Zymurgy: Best Beers in America (2012)

[Qhrumphf]

I've had all but eleven (and most of those aren't distributed here), and yeah, a little ridiculously hop forward, but nothing on there I've had that I'd say wasn't a decent beer, and most of em I'd call great brews.

And Sculpin is fantastic.

 

[Mishraile]

dumbest list ever.

Hey now, play nice. Heh, heh. I agree that the list is flawed (by my oppinion) buuuuut that is the way with public polls right? Just people a bunch of people say "A is the best, then B" doesn't mean it is a hard truth, right? I don't think bell's two hearted should be number 2 by any stretch. And don't get me wrong. I love Two Hearted.

That being said, it is still a cool list and now I have several more beers to try!

 

[Glynn]

What no flying dog on that list. hummmm. how sad

 

[MisterTipsy]

Here are the lowest rated beers at ratebeer.com

1 Olde English 800 3.2 0.93 62 Malt Liquor
2 Natural Light 1.03 1102 Pale Lager
3 Natural Ice 1.04 771 Malt Liquor
4 Milwaukee’s Best Premium 1.07 803 Pale Lager
5 Michelob Ultra 1.07 1116 Pale Lager
6 Sleeman Clear 1.08 130 Pale Lager
7 Budweiser Select 55 1.10 165 Pale Lager
8 Coors Aspen Edge 1.11 199 Pale Lager
9 Busch Ice 1.11 141 Pale Lager
10 Bud Light Chelada 1.12 264 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
11 Bud Light 1.17 2540 Pale Lager
12 Milwaukee’s Best Light 1.17 473 Pale Lager
13 Busch Light 1.17 798 Pale Lager
14 Miller Genuine Draft Light 64 (MGD Light 64) 1.18 290 Pale Lager
15 Camo Genuine Ale 1.19 47 Malt Liquor
16 Keystone Light 1.19 881 Pale Lager
17 Busch Beer 1.23 939 Pale Lager
18 Keystone Premium 1.24 210 Pale Lager
19 Camo Silver Ice High Gravity Lager 1.24 105 Malt Liquor
20 General Generic Beer 1.25 26 Pale Lager
21 Budweiser Chelada 1.25 267 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
22 Labatt Sterling 1.26 64 Pale Lager
23 Hurricane High Gravity Lager 1.26 222 Malt Liquor
24 Milwaukee’s Best Ice 1.27 428 Pale Lager
25 Old Milwaukee Ice 1.27 111 Pale Lager
26 Molson Kick 1.28 54 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
27 Bud Ice 1.30 746 Pale Lager
28 Cave Creek Chili Beer 1.30 733 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
29 Tuborg T-Beer 1.31 57 Pale Lager
30 Corona Light 1.31 783 Pale Lager
31 Icehouse Light 1.31 51 Pale Lager
32 Coors Light 1.31 2429 Pale Lager
33 Keystone Ice 1.33 363 Pale Lager
34 Old Milwaukee 1.33 663 Pale Lager
35 St. Ides Premium Malt Liquor 1.33 94 Malt Liquor
36 Beer 30 Light 1.33 72 Pale Lager
37 Tuborg T-Beer Citrus/ Lemon 1.34 49 Fruit Beer
38 B-40 Bull Max 8% 1.34 25 Malt Liquor
39 King Cobra Malt Liquor 1.34 365 Malt Liquor
40 Jacob Best Ice 1.34 25 Pale Lager
41 Rock Green Light 1.35 284 Pale Lager
42 Olde English 800 1.35 625 Malt Liquor
43 Miller Lite Ice 1.35 79 Pale Lager
44 Miller Genuine Draft Light (MGD Light) 1.35 350 Pale Lager
45 Old Milwaukee Light 1.36 202 Pale Lager
46 Molson Ultra 1.36 42 Pale Lager
47 Miller Lite 1.37 1999 Pale Lager
48 PC 2.5 g Low Carb 1.37 19 Pale Lager
49 Schlitz Malt Liquor OML 1.37 323 Malt Liquor
50 Tequiza 1.38 374 Spice/Herb/Vegetable

 

[brewfreeordie]

I think a better list would be the 50 NEW beers of 2012. List seems a little dated and a little one sided, especially at the top.

 

[jonmohno]

Top 50 according to who/what in zymergy.Based on what?

 

[MisterTipsy]

Zymurgy polled home brewers.

 

[bd2xu]

Ive had every beer on the top 50 but 3. I have drank most of the beers from all of the ranked breweries in the top 25 and I cant say I am a fan of this list at all.

It is clearly heavily influenced by the distribution of the beers and the brewery. Two hearted at number 2 is straight up laughable.

Have to strongly disagree on the two hearted ale, it's got to be the best IPA Ive had. But the whole thing with all this is no one is right, it's all opinion!

I've notice two hearted ale is getting hard to get in the southeast and it's up to $12 a six when I find it. Have to say though the last six I had was disappointing. Very little hop aroma compared to other batches. I'm trying northern brewers dead ringer to see if I can get close.

 

[bd2xu]

Never heard of? Man you need to get out to San Diego....

Had it tonight at the flying saucer in Addison Tx (on tap). It was good!

I also didn't see heavy seas.

 

[bd2xu]

Home brewers picked their top 20 beers and Zymurgy complied the list. It looks like home brewers really like their IPAs.

top 50 beers

1. Russian River Pliny the Elder
2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
3. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
4. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
5. Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale
6. Bell’s Hopslam
7. Sierra Nevada Celebration
8. Stone Ruination IPA
9. Sierra Nevada Torpedo
10. North Coast Old Rasputin
11. Firestone Walker Union Jack
12. Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye
13. Bear Republic Racer 5
14. Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
15. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
16. Firestone Walker Double Jack
T17. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
T17. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
19. Stone IPA
20. New Belgium Fat Tire
21. Deschutes Black Butte Porter
22. Avery Maharaja
23. Founders Breakfast Stout
24. Left Hand Milk Stout
T25. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
T25. New Belgium Ranger
T25. Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
28. Deschutes The Abyss
29. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
30. Surly Furious
T31. Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin
T31. Rogue Dead Guy
T31. Samuel Adams Boston Lager
4. Troegs Nugget Nectar
T35. Lagunitas IPA
T35. New Belgium La Folie
T37. Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
T37. Founders KBS
T37. Russian River Blind Pig IPA
41. Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale
42. Victory Prima Pils
43. Great Divide Yeti
T44. Alaskan Smoked Porter
T44. Anchor Steam
T44. Lagunitas Hop Stoopid
T44. Samuel Adams Noble Pils
T48. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
T48. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy
T48. Russian River Pliny the Younger

top 20 breweries

1. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, Calif.
2. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Del.
3. Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, Calif.
4. Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, Calif.
5. Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, Mich.
6. New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, Colo.
7. Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, Calif.
8. Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Ore.
9. Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, Calif.
10. Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.
11. Boston Beer Co. (Samuel Adams), Boston, Mass.
12. Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, Colo.
13. Oskar Blues Brewing Co., Longmont, Colo.
14. Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, Colo.
15. Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, Ind.
T16. Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, Colo.
T16. Rogue Ales, Newport, Ore.
18. New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, Wis.
19. Victory Brewing Co., Downington, Pa.
20. Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, Ill.
21. Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, Colo.
22. Surly Brewing Co., Minneapolis, Minn.
23. North Coast Brewing Co., Fort Bragg, Calif.
24. Bear Republic Brewing Co., Healdsburg, Calif.
25. Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, Calif.

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/community/news/show?title=2012-best-beers-in-america

Surprised Sweetwater didn't make it. Based in Atlanta and getting very popular. Solid IPA, 420 Pale Ale, Exodus porter is great and have many seasonals. The latest one I love is the LowRyeder IPA, but I love rye pale ales/ipas.

 

[Krovitz]

Am I the only homebrewer that has yet to find a great stout? All this hop head hate! I can admit there are some awful over hopped and muddled beers but can you malt lovers enlighten me? Get a thread going with the best stouts/browns/porter/dark wheats or whatever else you guys love to drink. Maybe there already is one but post a link here either way. Persuade me! I'm missing something because there is a lot of stout love out there.

 

[bd2xu]

Am I the only homebrewer that has yet to find a great stout? All this hop head hate! I can admit there are some awful over hopped and muddled beers but can you malt lovers enlighten me? Get a thread going with the best stouts/browns/porter/dark wheats or whatever else you guys love to drink. Maybe there already is one but post a link here either way. Persuade me! I'm missing something because there is a lot of stout love out there.

With the weather getting cold I am getting into porter and stout. I am on my 5th batch and doing extract still but with specialty grains, full wort boil, wort chiller, liquid yeast/starter, stable mid 60s ferm temps (converted freezer), cold crashing... All the "little things" that make a drinkable extract kit into a great beer!

I currently am fermenting two brewers best kits, a pumpkin spice porter and a milk stout. Can't wait to try them. I used the whole spice pack (a lot!) in te porter so I will age it a couple months in te bottle to mellow out and develop depth. I am planning on adding some coffee to the milk stout in the secondary to balance the sweetness.

I love me my IPAs but am branching out. Will always have a hoppy IPA or pale ale around but trying different things too.

 

[Krovitz]

Those sound really good. I'm with you, I love hops but I want to discover more great beers.

 

[GuitarGumption]

There is a serious lack of Oregon breweries on this list. Having lived in Portland, and now in Colorado I'd vote heavily in favor of almost every brewery in Oregon over the Colorado selection. Just one persons opinion of course!

 

[bd2xu]

There is a serious lack of Oregon breweries on this list. Having lived in Portland, and now in Colorado I'd vote heavily in favor of almost every brewery in Oregon over the Colorado selection. Just one persons opinion of course!

Right on, I've had Bridgeport, Full Sail and Rogue.

 

[GuitarGumption]

Cool. Full Sail is pretty good, though one of my least favorite Oregon breweries. Some of my favorites are Ninkasi, Oakshire, and Boneyard. Also New Old Lompoc, though their bottled beer is nothing like on tap... also tons of others, too many to name. Ah I miss Oregon.

 

[bd2xu]

Cool. Full Sail is pretty good, though one of my least favorite Oregon breweries. Some of my favorites are Ninkasi, Oakshire, and Boneyard. Also New Old Lompoc, though their bottled beer is nothing like on tap... also tons of others, too many to name. Ah I miss Oregon.

Like almost anywhere it sounds like the best beers are very regional, never seen any of those.

 

[ZombieBrew83]

Have to strongly disagree on the two hearted ale, it's got to be the best IPA Ive had. But the whole thing with all this is no one is right, it's all opinion!

I've notice two hearted ale is getting hard to get in the southeast and it's up to $12 a six when I find it. Have to say though the last six I had was disappointing. Very little hop aroma compared to other batches. I'm trying northern brewers dead ringer to see if I can get close.

I agree strongly. Maybe a tie between two hearted and Dogfish Head 60 minute. I've also noticed the last couple batched of TH have been a little weak. Maybe the stock around the Twin Cities hasn't been rotating fast enough.

It bothers me that this list is pretty much devoid of any Blegian style beers. To each his own I guess.

 

[bd2xu]

+1 on dogfish 60+. Was my fav until I tasted TH. also Dale's Pale Ale and Sweetwater IPA. Those are my top four.

I bought the last TH sixer in Atlanta. It was $12 or $13!! I will pay that but only if it's the TH I know and love, this six really lacked hop aroma and flavor.

 

[DromJohn]

Two Hearted is $9.49 at Total Wine & More.
Sweetwater is my 4th favorite Georgia brewer; though if Magnum IP undanked into a seasonal, it woud climb to #2.

 

[itsernst]

Whats great is many of those are a car ride away from my house. Took a wine tasting trip up north and ended up stopping in Russian River during the PTY and then up to Beer Republic for Habenero Racer 5 cask. An absolute treat!

Heading to Paso this weekend, so get to cross off Firestone as well.

 

[bd2xu]

Two Hearted is $9.49 at Total Wine & More.
Sweetwater is my 4th favorite Georgia brewer; though if Magnum IP undanked into a seasonal, it woud climb to #2.

Cool I will check it out. I just saw it for 11.99 but has been closer to 10. I brewed a batch of NB Dead Ringer and just bottled it, hope it's close!

 

[Ghostly]

Am I the only homebrewer that has yet to find a great stout? All this hop head hate! I can admit there are some awful over hopped and muddled beers but can you malt lovers enlighten me? Get a thread going with the best stouts/browns/porter/dark wheats or whatever else you guys love to drink. Maybe there already is one but post a link here either way. Persuade me! I'm missing something because there is a lot of stout love out there.

If you get Founders where you are, try anything of theirs, from the porter to the imperial stout to the coffee and/or barrel-aged stuff that's harder to find. I'm also always impressed by Fuller's London Porter, which manages to make a pretty simple and affordable beer taste complex. North Coast's Old Rasputin is nice, too, and not too hard to find.

 

[bd2xu]

Ah yes, Founders and Bells. Both great Michigan breweries. I hear great things about the founders breakfast stout.

 

[KingBrianI]

Here are the lowest rated beers at ratebeer.com

1 Olde English 800 3.2 0.93 62 Malt Liquor
2 Natural Light 1.03 1102 Pale Lager
3 Natural Ice 1.04 771 Malt Liquor
4 Milwaukee’s Best Premium 1.07 803 Pale Lager
5 Michelob Ultra 1.07 1116 Pale Lager
6 Sleeman Clear 1.08 130 Pale Lager
7 Budweiser Select 55 1.10 165 Pale Lager
8 Coors Aspen Edge 1.11 199 Pale Lager
9 Busch Ice 1.11 141 Pale Lager
10 Bud Light Chelada 1.12 264 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
11 Bud Light 1.17 2540 Pale Lager
12 Milwaukee’s Best Light 1.17 473 Pale Lager
13 Busch Light 1.17 798 Pale Lager
14 Miller Genuine Draft Light 64 (MGD Light 64) 1.18 290 Pale Lager
15 Camo Genuine Ale 1.19 47 Malt Liquor
16 Keystone Light 1.19 881 Pale Lager
17 Busch Beer 1.23 939 Pale Lager
18 Keystone Premium 1.24 210 Pale Lager
19 Camo Silver Ice High Gravity Lager 1.24 105 Malt Liquor
20 General Generic Beer 1.25 26 Pale Lager
21 Budweiser Chelada 1.25 267 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
22 Labatt Sterling 1.26 64 Pale Lager
23 Hurricane High Gravity Lager 1.26 222 Malt Liquor
24 Milwaukee’s Best Ice 1.27 428 Pale Lager
25 Old Milwaukee Ice 1.27 111 Pale Lager
26 Molson Kick 1.28 54 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
27 Bud Ice 1.30 746 Pale Lager
28 Cave Creek Chili Beer 1.30 733 Spice/Herb/Vegetable
29 Tuborg T-Beer 1.31 57 Pale Lager
30 Corona Light 1.31 783 Pale Lager
31 Icehouse Light 1.31 51 Pale Lager
32 Coors Light 1.31 2429 Pale Lager
33 Keystone Ice 1.33 363 Pale Lager
34 Old Milwaukee 1.33 663 Pale Lager
35 St. Ides Premium Malt Liquor 1.33 94 Malt Liquor
36 Beer 30 Light 1.33 72 Pale Lager
37 Tuborg T-Beer Citrus/ Lemon 1.34 49 Fruit Beer
38 B-40 Bull Max 8% 1.34 25 Malt Liquor
39 King Cobra Malt Liquor 1.34 365 Malt Liquor
40 Jacob Best Ice 1.34 25 Pale Lager
41 Rock Green Light 1.35 284 Pale Lager
42 Olde English 800 1.35 625 Malt Liquor
43 Miller Lite Ice 1.35 79 Pale Lager
44 Miller Genuine Draft Light (MGD Light) 1.35 350 Pale Lager
45 Old Milwaukee Light 1.36 202 Pale Lager
46 Molson Ultra 1.36 42 Pale Lager
47 Miller Lite 1.37 1999 Pale Lager
48 PC 2.5 g Low Carb 1.37 19 Pale Lager
49 Schlitz Malt Liquor OML 1.37 323 Malt Liquor
50 Tequiza 1.38 374 Spice/Herb/Vegetable

Where's Genny Light?

 

[grathan]

Pretty cool list, will have to print this out to see if I can get any of the ones I haven't tried yet locally.
Actually is this in the same mag with the 50 greatest homebrew recipes?

Anyone else have their own rankings list with at least 50 beers on it?