How a trip to a museum inspired a modern classic and the best-selling beer in Wisconsin.

The highly respected brewmaster from Wisconsin’s New Glarus guides us through six monumental beers that always lead to disappointment—because, inevitably, your glass is empty too soon.

We all know how profoundly the types of malt we use can change what we brew. Less obvious is how independent brewing is changing how barley itself is being grown—leading, eventually, to exciting new options for brewers.

**Aroma:** “High fruit, cherry, and cranberry notes up front with moderate sweetness toward the back. Strong sour cherry pie aroma, or cherry Jolly Rancher. A touch of alcohol lingers in the background.” **Flavor:** “Very strong sour cherry flavor that’s sweet with no bitterness and a bit of lemon acidic tartness. Some nice spice character— a touch of cinnamon or some pumpkin spices. The sweetness then fades to a cranberry-like tartness. Has a crisp carbonic bite that pairs well with the slight alcohol warming toward the end of the sip. The sweetness lingers in the finish.” **Overall:** “Cherry pie in a glass—a deep, fruity beer that is more sweet (almost too sweet) than it is tart. Almost candy-like at times. There is a slight tart note toward the end that intertwines with the carbonation but quickly dimin- ishes. A good sipping beer that would pair well with dessert.”

The humble variety pack has stepped into the spotlight as of late thanks to Sierra Nevada Brewing’s impressive undertaking.

**Aroma:** “Super powerful sweet fruity aroma—cherry, pear? Light malt sweetness. Big cherry and blackberry, oak, and sweet cherry. High sweetness and strong apple aroma.” **Flavor:** “Very sweet, Jolly Rancher– flavor with a light acidity. The fruits are hard to discern, but it tastes like unfer- mented apple juice and plums. Low sour could use bit more oomph to back up the sweetness. Malt profile is hidden, but hints at a touch of bread, without which this would push very close to wine cooler territory. Linger is fruity and has a light strawberry note mixed into the fruit.” **Overall:** “Very strong fruit flavors right on the edge of overly sweet wine cooler. I’d love to see this fruit blend toned down in a much more sour red ale. Very heavy, sweet beer with notes of cherry and slight strawberry. A good beer, but I don’t think I could finish a whole glass of it. Pairing this with a nice chocolate cake would be wonderful.”

an American craft brewery located in the small Swiss-flavored town of New Glarus, Wisconsin, is well known for its world-class interpretatio...

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.

Here are those rarest of drinks—products of studious craftsmanship and persistent tinkering, balancing great character with great drinkability. Once again, here are the pinnacles of the craft.

Brewers are experimenting with a variety of ways, old and new, to squeeze even more aroma and flavor from their hops and cram it into their beers. But how much hop saturation is too much for drinkers?

No broccoli was harmed in the making of this popular hazy imperial IPA from Other Half Brewing, based in Brooklyn, New York.

Steve Parker, cofounder and head brewer of Fidens in Albany, New York, details their approach to building the kind of soft, juicy, impactful hazy IPAs that keep you going back for more.

From cofounder and head brewer Kevin Stafford and the team at Finback in Queens, New York, comes their take on the contemporary hoppy pilsner—“a nice balance of new and old school.” (It was also a hit with our blind-review panel, tops in its class at 98/100.)

Scott Janish, cofounder of Sapwood Cellars and author of The New IPA, guides us on a science-driven deep-dive into ways to maximize and dial in hop aroma and flavor.

Courtesy of Kelsey McNair of North Park Beer in San Diego, here’s a homebrew-scale recipe for their new-school, double dry-hopped West Coast IPA with Citra, Mosaic, and Strata—a beer that won gold at the formidable LA IPA Fest in 2020.

Justin Burdt and the team at Ghost Town in Oakland, California, share this homebrew-scale recipe for the double IPA that won back-to-back GABF gold medals in 2021 and 2022—and helped them earn Brewery of the Year honors in 2022.

Hop-forward lagers are nothing new, but a new thread is emerging that more intentionally marries the great drinkability of a pilsner with the expressive hopping of a West Coast IPA. Could it be the best of both worlds?

The author of the new Brewers Publications book How to Make Hard Seltzer joins the podcast to talk about the best ways for brewers to dive into the sparkling world of this skyrocketing beverage.

Does the world need a new style of IPA? Never mind, don’t answer that—instead, we’ll let Beachwood brewmaster Julian Shrago respond with this recipe for what he calls a “hyper IPA.”

The Bierstadt brewers are back, as Ashleigh Carter and Bill Eye share deeper insights and more on their technical approach to German-style lagers that beg to be enjoyed in quantity.