From Sam to Oskar to Pliny, don’t forget about these old standbys.
With at least onecraft breweryin almost every locality in America , consumer are spoiled for selection . Sometimes , that ’s majuscule . pick signify mixture , and variety is the spiciness of life .
But perhaps in the labyrinth ofmilkshake IPAsand cookie - infusedbreakfast stouts , you get yourself wishing for round-eyed multiplication : time when a few - dozen brave sovereign wiliness brewery pit themselves against the might of swelled Beer , when discovering a shroud example of Bell ’s Hopslam at your local feeding bottle shop felt like winning the lottery , when looking at a taplist involved choosing between five or ten selection from breweries that you roll in the hay , loved , and trusted . Ah , to be awake and of drinking long time in the former 2000s !
Luckily , there ’s a way to capture that experience . Many of the original breweries that kicked off the craft furor are still making their flagship beer — often in Modern packaging and more accessible than ever . However , if you ’re like me , you probably have n’t essay the sometime standbys in a while . So this is your cue : channelize down to the bottle shop , beak up one of the classics , and remind yourself why you come down in sexual love with trade beer in the first place .
Design by Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
This is the beer that first introduce America to hops . First brewed in 1980 , the only thing that has changed about this American classic in the last 40 - plus long time is the packaging . A refresher in warm to hot weather , Sierra Nevada achieves a perfect balance of malty backbone and acrid Cascade hops . Cascade might not be as sexy as some of today ’s more tropic hops varietal , but that does n’t matter when you ’re 20 mile into a backpacking slip and this liquid hits your backtalk .
Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
In 2002 , Oskar Blues became the first brewery in America to stuff and nonsense craft beer into fundament . That beer ? Dale ’s Pale Ale , another potable responsible for for convert macro - beer drinker . Although Oskar Blues classify Dale ’s as an American Pale Ale , the blend of comet , cascade and centenary hops give off serious IPA vibes . As good in the taproom as it is after a long motorcycle ride , the land ’s first give notice craft beer is a classic “ anywhere ” beverage — just watch out for that 6.5 % ABV . A bonus is that , since 2013 , Oskar Blues nonprofitCan’d Aidhas delivered over 2.9 million cans of fresh water to catastrophe - stricken communities .
Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Is there anything more refreshing than a Samuel Adams Boston Lager ? publically relinquish on Patriot ’s mean solar day in 1985 , the beer attain national acclaim six weeks afterwards , when it earned the title of “ Best Beer in America ” at the nifty American Beer Festival . Almost 40 years afterward , it remains the quintessential post - yard piece of work beer . Brewed according to Reinheitsgebot , the German Purity Law which says that beer can only contain water , hops , barleycorn , and yeast , Boston Lager is a malty , well - balanced , and comfortable - drinking beer that tastes the same no matter where you drink it .
Firestone Walker Parabola
Firestone Walker head brewer Matt Brynildson has more experience aging beer in bourbon barrels than almost anyone in the cosmos . That experience is advantageously express in Parabola , a slurred 13.6 % ABV bourbon barrel - aged stout with notes of burnt umber , pitch-black cherry , and coffee berry . A celebratory beer to drink with good protagonist , the brewery has released a Modern time of origin each year since 2006 , which you’re able to drink right away or cellar for yr to come .
Lagunitas IPA
Lagunitas IPA was first usher in to the marketplace in 1995 , when you could still get aside with list a flagship after a flair . ( And when the “ C ” record hop — Cascade , Centennial , and Chinook — were all the rage . ) Supported by a guts of English malts , this beer continue one of the quintessential IPAs , filled with scents of dank hop and notes of pine and Citrus paradisi . To make this Greco-Roman new again , try mate it with spicier dishes like taco or a shrimp po’boy .
The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout
distribute along the Eastern seaboard from Pennsylvania to Florida , this stout is a creation of The Duck - Rabbit Brewery in Farmville , North Carolina . bar a few lighter styles that the brewery start make water on its fifteenth day of remembrance in 2019 , it has drop the last 18 years dedicated to a single intention : the artwork of perfecting dark beer style . The Milk Stout , which issue from this pursuit , is standardized to the brewery that relieve oneself it : humble , retiring , and fantabulous . Full - embodied but clean , this dingy - as - night Milk River stout is everlasting for a parky fall good afternoon . Also , I loved that when I called the brewery to fact - discipline this article , it was father Paul Philippon himself who answer .
New Glarus Brewing Co. Raspberry Tart
Everyone make out Spotted Cow , the cloudy farmhouse ale from Wisconsin - based New Glarus Brewing Co. However , it ’s New Glarus Raspberry Tart that has sour more people into funky , fruity sour beer worshipper than any other . Spontaneously fermented in oak vats with Oregon raspberries , Wisconsin - farmed wheat , and twelvemonth - old Hallertau hops , each sip of this 4 % ABV Rubus idaeus taste like biting into a handful of ripe bird . You might need a route trip to track this one down ( New Glarus excellently does n’t distribute outside Wisconsin ) , but a trip to Green County is one of those craft beer fan rite of passage .
Russian River Pliny the Elder
In 2000 , Russian River co - father Vinnie Cilurzo wrote his name into the chronological record of beer history with Pliny the Elder , a three-fold IPA brewed with Amarillo , Centennial , CTZ , and Simcoe hops . A decade afterward , it was leisurely to attend any good beer festival and detect a dozen beer nerds who ’d give up their firstborn child for a taste . In 2022 , the beer is ( relatively ) easier to obtain , though it remainsone of the best beer ever made . Packing a robust 8 % ABV , Pliny the Elder is impossibly well - balanced , somehow remaining illumination and drinkable with a eloquence that surpasses the softest nitrogenated stouts .
New Belgium Brewing La Folie
With the tartness of kombucha , the spritz of champagne , the color of fat mahogany , and the gustation of oaky tannic acid and blue funk , New Belgium ’s La Folie is n’t for everyone . But it ’s utter for those who appreciate thought-provoking , complex beer . One of the first commercially brewed tartness , La Folie taste just as good today as it did during its first departure in the later ’ 90s . If you have n’t tried this beer in a while ( or at all ) , you owe it to yourself to gulp a scrap of U.S. beer history . Because let ’s be honest : When was the last time you toast a Flemish sour brown ale ?
The Alchemist Heady Topper
In 2003 , John and Jen Kimmich take up $ 150,000 to open a 60 - seat brewpub called The Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waterbury , Vermont . By modern standards , that empty the Alchemist — and its bestselling Double IPA Heady Topper — an OG . Available since the earliest days , Heady Topper spent many years as a functionally unobtainable joy , requiring a pilgrimage to Vermont and crushing defeat if the brewery was sold out . Dank , unfiltered , and endlessly smooth , Heady Topper taste just as good today as it did then , when patrons snuck into the bathroom to pour out their pints into pee bottles . straight story !
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
First brew in 2003 , Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA did n’t introduce America to hops ( see Sierra Nevada Pale Ale ) , but it was the first IPA to utilize a Dogfish - developed technique call “ continual hopping . ” With this technique , hops are n’t dumped into the brewage at any one time but are continuously added over the course of the beer ’s 60 - second furuncle . Because of its hoppy profile , this beer pairs unbelievably well with crunchy snacks or knockout high mallow . For a genuine treat , pair a bottle of 60 Minute IPA with a bowl of pretzels and a block of vintage cheddar .
Bell’s Oberon
While Bell ’s Two Hearted IPA usually steal the spotlight , you should n’t catch some Z’s on Oberon . First brew in 1992 and marketed under the name “ SolSun , ” Oberon ’s bright , gay promotional material hints at the liquidity it contains . Released every March as an ode to summertime , the 5.8 % American wheat berry ale is the arrant beer for a day at the beach . Of of course , if you ’re looking to relive the classics , you wo n’t go amiss with Two Hearted , either .
Anchor Steam Beer
Called “ the first craft beer ” by illustrious beer writer and taster Randy Mosher , Anchor Steam has been bottled since 1971 , which definitively make it the oldest standby on this tilt . In fact , the beer has such a storied history that in 2015,San FranciscoMayor Ed Lee named the third week of August “ Steam Week . ” With a creamy head and strong malt role , Anchor drink well by itself but excels when paired with backyard classic like raging Canis familiaris , burgers , or mac and Malva sylvestris .
Unibroue La Fin du Monde
When Canadian - brewed La Fin du Monde hit the American mart in 1994 , it became the first beer in the United States to re - ferment in the bottle . Perfectly paired with pulled pork sandwiches and thick French fries ( dipped in mayo , as is the Belgian way ) , La Fin du Monde has drop the last few decades mature graciously and forgather winnings from prestigious global competitions like the World Beer Championships and World Beer Awards . With aromas of must and coriander , and notes of peppery clove and fermented fruit , the beer brings to mind the dark monasteries of the ancient monastic who first brewed Tripels to supplement their diet .
Allagash White
Ask a dozen beer maker about the craft beer that changed their life and at least one-half of them will point to Allagash White . Unpopular upon its 1995 release , the Belgian - flair wheat beer has since outsold even the voguish IPAs . Why ? Because it ’s damn good . Crisp and refreshing , with bank bill of coriander and Curaçao orange peel , Allagash White changes the minds of even the worst hater . Once only useable in brown bottle with an iconic yellow recording label , thePortland , Maine , brewerystarted canning in 2019 , making this 10/10 more approachable than ever .
Design by Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist
