Style Kings: The Best Breweries in America, by Category

Which craft brewery is making the best IPAs right now? What about saisons, stouts, and Trappist-style ales? It's time to shift the debate toward specialization, and celebrate the places that knock your favorite style out of the park.

Chris Schonberger

Arguing about the best breweries in American is popular sport for beer nerds—we’ve all found ourselves three pints in at the bar, blabbering about the influence of Russian River versus the consistency of Sierra Nevada with the same intensity as sports buffs talking about MJ versus LeBron. But as these debates—and the endless Internet lists that they spawn—rage on, it becomes clear that there’s a lot more nuance to the argument than simply who brews the best beer, period. What’s really important to drinkers is who brews the best beer in the style that they prefer to drink.

The creativity that has made American craft brewing such a game-changer on the world scene has also made it tough to navigate, with new breweries launching almost daily with double-digit catalogs. As the market evolves, specialization should be celebrated; after all, the brewery that nails its saisons might not make the best lagers, just as a great rapper isn’t necessarily going to make the next country smash (unless he’s Nelly).

To help cut through the noise, we gathered our team of beer writers to address the question: Which brewery is dominating a particular style of beer right now? Whether you’re an IPA fiend, a stout enthusiast, or someone who loves mouth-puckering sours, these are the breweries that deserve your full attention.

Stouts: The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

From: Farmville, NC Founded: 2004 Former philosophy profession Paul C. Philippon is fittingly introspective about his affinity for stouts. “I love the range of flavors available in dark beers,” he has said. “The fun is to imagine a particular flavor profile, and then to work with various malts and techniques to come up with a recipe that will achieve that profile.” Name a dark beer style, and chances are Philippon has brewed it. There’s the velvety porter, a nicely bittered brown ale, a roasty schwarzbier, plus the brawny Rabid Duck Russian Imperial Stout and—our favorite—the sweet and smooth milk stout. Honorable mentions: Deschutes, Dark Horse, Founders—Joshua M. Bernstein
Indigenous Beers: Jester King

From: Austin, TX Founded: 2010 Not too long ago, beer in Texas was a joke, with nothing but Lone Star and Shiner Bock as far as the eye could see. Then along came this farmhouse-focused brewery, crafting rustic brews ranging from Bonnie the Rare, a traditional Berliner weisse, to the Thrash Metal farmhouse strong ale. But we’re most impressed by Jester King utilizing Hill Country terroir—namely, deploying indigenous strains of Brettanomyces in beers such as the Wytchmaker Rye IPA; Das Wunderkind!, a sour, barrel-aged saison; and Le Petit Prince, a low-alcohol (like, 2.9% low) table beer with a lovely lemony scent. Honorable mentions: Lakefront Brewing, Mystic Brewing, Rogue—Joshua M. Bernstein
Farmhouse Ales from an Actual Farm: Hill Farmstead

From: Greensboro, VT Founder: 2010 Brewer Shaun Hill is the golden boy of American brewing right now, with perfect scores across beer rating sites, a barnyard full of awards, and people literally lining up for his exceptionally balanced ales. Hill developed his brewing chops by working in Belgium and Denmark, and he brings his experiences full circle on a small farm in upstate Vermont, crafting beers named after his ancestors. Hops fanatics go crazy for releases like Abner, a double IPA that wafts aromas of citrus and flowers. But its the diversity and unerring quality of the brewery's output that has made Hill such a rockstar: His sours and saisons marry American swagger with the traditions of Belgian farmhouse brewing, while beers like Genealogy of Mortals—an Imperial Stout brewed with coffee and aged for more than 20 months in bourbon barrels—can stun even the most jaded drinkers. Honorable mentions: Oxbow Brewing Company, Rockmill Brewery, Logsdon Organic Farmhouse Ales—Chris Schonberger
Wheat Beers: Boulevard Brewing

From: Kansas City, MO Founded: 1989 When Boulevard launched, the brewery made the bold play of leading with a wheat beer—an filtered one, at that. Sales stunk. But when the brewery started selling a hazy, unfiltered version of the brew, sales skyrocketed. And so the company’s love affair with wheat was cemented. Today, you’ll find the grain in a range of its bottle-conditioned beers, including the spicy Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, citrusy 80-Acre Hoppy Wheat Beer, and tropical Harvest Dance Wheat Wine. And though Duvel recently bought Boulevard, don’t expect the wheat-centric focus to waver. Honorable mentions: Bell’s, High Point, Live Oak—Joshua M. Bernstein
Sours: Cascade Brewing

From: Portland, OR Founder: 1998 An O.G. of Pacific Northwest's robust brewing scene, Cascade Brewing is headed up by founder Art Larrance and brewmaster Ron Gansberg—between them, the two have some 40 years of beer experience at other legendary Oregonian beer outfits such as Portland Brewing Co. and BridgePort Brewing Co. After tiring of hops obsession that had consumed many American brewers, they pivoted toward wood-barrel-aged sour beers in 2005, and they've have been pulling in Great American Beer Festival medals ever since. Today, Cascade sells its beers in pricey, 750ml corked-and-caged champagne bottles—and they're worth every penny. Try Bourbonic Plague, Vlad the Imp Aler, and The Vine, for starters. Then, just try all the rest. Honorable mentions: Russian River, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, The Bruery—Austin L. Ray
Lagers: Jack’s Abby

From: Framingham, MA Founded: 2011 Betting the farm on lagers is a bold move, but the commitment to cold fermentation has paid off big for brothers Eric, Sam, and Jack Hendler (the namesake Abby is Jack’s wife). Instead of a crafty spin on a Czech pilsner, the siblings take inspiration from the massively assertive aromas and flavors of American hops, most notably in the citrusy, tropical Hoponious (cinch your eyes and you’ll sweat you’re drinking a West Coast IPA); Mass Rising Double IPL (India pale lager, that is); and the Smoke & Dagger black lager. Honorable mentions: Chuckanut, Devil’s Backbone, Victory Brewing—Joshua M. Bernstein
Barrel Aging: Goose Island

From: Chicago, IL Founded: 1988 In a less mechanically inclined era, all beer was aged in wooden barrels, a trend that petered out by the tail end of the 20th century. But in 1992, Greg Hall and Goose Island revisited the transformative power of wood, aging a massive imperial stout in old Jim Beam barrels. The result was Bourbon County Stout, a category-defying sensation that helped kick off the era of barrel-aged beer. Instead of scaling back the barrel program after its purchase by Anheuser-Busch InBev, Goose has doubled down on oak. (The brewery recently added a 130,000-square-foot warehouse dedicated to barrels, hoping to quadruple production.) Today, the orange peel–spiced Sofie saison and strawberry-infused Gillian farmhouse ale spend time in wine barrels, while the Bourbon County Stout line encompasses a constellation of oak-aged variants spiked with ingredients such as coffee and coconut. Honorable mentions: Firestone Walker, The Bruery, Central Waters—Joshua M. Bernstein
Wild Beers: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

From: Denver, CO Founded: 2010 After a fledgling career in winemaking was derailed by a bottle of New Belgium’s sour and funky La Folie, Coloradan Chad Yakobson dedicated his life to studying the unruly wild yeast Brettanomyces. He rigorously experiments with idiosyncratic strains, seeking to devise wild beers that he can replicate like clockwork. Our favorites include the floral, tart Vieille saison; zesty and wine-like Surette; and Hop Savant, a Brett-driven pale ale fermented in oak foeders. Honorable mentions: Russian River, Trinity Brewing, Rare Barrel—Joshua M. Bernstein
Hybrids: Dogfish Head

From: Milton, DE Founded: 1995 With a mission statement dictating “off-centered ales for off-centered people,” Sam Calagione’s Delaware brewery has made its bones on mashed-up beers that flummox stock boys and girls. Where should you shelve Sixty-One, an IPA made with syrah grape must? What about Piercing Pils, a pilsner blended with pear juice and tea? Then there’s Aprihop, a fruit beer chockablock with hops. And we haven’t even touched on the Ancient Ales series, which is inspired by digs into history books and archeological sites. Though Dogfish Head has been in business for nearly two decades, something tells us Sam and Co. are just getting started. Honorable mentions: Short’s Brewing, Funky Buddha, Hardywood—Joshua M. Bernstein
Saisons: Prairie Artisan Ales

From: Tulsa, OK Founded: 2012 Since Prairie was founded in 2012, the Oklahoma-based gypsy brewery run by siblings Colin and Chase Healey has rolled to the top of the country’s beer-ranking sites like an unstoppable tumbleweed. Success is due to the brothers’ range of bottle-conditioned saisons such as the brisk, lime-noted Prairie Standard; the fruity and tropical Prairie Hop; the crisp, peppery Birra; and plenty of sour, wild yeast–dosed experiments. The duo get special plaudits for some of the quirkiest, most eye-catching label art in the game. (By the way: Keep your peepers peeled for Brouwerij Okie, Chase’s new side project.) Honorable mentions: Funkwerks, Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales—Joshua M. Bernstein
American IPAs: Green Flash Brewing Company

From: San Diego, CA Founded: 2002 Fans of hops are spoiled for choice in today's beer market—after all, the big, brash IPA has come to define the American craft-beer movement, and just about every upstart brewery in the country has taken on the style. With so much choice at your fingertips, it's even more important to be discerning and pay homage to the folks who truly know how to harness the power of IBUs. Stone has solidified its already stellar reputation for hoppy ales with its innovative "Enjoy By" series, packaged with a specific expiration date of sorts to ensure freshness. Many other California stalwarts—Russian River, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada—also produce consistently excellent IPAs. But when considering the number of variations on the American IPA, national availability, and downright hops mastery, San Diego-based Green Flash gets our nod. Try their cult classic West Coast IPA, New Zealand-inspired Green Bullet Triple IPA, and the complex Palate Wrecker to name just a few standouts. Honorable mentions: Stone, Russian River, Ballast Point—Ale Sharpton

Style Kings: The Best Breweries in America, by Category

Stouts: The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

Indigenous Beers: Jester King

Farmhouse Ales from an Actual Farm: Hill Farmstead

Wheat Beers: Boulevard Brewing

Sours: Cascade Brewing

Lagers: Jack’s Abby

Barrel Aging: Goose Island

Wild Beers: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

Hybrids: Dogfish Head

Saisons: Prairie Artisan Ales

American IPAs: Green Flash Brewing Company

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