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The most popular craft breweries in the world in 2019, according to RateBeer’s users
Each year, consumer comparison site RateBeer tallies up the most popular independent breweries in the world based on its user reviews.
The ranking is based on ten different weighted scales that place an emphasis on reviews of the past year and top performing beers, but also includes historical all-around performance, a brewer’s range of performance across styles, and other factors to compare newer and older, larger and smaller brewers.
It’s worth noting that this year’s top 10 is made up exclusively of breweries in the USA. Brewers like Cloudwater, Mikkeler and Omnipolo have all fallen in the rankings.
“Some of our core contributors dedicate time and attention to reviewing that is unusual for a beer judge — about ten minutes per beer,’” said Joe Tucker, RateBeer’s founder.
Click through to see the breweries that made it into the top 10 this year.
10. Side Project Brewing
This Missouri-based brewer specialises in barrel-ageing, a growing trend within the craft beer community, and is best-known by its fans for “rustic saisons, wild ales and spirit barrel-aged ales,” according to its website.
Founded by Karen and Cory King in 2014, Side Project sells many of its beers in 75cl format. Latest releases include a series of imperial stouts clocking in at between 14% and 15% ABV.
9. New Glarus Brewing Company
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Located in the tiny Wisconsin village of New Glarus, this brewery is run by is run by couple Daniel & Deb Carey, who source their grain from local farms. Founded in 1993, New Glarus is now headquartered in a state of the art brewing facility, made to look like a Bavarian village.
8. Three Floyd’s Brewing Company
Three Floyds was founded in 1996 by brothers Nick and Simon, and their father Mike Floyd. The Indiana brewery regularly makes it into the upper echelons of Ratebeer’s ranking, producing an extensive core range of lagers and ales, with seasonal beers thrown into the mix year-round.
7. Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
Coming out of Decorah in Iowa, Toppling Goliath is known for small-batch brewing and this 12% stout, which was crowned RateBeer’s no. 1 beer in the world in 2015. The brewrey’s HQ is stocked with 100 barrels, a tap room, restaurant and its own merch store.
6. AleSmith Brewing Company
“Grand master” beer judge Peter Zien bought AleSmith and became its brewmaster in 2002, and since then has gone on to open a larger production facility and tasting room for visitors.
5. Tree House Brewing Company
Tree House started trading in 2011, and has risen through the ranks over the past eight years to make it into RateBeer’s top five. Like many of the breweries in our ranking, it became famous for delivering hazy, fruit-forward New England-style IPAs (NEIPAs), but many of its serves change with the seasons, like this pitch-black milk stout.
4. Cigar City Brewing
Founded in 2007 by former Tampa Bay Times beer writer Joey Redner, Florida brewery Cigar City focuses on a roster of higher-abv IPAs, pale ales and white ales produced year-round.
3. Trillium Brewing Company
Retaining its 2018 position, Boston-based brewery Trillium was launched in 2010 byJC and Esther Tetreault, and has since become known for its creative products and collaborations with fellow brewers.
2. Russian River Brewing
A new entry in to the top 10, Californian brewery Russian River was founded by Korbel Champagne Cellars in 1997.
The brewer started out as specialising in hop-forward and Belgian-style craft beers. Pliny the Younger – one of Russian River’s most-awarded serves – is painstakingly brewed by being dry-hopped four times, which has resulted in a balanced and juicy flavour, capped off with a bitter finish.
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Hill Farmstead Brewing
Once again, Hill Farmstead has held its position as the world’s most popular brewery.
This is the sixth consecutive year the Vermont brewery has won the top spot. Established in 2010, Hill Farmstead is world-renowned due to its exclusivity and small-scale production. Many of its beers, including American pale ales, IPAs, saisons and stouts, regularly reach the top of RateBeer’s consumer rankings.