British & North American Ales

Redding Beer Company Menestheus Mild Pale Ale
96 points
British and North American ales represent a diverse range of styles ranging from milds to barley wines and bitters to imperial IPAs. All of the styles in this category originated in England but have since been adopted by American brewers, with noticeable differences between English and American versions.
Top Rating: Redding Beer Company Menestheus Mild Pale Ale

Continental Ales

Westvleteren Trappist 12 Gold Cap
100 points
Continental European ales represent styles originating in Europe outside of the United Kingdom. Many of these styles were first brewed as “farmhouse” specialties intended to last throughout the season, and incorporating regional, readily-available ingredients and spices. Today, these styles are brewed far outside their countries of origin and pose unique challenges for brewers in terms of creating beers that are balanced and representative of their original styles. This category includes styles such as alt and kölsch beers, as well as Trappist and Belgian-style ales.
Top Rating: Westvleteren Trappist 12 Gold Cap

Stouts & Porters

Otherwise Brewing Hella Nibs Dessert Stout
94 points
Stouts and porters are very dark, almost black in color, and feature heavily roasted flavors and aromas. They are enormously popular among craft brewers, with virtually all brewpubs and regional microbrewers producing one or both year round.
Top Rating: Otherwise Brewing Hella Nibs Dessert Stout

Lagers

Hanabi Lager Company Isaria Helles Style Lager #97 Autumn 2023
96 points
Lagers are relatively recent on the global beer scene, when one considers the centuries of ale brewing that predated the production of these styles. The simple difference between a lager and an ale is that the yeast employed for fermentation of a lager works at a cooler temperature and sinks to the bottom of the fermentation vessel, while ale yeasts work at higher temperatures and rise to the top of the vessel. Hence, lagers are "bottom-fermenting" beers. This category includes a wide range of bottom-fermenting beer styles, with some of the most popular being pilsners and pale lagers.
Top Rating: Hanabi Lager Company Isaria Helles Style Lager #97 Autumn 2023

Wheat Beers

Edison Brewing Wizard Winter Weizen
95 points
Wheat ales represent a diverse range of styles brewed with a portion of wheat in addition to malted barley. These beers are usually lighter in body, unfiltered and highly refreshing. Bavarian weizen beers are the better-known examples in this category, which also includes Berliner weisse and Belgian witbier. This category also features American style wheat beers, which may range from fairly neutral in flavor and aroma to highly-hopped.
Top Rating: Edison Brewing Wizard Winter Weizen

Fruit & Specialty Beers

Goose Island Beer Co. 2023 Bourbon County Backyard Stout
97 points
The specialty beer category includes some of the more unique and individualized styles. Many of these beers either do not have a clearly defined style guideline or do not fit under the umbrella of another category. This category also includes a wide range of hybrid styles, beers brewed from specialty yeast and malts and gluten-free ales and lagers.
Top Rating: Goose Island Beer Co. 2023 Bourbon County Backyard Stout

Flavored Malt Beverages

Clubtails Sunny Margarita
92 points
Flavored malt beverages encompass a wide range of hard sodas, hard seltzers, and malt-based ready-to-drink cocktails all made with malt-derived alcohol instead of distilled spirits.
Top Rating: Clubtails Sunny Margarita