Best in Beer 2021 Readers’ Choice: Who Brews It Best?

In our annual reader survey, we asked you to list your favorite brewer in each of these categories. 2020 rank is listed in parenthesis, with breweries new to the list this year denoted with a +.

Favorite American IPA Brewer

1. Russian River (1)
2. Sierra Nevada (3)
3. Stone (2)
4. Bell’s (4)
5. Lagunitas (6)
6. Dogfish Head (5)
7. Tree House (7)
8. Breakside (10)
9. Founders (14)
10. Firestone Walker (8)
11. Highland Park (12)
12. Deschutes (+)
13. Ballast Point (16)
14. Half Acre (+)
15. Odell (9)
16. Three Floyds (+)
17. New Belgium (+)
18. Cloudburst (+)
19. Fat Head’s (11)
20. Maine Beer (15)

Favorite Hazy IPA Brewer

1. Tree House (1)
2. Sierra Nevada (2)
3. The Alchemist (3)
4. WeldWerks (5)
5. Other Half (4)
6. Trillium (6)
7. New Belgium (11)
8. Hop Butcher (8)
9. Monkish (7)
10. Old Nation (10)
11. Reuben’s Brews (+)
12. Cloudwater (+)
13. Deschutes (16)
14. Highland Park (+)
15. Toppling Goliath (19)
16. Samuel Adams (+)
17. Firestone Walker (+)
18. Bell’s (14)
19. Great Notion (+)
20. Dogfish Head (+)

Favorite Saison Brewer

1. Dupont (1)
2. Boulevard (3)
3. Hill Farmstead (2)
4. Allagash (4)
5. Ommegang (6)
6. Jester King (5)
7. Fair Isle (12)
8. Funkwerks (8)
9. Wolves & People (+)
10. Side Project (9)
11. Oxbow (18)
12. Sante Adairius (7)
13. Fantôme (16)
14. Jolly Pumpkin (+)
15. Perennial (+)
16. Highland Park (13)
17. Blaugies (+)
18. Casey (19)
19. Floodland (+)
20. Dunham (+)

Favorite Abbey-Style Brewer

1. Chimay (4)
2. Ommegang (1)
3. Allagash (2)
4. Westmalle (5)
5. New Belgium (6)
6. St. Bernardus (3)
7. Westvleteren (7)
8. Rochefort (9)
9. Duvel (11)
10. The Lost Abbey (8)
11. Unibroue (10)
12. Orval (12)
13. Spencer (15)
14. Monkless (+)
15. Boulevard (14)
16. Delirium (16)
17. La Trappe (18)
18. Taxman (+)
19. Avery (+)
20. Monkish (20)

Favorite Sour or Wild Ale Brewer

1. Cantillon (1)
2. Jester King (2)
3. Russian River (3)
4. Cascade (5)
5. Crooked Stave (4)
6. Allagash (16)
7. Jolly Pumpkin (9)
8. New Belgium (6)
9. Side Project (17)
10. Urban Artifact (+)
11. The Rare Barrel (11)
12. Rodenbach (+)
13. 3 Fonteinen (15)
14. de Garde (10)
15. Wicked Weed (7)
16. Dogfish Head (+)
17. Destihl (+)
18. Drekker (+)
19. Casey (8)
20. Sante Adairius (+)

Favorite Stout or Porter Brewer

1. Guinness (1)
2. Founders (2)
3. Left Hand (4)
4. Goose Island (5)
5. Bell’s (3)
6. Deschutes (12)
7. Fremont (7)
8. Tree House (11)
9. New Holland (+)
10. North Coast (6)
11. Side Project (8)
12. Sierra Nevada (17)
13. The Bruery (+)
14. Three Floyds (+)
15. Firestone Walker (15)
16. Samuel Smith (16)
17. Toppling Goliath (+)
18. WeldWerks (13)
19. Holy Mountain (+)
20. Great Divide (+)

Favorite Pale Ale Brewer

1. Sierra Nevada (1)
2. Oskar Blues (2)
3. Deschutes (12)
4. Three Floyds (3)
5. Toppling Goliath (5)
6. Bell’s (6)
7. Hill Farmstead (4)
8. Firestone Walker (15)
9. Maine Beer (11)
10. Half Acre (8)
11. Summit (+)
12. Trillium (7)
13. Tree House (9)
14. Dogfish Head (+)
15. Lagunitas (10)
16. Founders (17)
17. Boulevard (20)
18. Fremont (18)
19. Georgetown (14)
20. Odell (19)

Favorite Lager Brewer

1. Bierstadt Lagerhaus (2)
2. Samuel Adams (3)
3. Jack’s Abby (1)
4. Yuengling (4)
5. Dovetail (6)
6. Pilsner Urquell (8)
7. Wayfinder (12)
8. Weihenstephaner (13)
9. Chuckanut (11)
10. Ayinger (10)
11. Paulaner (+)
12. Notch (+)
13. Highland Park (14)
14. The ABGB (+)
15. Heater Allen (+)
16. Great Lakes (16)
17. Victory (15)
18. Firestone Walker (7)
19. Schilling (+)
20. Spaten (+)