The Best Beer To Drink: A Comprehensive Guide

With the rise of craft beer, it can be challenging to find the best brew. Beer is so many things: it's perfect for both everyday and special occasions, and it comes in a variety of styles, from light to dark, rich to robust, and sour to sweet. So, what is the best beer to drink? Well, that depends on your taste preferences and the occasion.

If you're looking for a well-balanced beer with a good blend of citrus, hops, and sweetness, Peace Tree Blonde Fatale Belgian-Style Blonde Ale is a great option. It has an ABV of 8.5%, making it a strong beer that packs a punch. For something lighter, Estrella Inedit Damm is a barley- and wheat-based extra lager with notes of coriander, orange, and spice. It's food-friendly and perfect for dining.

For a high-grade craft beer, Lagunitas DayTime IPA is an excellent choice. It's easy-drinking, hoppy, and bursting with citrus and tropical fruit flavours. If you prefer German beers, Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier is a golden wheat beer with a full body and flavours of banana and clove. It's a dream pairing for an old-school Bavarian veal sausage and cheese.

For stout lovers, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout is a rich, slightly sweet, and certified organic and vegan-friendly option. And if you're after something hoppy yet manageable, Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale has all the dank hoppiness of a more assertive IPA but at a lighter, smoother pace.

So, there you have it! These are just a few of the best beers to drink, depending on your preferences. Cheers!

Best light beers

Light beers are typically defined by their lower ABV (around 5%) and lower calorie content. While light beers have historically been associated with mass-produced, bland, and flavourless beers, this is beginning to change, especially in the craft beer world. Here are some of the best light beers you can try:

Night Shift Brewery Nite Lite Craft Light Lager

At 4.3% ABV, this light lager from Massachusetts is an effortlessly drinkable beer with plenty of flavour and only 120 calories. It has tasting notes of citrus, bread, and corn.

Miller Lite Lager Beer

Known as the original light beer, Miller Lite is an award-winning, mainstream American pilsner. With just 96 calories and 3.2 grams of carbs, it has a classic golden hue, a Galena hops-driven aroma, and a crisp, slightly sweet finish.

Guinness Pub Draught Stout

Although it may be surprising to see this iconic dark ale on a list of light beers, Guinness Draught is technically a light beer with a low ABV of 4.2%. It has tasting notes of chocolate, caramel, and coffee, and is versatile enough to pair with various dishes or be used in cocktails.

Lagunitas DayTime IPA

Lagunitas DayTime IPA is a light beer that doesn't skimp on flavour. With only 98 calories, 3 grams of carbs, and a 4% ABV, it is easy drinking, hoppy, and balanced, with notes of citrus and tropical fruit.

Tecate Original

Tecate Original is a Mexican beer with a reasonable 141 calories, a 4.5% ABV, and a classic flavour profile. It has tasting notes of malt, bread, and sweet corn, making it a great choice for summer grilling or anything fresh off the grill.

Bell’s Light Hearted Ale Lo-Cal IPA

Bell’s Light Hearted Ale is a well-received low-ABV, low-calorie IPA from Michigan. With a blend of Centennial and Galaxy hops, it has signature notes of caramel malt, pine, and citrus, and at 3.7% ABV and 110 calories, it’s a flavorful brew that packs a lighter punch.

Heineken Light

Heineken Light is a great choice for springtime. It has almost grassy notes with some citrus zest, giving off music festival vibes. It's an uplifting beer that won't weigh you down.

Bud Light

A fresh, crisp Bud Light straight from the fridge is undeniably one of the best light beers. It has a touch of malty sweetness on the finish and is refreshing.

Michelob Ultra

Michelob Ultra is a light beer that is perfect for fall. It has a toasty aroma with notes of pear and fall-like malt flavours. It tastes fresh and crisp and is a great choice for patio or porch drinking.

Best low-carb beers

If you're looking for a beer that's both low-carb and tasty, there are a few options to consider. Here are some of the best low-carb beers you can try:

Lagunitas DayTime IPA

This California-crafted ale is a high-grade craft IPA that's light on carbs, with only 3 grams of carbs and 98 calories. It's easy to drink, hoppy, balanced, and bursting with citrus and tropical fruit flavours. With a low ABV of 4%, it's the perfect refreshing beer for summer or any time of year.

Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty

If you're an IPA fan, this low-calorie brew might be the one for you. With only 3.6 grams of carbs and 95 calories, it packs a lot of hoppy flavour and aroma without the extra carbs and calories.

Michelob Ultra

Michelob Ultra is a popular choice for those looking for a low-carb option. With 2.9 grams of carbohydrates and 95 calories per 12-ounce serving, it's a great choice if you're counting carbs or calories. It has a similar flavour profile to the original Michelob, but with slightly better nutrition.

Corona Premier

Corona Premier is a low-calorie, low-carb option from Grupo Modelo in Mexico. It has fewer calories and carbs than Corona Light, with only 90 calories and 2.6 grams of carbs per serving.

Beck's Premier Light

Beck's Brewery, which opened in the 19th century in northern Germany, makes this light beer that's perfect for a hot summer day. With only 3.9 grams of carbohydrates, Beck's Premier Light has sweet and fruity flavours without the extra carbs.

Miller Lite

Miller Lite was the first modern American light lager, invented by Rheingold biochemist Dr. Joseph L. Owades in 1967. With its "great taste, less filling" slogan, Miller Lite kicked off the light lager trend. Any American light lager will help you cut down on carbs, and many local craft breweries now offer their own versions if you want to support small businesses.

So, if you're looking for a refreshing beer that won't derail your low-carb diet, these are some excellent options to choose from. Remember to always drink responsibly and in moderation.

Best German beers

Beer is a significant part of German culture. In fact, in 2020, Germany was ranked third in Europe for per-capita beer consumption. German beer is made with only four ingredients: water, hops, yeast, and malt. One of the best German beers, according to Liquor.com, is Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier, a golden wheat beer with full-bodied flavours of banana and a touch of clove. It's won a chest full of international awards and is produced by one of the oldest breweries in the world, Weihenstephaner, which has been brewing since 1040.

Other top German beers include the Doppelsticke Uerige Obergärige Hausbrauerei Altbier, a strong, dark, top-fermented beer with an ABV of 8.5%; the Ayinger Weizenbock, a strong, dark wheat beer with an ABV of 7.1%; and the Aventinus Eisbock Schneider Weisse, a strong, dark, bottom-fermented wheat beer with an ABV of 12%.

If you're looking for a traditional German beer, you might want to try a Helles, a malty pale lager from Bavaria with an ABV of around 5%, or a Pilsener, a pale lager with a light body and a more prominent hop character, which is the most popular style in Germany, holding around two-thirds of the market.

Best sour beers

Sour beers are typically brewed with an ale yeast and then inoculated with souring bacteria and yeasts such as Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces. They can be difficult to find, but there are some great options out there. Here are some of the best sour beers to try:

Black Project Peacemaker

This complex beer is a blend of two beers fermented from coolship-caught microbes and then aged in bourbon barrels that previously held Colorado cherry wine. It has a softened bourbon character with traces of caramel, vanilla, and oak, complemented by bright cherry and strawberry fruitiness. A subtle funk and light barnyard characteristics add depth to this sophisticated, layered beer.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery SeaQuench Ale

This refreshing sour is the perfect summer drink. It walks the fine line between a gose, a salty, wheaty golden beer, and a hardcore sour. With notes of lemon, salt, and hops, it will leave you feeling refreshed and tingly.

Creature Comforts Tritonia

Cucumber takes centre stage in this ultimate summer refresher. A clean, incredibly refreshing cucumber note shines through from start to finish, complemented by coriander and a big twist of lemon-lime citrus. The tartness is just right, providing a firm but not excessive sourness.

Hitachino Nest White Ale

This Japanese brew has an iconic owl logo and is the pride of the Kiuchi Brewery, which has been in the business for over eight generations. It's a witbier that ferments with wheat malt and features nutmeg, coriander, and citrus zest. The result is a fresh and balanced beer with a crisp, orange-hinted complexity.

Key Lime Pie Gose (Westbrook Brewing Co.)

This unique beer offers a fun and fruity twist on the traditional gose style. It's a great choice for those who enjoy a tangy, tart beer with a sweet dessert-like twist.

These beers showcase the diverse and exciting world of sour beers, offering a range of flavours and styles to explore and enjoy.

Best craft beers

Craft beer has been proliferating like never before, with new varieties appearing weekly in bars and on specialty shop shelves. Here are some of the best craft beers to try:

Anchor Liberty Ale

Anchor Brewing's Liberty Ale is considered America's first dry-hopped pale ale and introduced drinkers to the Cascade hop. It acquainted American drinkers with whole Cascade hops and the almost-forgotten dry-hopping method, inspiring many young brewers to follow a new road.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale

Bell's Two Hearted Ale is one of the best craft beers available. It's a hop-heavy American-style IPA with 7% ABV, filled with pure pine, soft floral and juicy grapefruit flavours, a striking nose owed to Bell's house yeast, and a superbly dry yet lingering finish.

Dogfish Head SeaQuench Ale

SeaQuench Ale is a session sour that walks the fine line between gose (a salty, wheaty golden beer) and hardcore sour. It's the ultimate summer refresher, with a clean, incredibly refreshing cucumber note that shines through from start to finish.

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

This strong, dark beer has a very light mouthfeel. It tastes like a smooth bourbon with an alcoholic bite at the end. The finish is bitter, but also a little sweet, like drinking an espresso with a spoonful of sugar.

Ithaca Flower Power IPA

Ithaca Beer Co.'s Flower Power is recognised as one of the first West Coast-style IPAs brewed in the Northeast. It captured the true power of the hop flower with its clover honey hue, lush floral flavour, and robust, fruity aroma from numerous hop additions in the kettle and dry-hopping.

New Belgium La Folie

New Belgium Brewing Company's La Folie is a Flemish-style brown sour aged in big oak barrels (foeders). It was the first sour foeder beer brewed in the States with the help of former Rodenbach Brewery brewer Peter Bouckaert.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a remarkable beer that is both groundbreaking and a critical and commercial darling. Its focus on American hops has established it as the country's signature pale ale, and it has had a huge influence on the craft beer movement.

Toppling Goliath King Sue

Distributed nationally, this Iowa brew is highly prized for its abundance of citrus and hazy appearance. It has an ABV of 7.8% and is a tasty, high-ABV brew.

Victory Prima Pils

Victory Brewing Company's Prima Pils was a revelation when it was released in 1996. It's a pilsner bursting with herbal hop flavours that resolve into piney, tongue-tickling bitterness. It took the style head-on and wound up giving the craft beer movement its signature pils.

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