim it’s better now, ten years after the bottling date, than it ever has been.
The sour beer was fermented and aged in oak barrels with Oregon blackberries. It then was referred to in the bottle, so you’ll want to be careful when opening it. When poured, the aroma and taste will be blackberry-forward with a light funk that packs a strong punch. Expect tart, puckering, and dry flavors.
Getting your hands on the original batch will be very difficult, and they’re highly sought after among the beer community. Your best bet is to look at online forums or talk to your local craft beer supplier if you have one. Reaching out directly to the brewery may also point you in the right direction.
- Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
- Style: Sour- Fruited
- Year: 2013
- Tasting notes: Blackberry, floral, oaky
8. Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout (Silver Wax)
The Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout from Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. may be the most famous beer in the world. It’s the top-rated beer of all time on UnTappd and Beer Advocate. It’s no longer produced and difficult to get your hands on, but not impossible. Many bottles still exist.
It will pour an opaque, yet deep, brown with a tan head. Upfront, it’s pleasantly syrupy with a light bourbon taste but finished cleanly with leftover maple flavors. It’s a rich beer with a subtle creamy texture that did its time in bourbon barrels.
To find a bottle, join beer forums and groups. People who collect beers may have bottles stored away that they’re willing to part with.
- Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Co.
- Style: Stout – Imperial / Double
- Year: 2016
- Tasting notes: Coffee, maple, bourbon, chocolate, cherry cola
9. MJK
Side Project Brewing created one of the most iconic Barleywines of all time. MJK blends double and triple barrel-aged Barelywine that was brewed in 2018. The barrel aging occurred in barrels at both the Willett Family Estate and Pappy Van Winkle.
Right when opened, you can sense the intense aroma of caramel and fruit. When tasting, you can expect fruitiness upfront, chocolate and oak in the middle, and a brown sugar and butterscotch finish. It’s thick and smooth, with a subtle sweetness that hides its 20% ABV well. Expect a whiskey-forward taste.
Although they stopped this production, that was a recent decision, and there are still many bottles circling the beer community. A quick search on Google will result in numerous raffles that have the bottle up. Using connections in the beer community will direct you to how to get your hands on a bottle.
The brewery even had reserves of the beer they put on tap in October for their 10th-anniversary party. It may be a difficult hunt, but plenty of this beer is out there to try if you can find it.
- Brewery: Side Project Brewing
- Style: Stout – Barleywine- English
- Year: 2021
- Tasting notes: Dark fruit, raisins, chocolate, oak, caramel, butterscotch
Conclusion
Good luck to all the beer fans on a journey towards tasting the best beers in the world! It’s a fun journey that combines hunting down rare and great beers with tasting in good company.
If you enjoy staying updated with the best beers in the world each year, you may want to check out the Great American Beer Festival. Each year, this annual beer competition brings the newest exceptional brews to the public eye. They may be easier to track down than some of these!
