Joe Stange


Critic’s List: Joe Stange’s Best in 2023

Our managing editor—with his finger on the craft beer pulse from his outpost in Bangkok—selects top-of-mind picks and thoughts fresh off the past year in beer.

Podcast Episode 329: Best in Beer 2023 with Jamie Bogner and Joe Stange

In this special once-per-year episode honoring the pinnacles of the craft, our editors reveal their Best 20 Beers in 2023 and the results of the annual Craft Beer in Brewing Readers’ Choice poll.

The Best 20 Beers in 2023

From more than 1,000 beers winnowed down via blind judging throughout the year—and then winnowed further by more blind tasting with our top writers and editors—here are 20 beers that represent the very finest in brewing today.

Special Ingredient: Jackfruit

Popular in South Asia, this hulking tropical fruit with a sweet, creamy flavor may have something unique to add to the conversation.

Czech Lager: The Art of the Addictive

Whether you want to brew a more convincing Czech-style lager, or you simply want to borrow a few tricks to shape the kind of beer that seems impossible to stop drinking, here are some elements to consider.

All Access Recipe: Not for Adults NA Cucumber Gose

Developed by the team at the Barth Haas campus in Beijing, this refreshing (and convincing) nonalcoholic cucumber gose gets lactic acidification followed by fermentation with a special yeast for low-/no-alcohol beers.

The Bitterness Problem

It used to seem so simple—know your hops and when you add them to the boil, and you’ll know how bitter your beer will be. Now, thanks to IPA’s evolution and lots of new research, bitterness is getting … complicated. Here are key takeaways to help you dial it in.

Beer Temple Pours the Best from Chicago and the World

From our Love Handles files on the world’s great beer bars: Chicago’s Beer Temple serves a smartly chosen mix of craft classics and contemporary standouts, all with extra care.

Serious About Sahti, the Finnish Party Beer

The wider world has known about sahti for a few decades now, but many attempts to brew it have little to do with the real thing. For those who want to make something much closer to the Finnish farmhouse tradition, Mika Laitinen explains the basics.

Love Handles: Grab Some Singaporean Street Food Before Pints at Smith Street Taps

From our Love Handles files on the world’s great beer bars: In Singapore’s Chinatown district, this hawker’s stall in a food market is pouring the city’s best rotating selection of beers from near and far.