23 June 2014 - Best Beer HQ
The best commercial beers in America 2014
Russian River Brewing Company’s Pliny the Elder is the best commercial beer in America, according to American Homebrewers Association (AHA) journal Zymurgy.
For the sixth year in a row, Pliny the Elder came out on top of the magazine’s poll, which asks the AHA’s more than 43,000 hombrewers to vote for up to 20 of their favourite commercial beers that are available for purchase in the United States.
More than 1,600 breweries were represented in this year’s poll and, like in previous years, IPAs and double IPAs outdid the other styles of beer, comprising eight of the top 10 beers.
Santa Ross-based brewery Russian River Brewing Company had the most beers in the top 50 with five, followed by Bell’s Brewery (Kalamazoo, Michigan) and Stone Brewing Company (Escondido, California).
Meanwhile, New Belgium Brewing Company was the brewery with the best portfolio of beers, with no less than 60 of the Colorado-based brewery’s beers receiving votes from AHA members in the Zymurgy magazine poll.
AHA director Gary Glass commented: “As brewers, AHA members know when they experience excellence in a craft beer. It is a very high honour for a brewery to be recognised by this group as having the best beer in America.
“The consistency in the poll results indicates that the discerning palettes of these homebrewers recognise quality and are not easily influenced by the latest fads.”
According to Zymurgy readers, the best commercial beers in America for 2014 are:
1. Russian River Pliny the Elder
2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
3. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
4. Bell’s Hopslam
5. The Alchemist Heady Topper
6. Lagunitas Sucks
7. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
8. Stone Enjoy By IPA
9. Founders Breakfast Stout
10. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
11. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
12. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
13. Firestone Walker Wookey Jack
14. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
15=. Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin
15=. Sierra Nevada Celebration
17. Firestone Walker Double Jack
18=. Firestone Walker Union Jack
18=. Arrogant Bastard Ale
20. Sierra Nevada Torpedo
21. Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye
22. Russian River Blind Pig IPA
23=. Deschutes Black Butte Porter
23=. North Coast Old Rasputin
25. Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
26. Stone Ruination IPA
27. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
28. Russian River Pliny the Younger
29. Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro
30. Russian River Supplication
31. Green Flash West Coast IPA
32. Surly Furious
33. New Belgium La Folie
34=. Founders All Day IPA
34=. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
36. Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
37. Stone IPA
38. Lagunitas IPA
39=. Russian River Consecration
39=. Troegs Nugget Nectar
41. Deschutes The Abyss
42. Cigar City Jai Alai IPA
43. Bear Republic Racer 5
44. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy
45. Surly Abrasive
46. New Belgium Ranger
47=. Ommegang Three Philosophers
47=. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald
49=. Founders Backwoods Bastard
49=. Odell IPA