The Most Popular Beer

[Magic8Ball]

I wanted to see what beers folks are drinking and talking about (I was bored). So I went to the BeerAdvocate and pulled info about the Top 51 Beers and got some interesting results. Of the Top 51 Beers Scored by the BA users:

Number of times a beer style occurs in the top 51
# Style
11 American Double / Imperial IPA / 9.50% ABV
11 American Double / Imperial Stout / 8.30% ABV
6 American Wild Ale / 10.00% ABV
5 Russian Imperial Stout / 10.30% ABV
4 Lambic - Fruit / 6.00% ABV
3 Quadrupel (Quad) / 11.30% ABV
2 English Barleywine / 14.00% ABV
2 Old Ale / 13.50% ABV
1 American IPA / 7.00% ABV
1 American Pale Ale (APA) / 6.40% ABV
1 American Porter / 7.50% ABV
1 American Strong Ale / 14.90% ABV
1 Dubbel / 8.00% ABV
1 Gueuze / 5.00% ABV
1 Hefeweizen / 5.40% ABV

Breweries with the Most Beers in the Top 51.
# beers Brewery
6 Russian River Brewing Company
5 Brasserie Cantillon
4 Hill Farmstead Brewery
4 Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub
3 Bell's Brewery, Inc.
2 AleSmith Brewing Company
2 Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren)
2 Cigar City Brewing
2 Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
2 Founders Brewing Company
2 Goose Island Beer Co.
2 Surly Brewing Company
2 The Lost Abbey
1 Ballast Point Brewing Company
1 Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
1 Brasserie de Rochefort
1 Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
1 Dark Horse Brewing Company
1 Deschutes Brewery
1 Hair of the Dog Brewing Company / Brewery and Tasting Room
1 Kern River Brewing Company
1 Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
1 Lawson's Finest Liquids
1 Pelican Pub & Brewery
1 The Alchemist
1 The Bruery

TOP 10 BEERS
Ranking Beer Style Brewery
1 Heady Topper American Double / Imperial IPA The Alchemist
2 Pliny The Younger American Double / Imperial IPA Russian River Brewing
3 Pliny The Elder American Double / Imperial IPA Russian River Brewing
4 Founders KBS American Double / Imperial Stout Founders Brewing
5 Bourbon Co. Brand Coffee Stout American Double / Imperial Stout Goose Island Beer Co.
6 Zombie Dust American Pale Ale (APA) Three Floyds Brewing
7 Trappist Westvleteren 12 (XII) Quadrupel Brouwerij Westvleteren
8 Parabola Russian Imperial Stout Firestone Walker Brewing
9 Bourbon Barrel Aged Vanilla Bean Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout Three Floyds Brewing
10 The Abyss American Double / Imperial Stout Deschutes Brewery

Ive got to get drinking, Ive only had two of the top 10. Have a great brewing weekend.

 

[gometz]

I have had none of the top 10... I am a failure.

 

[HawksBrewer]

I've had 5 of the top 6, and while they're all good beers, I wouldn't wait in line for a single one. Cheers.

 

[GrogNerd]

I have had none of the top 10... I am a failure.

you're not alone.

having none of the top 10

you are certainly alone in your failure

edit: WAIT! you are alone in both. I've had a sample of Westy

 

[whitehause]

I've had all of the top 10 except Younger and westie....all very worth while.

 

[BigEd]

What a surprise! All the top BA beers are either super strong, super hoppy, funky or some combination thereof.

 

[isleofman]

All of those I'd love to have, but probably not more than ONCE. If more than once, definitely not back to back. Give me a well balanced 5% - 6% beer any day of the week.

 

[hunter_le five]

I have had none of the top 10... I am a failure.

Yeah, me neither. I like to think I drink a lot of craft beer, but I don't even think I've ever seen most of these on local shelves. I'm guessing a lot of these are somewhat regional.

I guess I'll go sulk in the corner then, and think on my failure....

 

[BigJack]

Those beers are hard to find in my neck of the woods.


As far as beer nerds liking extreme beer, what do you expect?

 

[whitehause]

All of those I'd love to have, but probably not more than ONCE. If more than once, definitely not back to back. Give me a well balanced 5% - 6% beer any day of the week.

But....Have you had any of those?

If not, it's hard to say not more than once, and not back to back.

 

[SixStrings]

What a surprise! All the top BA beers are either super strong, super hoppy, funky or some combination thereof.

Not to mention most are limited release/distribution. All aboard the hype train.

 

[whitehause]

Not to mention most are limited release/distribution. All aboard the hype train.

Many of those listed were pioneers in the style, ingredients, or technique, and are definitely not hype. Maybe not your favorites, but not all hype.

 

[Yooper]

I have had none of the top 10... I am a failure.

Nope, you're normal.

Beeradvocate can be helpful, but it's so full of beer snobs that think anything with the word "Imperial" or "Double" in it is better than anything else. The ones in the "top 10" ARE good beers, but "best" is probably not accurate.

 

[Shakybones]

Not hype. Having just moved away from CA, I must say that I'd crawl over hot coals for either Pliny right now.

 

[Setesh]

Wow, you don't stand much of a chance if "Imperial" isn't in your name. I haven't had many of those as I don't tend to like huge beers, huge in any aspect really. Don't get me wrong, I went through that phase where IBUs were all I was interested in and ABV tends to go hand in hand with high IBUs. Now I prefer the smaller beers that I can have a couple (or three) of and still be functional. Too each their own, but give me a Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier or a Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter over those giants any day.

 

[SixStrings]

Many of those listed were pioneers in the style, ingredients, or technique, and are definitely not hype. Maybe not your favorites, but not all hype.

I'm not saying that you're incorrect, or even that these aren't excellent beers. Just saying that price and availability can be strong influencers.

 

[whitehause]

I'm not saying that you're incorrect, or even that these aren't excellent beers. Just saying that price and availability can be strong influencers.

Without a doubt, I can't get most of those on a regular basis, so I guess they taste a little "better" when I can.
While I'm a fan of big beers, I still love a good hefe, stoudt, pumpkin ale, or even a Yuengling lager. I just brewed BM's Cream of three crops so I don't have all big beers at home. It can be too dangerous sometimes.

 

[bobmcstuff]

I can't get hold of any of those. I can get hold of some Founders but not that one.

I probably have as much chance of getting hold of the Westvleteren as anyone else, but as the rest seem to be US it's really difficult to get hold of the popular ones this side of the pond.

I was talking to my local friendly beer importer the other day and he told me categorically there was no way they would be able to get hold of any Russian River... Someone from there might be coming over for a "meet the brewer" session and we're all hopeful he might bring a sample...

 

[Nightshade]

I have only had the Founders out of that list...wouldn't walk 5 miles for it but it wasn't too shabby.

 

[ktblunden]

PtY is pretty awesome. We've made the trip up to Santa Rosa the past two years for the release and we'll probably continue to do so. PtE is a good beer, but I wouldn't go too far out of my way to get it. If I happen to see it at Whole Foods or on tap somewhere I'll get it, but other than that I can get other IIPAs much easier that are as good or better. The only other two I've had on there are Parabola, which was pretty good, and Abyss, which I have my buddy in Oregon snag me a few bottles of every year. Good beers, good examples of their styles, but nothing earth shattering.

 

[wonderbread23]

Nope, you're normal.

Beeradvocate can be helpful, but it's so full of beer snobs that think anything with the word "Imperial" or "Double" in it is better than anything else. The ones in the "top 10" ARE good beers, but "best" is probably not accurate.

I've had all of the top 10... guess I'm some sort of super hero?

 

[Magic8Ball]

The info below also shows the beer geek nation has embraced the wild ales, lambics and even a gueze! These are heady time indeed. I see a lot of English and Belgian styles ( or the American version thereof). But what's really missing are all of the amazing German beers styles. A lone Hefe! Seems to be a big hole in the craft scene based on this.

Number of times a beer style occurs in the top 51
# Style
11 American Double / Imperial IPA / 9.50% ABV
11 American Double / Imperial Stout / 8.30% ABV
6 American Wild Ale / 10.00% ABV
5 Russian Imperial Stout / 10.30% ABV
4 Lambic - Fruit / 6.00% ABV
3 Quadrupel (Quad) / 11.30% ABV
2 English Barleywine / 14.00% ABV
2 Old Ale / 13.50% ABV
1 American IPA / 7.00% ABV
1 American Pale Ale (APA) / 6.40% ABV
1 American Porter / 7.50% ABV
1 American Strong Ale / 14.90% ABV
1 Dubbel / 8.00% ABV
1 Gueuze / 5.00% ABV
1 Hefeweizen / 5.40% ABV