The 60 best-rated beers in America will be covered in this article. You can skip our in-depth discussion of the U.S. beer industry’s economic impact, the potential decrease of premiumization in the beer market, and the devaluation of craft beer brands and go straight to our list of the top 10 rated beers in the country.
Beer is often more than just a drink, despite being the third most consumed beverage worldwide. In numerous communities and traditions, it has great cultural and historical significance. For instance, beer is seen as a vital component of German culture, and the nation has rigorous laws governing its manufacture to guarantee its high quality and authenticity. Guinness beer in particular is a common icon of Irish culture and is linked to the nation’s identity in Ireland. Beer has grown to be associated with sporting events, tailgating gatherings, and socialising with friends in the United States.
The preferred beverage in America is beer. In 2022, the U.S. beer sector generated $409 billion for the national economy, or 1.6% of GDP, and supported over 2.4 million local employment, as we noted in our article, “20 Biggest Beer Brands in America.” Additionally, the sector paid $132 billion in compensation and $63.8 billion in taxes.
With an increase of $78 billion, or a growth in economic impact of 23.5%, since the last research two years ago, these numbers show a significant increase. Additionally, 400,000 additional jobs, or a 20% increase, were added in the previous two years.
The 2.4 million employment the business generates are spread over a wide range of industries, including 92,159 jobs for brewers and beer importers, 77,847 positions for manufacturers, 137,420 jobs for distributors, 52,220 jobs for farmers, and 979,805 jobs for retailers. Each employment in the brewing business creates 30 jobs across the nation, according to Beer Serves America.
For many years, premium alcoholic beverages have outperformed other price ranges, which has contributed to the continuous rise of craft beer. However, premiumization has started to show some signs of weakness in the first half of 2023, which may not be good for craft beer, which is already slowing due to a number of other causes.
Since 2019, the average unit price of all the products sold on Drizly has been steadily rising, rising by almost 17% over the previous five years. That average has stayed unchanged thus far in 2023. Uncertainty exists over the extent to which consumers of higher-end alcohol, such as craft beer, are prepared to give up their preferred libation in order to save money. It is undeniable that inflation has caused a change in consumer purchasing habits. Craft beer has done well during previous recessions because consumers have a tendency to be more frugal and hunt for discounts, but they don’t seem to have switched to less expensive non-craft options.
The number of craft beer brands owned by multinational firms, which have a greater capacity to give discounts, is one aspect that sets the current recession apart from previous ones. The big brewers may increase their craft beer selections in the grocery store aisles as a result, which could make it more difficult for smaller, independent brewers to compete on pricing.
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) will sell eight of its beer and beverage brands to Tilray Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY), a craft beer and cannabis firm that was among the first to receive a medical cannabis licence in Canada.
Shock Top, Blue Point, 10 Barrel, Breckenridge, Redhook, Widmer Brothers, Square Mile Cider, and HiBall Energy are among the brands covered by the agreement. Tilray Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY), with a 5% market share, will rise to the position of fifth-largest craft brewer in the United States upon fulfilment of normal closing conditions.
One of the most striking features of this acquisition is the startlingly low price that Tilray Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY) paid for all 8 breweries together: $85 million. That works out to approximately $150 per barrel, which is a long way from the peak of the craft beer market, when brands were going for up to $1,000 per barrel only 6 to 8 years ago. As they chase customer tastes that are now drifting into non-craft and non-beer categories, the giant multinational brewers are losing interest in craft beer, as evidenced by this deal. Tilray Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY), one of the largest marijuana companies in the world, already owns a number of beverage brands.
The largest beer producer in the world, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD), is currently experiencing some difficulties in the American market as a result of the recent controversy surrounding its best-selling brand, Bud Light, which caused the iconic brand to lose its title as the top-selling beer in America after nearly two decades. The beer titan had previously stated three months ago that it was trying to concentrate its efforts on fewer brands as a result of its declining beer volumes in the domestic market, which is why it sold the aforementioned brands to Tilray.
In order to gather information for this post, we turned to BeerAdvocate, the industry standard for beer reviews, to find the Top-Rated Beers in America. The following brews have been ranked based on the website’s overall rating for them. The ratings were given out of a possible 5. We sorted beers by the quantity of reviews they received when their average ratings were the same.