“Beer is the proof that Our Creator loves us and wants us to be happy”: that is a quote from no less than Benjamin Franklin. Beer is somehow a drink wherein everyone loves. It is always present on happy moments; some parties even on simple family gatherings. Who doesn’t love a good beer? Who can resist its one of a kind tempting taste?
Regardless, if you love beer or not, now is a great time to be a drinker; but not just a drinker, be a “responsible drinker”. There are so many perfect taps, bottles and even cans out there to choose from. Of course, with so many options, it can become a bit overwhelming. So I gathered some beers that everyone must try. It is based on different sites and blogs plus my own personal experiences. So let us start knowing what are the 30 best beers in the world.
On the 30th place would be Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout. I actually enjoyed this beer. The nose was of sweet chocolate, vanilla, and light bourbon. The vanilla and bourbon were predominant but neither was overpowering. The flavors were nice and superbly well meshed. The chocolate and bourbon finished quite well together. It was exceptionally smooth, perfect in body. This beer was fantastic.
The 29th spot goes to Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS). This beer is a bit of backwoods pleasure without the banjo. This strong stout is brewed with a hint of coffee and vanilla then aged in oak bourbon barrels. Our process ensures that strong bourbon undertones come through in the finish in every batch we brew. We recommend decanting at room temperature and best enjoyed in a brandy snifter.
St. Bernardus Abt 12 gets the 28th spot. It is the absolute top quality in the hierarchy of the St. Bernardus beers. It is also the beer with the highest alcohol content (10.50 %). A dark ivory colored beer with a high fermentation. The show piece of the brewery would be this one. Thanks to its soft and unconditionally genuine aroma, the beer can be smoothly tasted. St. BernardusAbt 12 has a very fruity flavor that everyone can enjoy.
27th place goes to Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. The nose of it is a mix of charred oak, vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average case of beer. It overpowers anything in the room. People have even said that it’s a great cigar beer, but I haven’t yet tried a cigar that would stand up to it. Yet, it’s a must try beer!
Mikkeller X Imperial Stout 2007 got the 26th spot. It has deep black pour with very little in the way of head. Aromas were very unusual: chocolate, coffee, soy sauce, some very herbalicious notes, and licorice. I could keep my nose over this all day. Flavors follow suite, roasty, chocolate, soy, and some other elements that are hard to define. I agree that there was a strong or rather identifiable Brett character, though I’m not sure what it would be like in a 15% stout anyway.
The 25th spot goes to Foothills Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout. It is a cocoa infused Imperial Stout – Opaque black in color with a dark brown head as its appearance. Big chocolate aroma with notes of espresso, blackstrap molasses, dark sweet toffee and dark fruit are the most notable aromas of this beer. Smooth dark chocolate backbone with complex notes of coffee, dark toffee and dark fruit. It is one of the fruity and chocolate fusions of beer one must try.
Stone Imperial Russian Stout got the 24th spot. What better than a warm time of year to come out with a brew that tastes great as it warms up! That’s because "ice cold" is certainly not the appropriate way to serve the beer. Nearly without exception, the darker, richer and more alcoholic a brew is, the warmer the serving temperature should be. The Stone Imperial Stout label describes the brew as being "intensely aromatic (notes of anise, black currants, coffee, roastiness and alcohol) and heavy on the palate. Expect this mysterious brew to pour like used motor oil and taste even heavier!
On the 23rd spot is Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout. This one is Yeti Imperial Stout’s sophisticated sibling. Although these beers come from the same clan, they have entirely different personalities. Aging on a blend of French and toasted oak chips infuses a subtle oak and vanilla character into Yeti’s already intense chocolate, roasted coffee malt flavor and hugely assertive hop profile. This is another beer that America really wants.
On the 22nd place, no less than Russian River Pliny the Elder. It pours beautiful golden color, with frothy head. Smells of citrus, ton of grapefruit and hops are all around whenever you smell it. Lots of lemon zest as well, with pine is present. It taste just as it smells. A really excellent balance of flavors, combined with a little sweetness but not too much. Definitely hop forward. Overall a really well executed one. No wonder its brewery is one of the world’s finest.
Westvleteren Extra 8 got the 21st place. Its appearance was murky browns under a soft bready khaki head. Swirls creamy are observed in this beer as well. It aroma was essence of age – old wood, old leather. Brown sugar pumpernickel underneath essence are there too. Its taste was rich and pure with cake and figs on the side. Sweetness then spice makes it truly unique. Westvleteren is truly the white whale of the beer geek world; I believe that of all the West beers it is the best.
On the 20th spot is Nøgne Dark Horizon First Edition. This is ale; it is also a wine, and a coffee drink. They’ve been playful and brewed a hybrid. Do yourself and your friends a favor and share this bottle with those you deem worthy. Dark Horizon is indeed a global brew. Inspiration from the US Midwest, malt from England, bottles from Germany, name from Japan, sugars from Mauritius, hops from the Pacific rim, Yeast from Canada, coffee from Colombia, brewed in Grimstad, Norway. It is truly a world class beer.
The 19th spot is reserved for Mikkeller Simcoe Single-hop IPA. This is the second Mikkeller on the list. “Simcoe” is the citrusy, pine-scented variety of hybrid hops used to make this juicy, American-style IPA from self-proclaimed “gypsy brewer” Mikkel Borg Bjergso, who has no commercial beer-making operation of his own. The Dane instead travels to the world’s top craft breweries to make collaborative brews, like this one with a grapefruity aroma and faintly sweet, biscuit-like backbone. It’s his best experiment yet.
18th place is no wonder for Nogne O Porter of Norway. This is the second Norway pride on our list. Det Kompromisslose Bryggeriet (“the uncompromising brewery” to you and me) is a new-school microbrewery in the maritime town of Grimstad making big-hearted riffs on British, Belgian, and American styles. Its signature beer, translated as “Barren Isle,” comes from an Ibsen description of the desolate coastline near where the beers — including this roasty, chocolaty, slightly smoky, and piney porter — are made in minuscule batches. This is definitely one of Norway’s prides.
Hitachino Nest Beer XH of Japan got the 17th place. It is a Belgian-style brown ale brewed in Japan and aged for three months in shochu casks. Though it may sound like some sort of beer-world curiosity that’s tastier in concept than in execution, this strong, spicy, frothy oddity from Japan’s most famous craft brewery reveals delicious, complex flavors of cinnamon and wood with a gin-like aroma — from its time in the rice-wine barrels — that are far more appealing than one might expect. It is truly a world class one.
Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse garnered 16th place. The product of a transatlantic collaboration between New York’s Brooklyn Brewery and Germany’s Schneider Weisse, Hopfen-Weisse has an aroma of citrus tang and coriander with flavors of melon and tropical fruit, all of which add up to a hefty, outdoor-drinking beer. This is one of the fruit beers that are truly leading on international markets.
Start the Future of Netherlands is on the 15th place. Figuring that most American beers are only around 5% ABV, drinking just one bottle of this beverage would be like pounding a 12-pack of Budweiser. As far as I’m concerned, this beer would be more aptly named “The Future is Crap” or “Black Holed Nightmare Brew,” but the name is inconsequential considering how bombed this booze will get you. By the second beer you’ll already be slurring your words. Its hops, aromas, and the taste would definitely be a sure win. This is a beer that drinkers can’t handle due to its high alcohol level.
14th place is saved for Samuel Adams Noble Pils. It’s not just a commercial: Brewmaster Jim Koch actually does visit Germany’s Stanglmair Farm every year to check on his crop of “noble” hops — the five most esteemed strains of the approximately 100 hop species. All five go into this crisp, slightly bitter German-style pilsner: the most delicious new beer in town. This is a must taste beer! You would miss something in your life if you are not able to taste this.
Sinebrychoff Porter got the 13th spot. It would be one of the most famous beer brands throughout the globe. It is considered maybe as one of the best light beer for its decent, easy to drink and low alcohol content. Not overly flavorful or anything out of this world, but worth a chance if your a Boston lager fan, maybe looking for a spin on the classic lager or trying something new. I guess this beer is recommended for all who just want to enjoy the night with a light dinner on the side.
Ninkasi Total Domination IPA is on the 12th place. Oregon’s Ninkasi is one of the nation’s fastest-growing breweries, thanks in large part to this unsubtly named beer. Ninkasi was the ancient Sumerian goddess of brewing. It boasts a potent, aggressive IPA with pungent hops and flavors of citrus rind and caramel. Its aroma is the pulling factor for this beer. A true blue Asian pride!
11th place is for Sly Fox Pikeland Pils. A canned beer should be one that you want to string along beside the canoe and then crack open on a 95-degree day — which is why the aluminum-sheathed Sly Fox pilsner, a refreshing yet substantial straw-colored, artisanal-quality beer, gets the nod for the best damned can in the land. It got the light taste, refreshing aroma and good mouthfeel. It’s a cool beer to bring during different parties.
De Ranke Brewery Saison de Dottignies got the 10th spot. De Ranke makes dry, herbal beers, exemplified by this rarity that manages to combine the appealing, earthy background flavors imparted by a Belgian yeast strain with the juicy apricot and thyme-like notes only found in Belgium’s saison-style beers which are light-bodied, medium-strength brews that are fast gaining national recognition.
Helles Schlenkerla Lagerbier grabs the 9th spot. Brewed in a corner of Bavaria where lagers are often served with breakfast. This morning-bright beer is tinged with an aged smokiness that makes it the perfect mate for your weisswurst. Its brewery that dates back to 1405 sets record for making this brand okay to drink for breakfast. It is also a worldwide craze from this moment.
Peak Organic Pale Ale is nailed on the 8th place. The all-organic Peak Brewing Company has done the unheard-of. It has made pale ale remarkable as a bright, copper-colored beer with a slightly sy, hoppy citrus tang muted by a solid, and toasty malt body. Its aroma and mouthfeel are absolutely the best.
Brasserie de la Senne Taras Boulba grabs the 7th spot. Lesser Belgian beers hammer the tongue with cloying flavors reminiscent of fruitcake. Not so with the remarkably full-spectrum Taras Boulba, a Belgian-style pale ale that, at 4.5 percent ABV, is only a smidgen stronger than a Coors Light but crackles with complex layers of peppery spice atop a mellow, grassy, and pleasantly sweet body making it an all out European favorite.
6th spot is already reserved for Allagash Curieux. The first and the best in a special series of barrel-aged beers from one of America’s finest breweries, Allagash Curieux is a boozy, golden Belgian-style tripel ale enhanced with caramel aromas and just a whiff of high-test hooch — the latter imparted by eight weeks of aging in Jim Beam barrels. It serves as one of the most celebrated drinks in USA.
5th place is exclusively for Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. It should be impossible for a beer that’s been hopped for 90 solid minutes (an average IPA gets 60) to be delicious; in fact, each sip should be like snorting aspirin. This, however, is brewmaster Sam Calagione’s specialty, and this confoundingly pleasant “extreme” beer is the purest expression of his skill.
21st Amendment Back in Black IPA gets the 4th place. Black IPA, which combines the evergreen pine of ample hops with the dark cocoa and coffee flavors of roasted barley, is the latest brewing style to be recognized by the Brewers Association. 21st Amendment has released the first year-round version available in cans, and it’s true to its name: It’s got all the righteous bite of AC/DC during the Bon Scott era.
3rd spot goes to Sierra Nevada Kellerweis. We’ve heard a lot about this unfiltered, slightly spicy Bavarian-style wheat beer from brewmasters, but Ninkasi’s Jaime Floyd summed it up best: “I only had it once on draft, but it was the best American-made Bavarian-style hefe I have ever had.” We concur. Everything about this beer is truly magical and truly one of a kind.
Olympia Beer of Wisconsin grabs the 2nd spot on our list. Paying under a buck for a mass-produced beer usually means hop character is nowhere to be found. But this light and creamy golden lager, originally from Washington State, actually has a touch of citrusy bitterness. It’s still hard to find east of the Rockies, but thanks to a growing resurgence, that might soon change. It is one of those beers you should taste or you’ll be missing something on your life.
Probably the best beer in this world and the most popular one would be Rochefort 10 of Belgium. What’s most remarkable about the Rochefort 10, besides simply how damn good it is, is that this 415-year-old recipe can still startle. Technically called a quadrupel, with 11.3 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and layer upon layer of flavors combining to render something akin to tawny port, the Rochefort 10 is the beer every Belgian brewmaster tries to imitate — light and sy despite a wine-level strength and an astonishing richness.
Since 1595, the monks at the Trappist Abbaye de Notre Dame de Saint Rémy in southern Belgium have lived in silence and risen at 3:15 am to start the day’s batches, which involve the simplest ingredients: malt, hops, water, yeast, and Belgian brewing sugars. They produce three styles — dubbed six, eight, and 10, after an old strength indication that now correlates loosely to the number of weeks the brewers age each type. But it’s the 10 that is king. Every sip is uniquely delicious. Sometimes you notice its unexpected spritziness, unusual in a mahogany-colored beer. Sometimes it’s the strange unfurling of flavors, from deep toffee and caramel to bright cherry that reach you first.
The only way to taste the brew is in a bottle, which at $8 to $10 per 11 ounces is about twice the cost of a standard microbrew. But consider the price of a top-rated whiskey or wine — and then consider that the 10 is beyond mere beer. It’s the ultimate affordable luxury. It is indeed truly the best among the rest!
