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Top 100 Beers of 2021
The best of The Beer Connoisseur® magazine's Official Review in 2021, including a whopping 13 World Class rated beers as evaluated by our judges.
Each year, we collect the highest-scoring beers evaluated in the Official Review and combine them into a list of the finest examples. 2021 featured a vast variety of terrific brews, and we’ve highlighted the boldest and brightest in this best-of list for the year that was.
Hazy IPAs continued to dominate fermentation tank space and retail shelf space in 2021, with a number of our top beers of the past year falling under that catch-all hazy IPA category. As always, barrel-aged stouts and other dark beers were immensely popular among our judges, as those powerful flavors and aromas are hard for any true beer connoisseur to resist.
While this list is heavy on the styles above, what makes craft beer so wonderful is that any well-executed brew gets a chance to shine, and this list is replete with more niche styles such as near-flawless international pale lagers, thirst-quenching fruited sours and spiced stouts.
We hope that you enjoy exploring this list of the Top 100 Beers of 2021 and that you use it to seek out the finest brews near you in the coming year. Cheers!
ABOUT THE OFFICIAL REVIEW
The Official Review is conducted in a single-blind tasting format that adheres to the Beer Judge Certification Program 2015 Style Guidelines. This method provides the best opportunity to rely on facts and to avoid favoritism, ensuring a level playing field for all brewers. It serves both the industry and the consumer to have unbiased and objective scores from qualified experts.
In effort to provide the most credible evaluations, The Beer Connoisseur hand-selects judges with a minimum BJCP ranking of “National” or Master Cicerone®. Judges are required to work with an assistant that handles beer prior to evaluation, and breweries are not allowed to solicit judges directly.
In the single-blind tasting format, judges are presented with a chilled, properly poured beer and given its style category. Scoring is then done on the following basis using a 100-point scale: Aroma (24 points), Appearance (6 points), Flavor (40 points), Mouthfeel (10 points) and Overall Impression (20 points).
The score breakdown is as follows:
100 to 96: World Class – You need this beer in your life.
95 to 91: Exceptional – Don’t hesitate.
90 to 86: Very Good – A brew to savor.
85 to 75: Average – Somewhat unimpressive.
74 and below: Not Recommended – Just walk away.
#100
91
Dabinett
Snow Capped Cider
#99
91
Old Reynard
Social Fox Brewing
#98
91
TROOPER Fear of the Dark
Robinsons Brewery
#97
91
Birthday Month Flowers and Fruit Double IPA
Wild Leap Brew Co.
#96
91
Coconut Jucifer
Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
#95
91
Situational Ethics - Maple Scotch Barrel-Aged S'mores Imperial Stout
Monday Night Brewing
#94
91
pFriem + Alesong
pFriem Family Brewers
#93
91
Chocolate Chip Cookie Stout
Pontoon Brewing
#92
92
NITRO Cali Creamin'
Mother Earth Brew Co.
#91
92
Diablo Colorado
Bruz Beers
#90
92
Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Barleywine
pFriem Family Brewers
#89
92
Low Road Brown Ale
Low Road Brewing
#88
92
Tastes Like Beer
Low Road Brewing
#87
92
Fruit Cup Vol. 2
Pontoon Brewing
#86
92
Speedy, the 3-Legged Cat
Metazoa Brewing Co.
#85
92
Features & Benefits IPA
Stone Brewing Co.
#84
92
Bretta III
pFriem Family Brewers
#83
92
XXOLO Aureo Cerveza
Garage Brewing Co.
#82
92
Heavenly Helles
Church Street Brewing Co.
#81
92
Barrel-Aged Brownie Batter Blend #2 Base
Pontoon Brewing
#80
92
English Pale Mild Ale
Wallenpaupack Brewing Co.
#79
92
Gingerbread Murder Scene
Pontoon Brewing
#78
92
Cinnabun Pastry Stout
Garage Brewing Co.
#77
92
Panic Button
Monday Night Brewing
#76
92
He Is Resin
Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
#75
92
Tierra Madre
Mother Earth Brew Co.
#74
92
Quad Stack
Pontoon Brewing
#73
92
2021 New Year Cuvée
pFriem Family Brewers
#72
92
The Knights Who Say NEIPA
Pontoon Brewing
#71
92
Night Nurse
Fogtown Brewing Co.
#70
92
Birthday Month Mango Cryo Hop IIPA
Wild Leap Brew Co.
#69
92
DDH Hoppopotamus w/ Strata
Metazoa Brewing Co.
#68
92
pFriem Pale Ale
pFriem Family Brewers
#67
93
Redux: On Vanilla Clouds - Marshmallow Milk Stout
Garage Brewing Co.
#66
93
Righteous Red Ale
Church Street Brewing Co.
#65
93
There's No Crying In Baseball
Evil Genius Beer Co.
#64
93
Euphonia Pilsner
New Realm Brewing
#63
93
Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout
Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
#62
93
Estate Kriek
pFriem Family Brewers
#61
93
Surf Rock Candy Shandy
Pontoon Brewing
#60
93
La Baie Sauvage
pFriem Family Brewers
#59
93
Wickson Crabapple
Snow Capped Cider
#58
93
Peanut Butter Cup Cassowary
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
#57
93
Chuck's Porter
Church Street Brewing Co.
#56
93
Kindling
Odell Brewing Co.
#55
93
Russian Rhapsody
Church Street Brewing Co.
#54
93
pFriem Czech Dark Lager
pFriem Family Brewers
#53
93
Boat Ramp Champ
Cape May Brewing Co.
#52
93
Barrel-Aged Hypnic Jerk
Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
#51
93
Maple Barrel Aged Barleywine
pFriem Family Brewers
#50
93
Blood Orange Hefeweizen
Garage Brewing Co.
#49
93
Samuel Adams Just The Haze
The Boston Beer Co.
#48
93
pFriem Coconut Stout
pFriem Family Brewers
#47
94
Jameson Barrel Aged Purple Monkey Dishwasher
Evil Genius Beer Co.
#46
94
High Pines
Highland Brewing Co.
#45
94
Alpha Abstraction Vol. 18
Wild Leap Brew Co.
#44
94
Frog-Get About It
Metazoa Brewing Co.
#43
94
Sprezzatura
Arches Brewing
#42
94
Planet Juice
Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
#41
94
ASW Barrel Aged Vanilla Ice Cream Stout
Wild Leap Brew Co.
#40
94
Good Monster
Collective Arts Brewing
#39
94
Radeberger Zwickelbier
Radeberger
#38
94
Beach Cruiser IPA
Garage Brewing Co.
#37
94
Yurei
Arches Brewing
#36
94
This Boi Is C H O N K Y: Horchata
Pontoon Brewing
#35
94
Situational Ethics - Vanilla Barrel-Aged Affogato Imperial Stout by Monday Night Brewing
Monday Night Brewing
#34
94
Lost Carnival
Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
#33
94
Fruitopia Berliner Weisse
Garage Brewing Co.
#32
94
Blueberry Pancake Pastry Stout
Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
#31
94
LMN ADE
Wild Leap Brew Co.
#30
94
Bourbon Barrel Raspberry Stout with Vanilla Beans
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
#29
94
Focal Banger
The Alchemist
#28
94
Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Brown Ale
pFriem Family Brewers
#27
94
Port Aged Barleywine
Low Road Brewing
#26
95
Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter
Wild Leap Brew Co.
#25
95
Campfire Coffee Stout
Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
#24
95
Jam Up The Mash
Collective Arts Brewing
#23
95
Samuel Adams Wicked Easy
The Boston Beer Co.
#22
95
Big IPA
pFriem Family Brewers
#21
95
Gr8fruit Double IPA
Wild Leap Brew Co.
#20
95
Rebellious Red Head
Low Road Brewing
#19
95
Grandpa's Pipe
Seedstock Brewery
#18
95
Christmas Island
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
#17
95
Alpha Abstraction, Vol. 16
Wild Leap Brew Co.
#16
95
Mango Margarita Gose
Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
#15
95
Llama Mama Milk Stout
Darwin Brewing Co.
#14
95
Heady Topper
The Alchemist