3 Michigan Beers Among America’s Most Delicious
Do you like beeer? Beer has a wide variety of styles and tastes, there’s something for (nearly) everyone. In the United States, the craft beer scene is thriving, with numerous breweries pushing the boundaries of flavor. 24/7 Wall St., a financial and data analysis company, recently compiled a list of the top 40 most delicious beers in the country.
To compile the list, they examined various rankings and assessments on specialized platforms like Beer Advocate, Hop Culture, RateBeer, and Craft Beer & Brewing, as well as from more general publications. While numerical ratings, when available, were considered in their selections, they also took into account the insights and descriptions provided by reviewers, whether they were amateur enthusiasts or seasoned professionals.
Michigan beers ranked among the most delicious
Two Michigan-based beers secured positions in the top 20 rankings. Founders Brewing Co.’s Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS) claimed the 15th spot, while Bell’s Brewery’s Two Hearted Ale landed at number 11. CBS was described as a complex and satisfying creation, with praise for its dark, smooth, sweet, and oaky taste. Founders Brewing attributes this stout’s distinct character to a blend of coffee and imported chocolate aged in bourbon barrels previously used for maple syrup.
On the other hand, Two-Hearted Ale, an IPA named after Michigan’s Two-Hearted River in the Upper Peninsula, earned recognition for its well-balanced, refreshing, and smoothly piney hop notes.
Further up the list, Founders Brewery scored another success with Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) at number 2. Interestingly, it claimed the top spot in Beer Advocate’s recent ranking of America’s top 250 beers with a score of 4.83 out of 5. The website praised this beer for its rich, dense, sweet, complex, smooth, and memorable profile, combining flavors of chocolate, coffee, maple syrup, bourbon, figs, toffee, and vanilla.
Take a look at their complete list of the most delicious beers in America here.
Ranking The 4 Best Hard Seltzers
Since Memorial Day I have been fortunate enough to attend a wedding, beachside barbeques, and neighborhood get-togethers. Though food options varied, I did notice hard seltzers were a common beverage. There were multiple brands, so I decided to rank the ones that I tried.
Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer can be credited as the first official can to hit the shelves in 2013. Or you can go back to Zima as being a pioneer in this carbonated alcohol space. Nowadays, it seems like every brand has their own variation of spiked seltzer. With limited creativity in terms of flavor options (most people would prefer a simple pineapple flavor to a green apple, cherry, celery mashup any time), now certain beverage companies are swapping out the vodka mix for tequila. Furthermore, funny commercials and vibrant cans allow different marketing angles on seemingly similar drinks.
Speaking of marketing, a thinner can is often associated with containing a lower-calorie drink. A CNN op-ed speculates that most hard seltzers are displayed in these taller, skinny cans to distinguish themselves in a crowded liquor store.
My Methodology
In creating this ranking of the best hard seltzers, there were certain criteria that I considered to be most important. Taste is a broad category. It was imperative here that the drink was smooth, did not contain a syrupy aftertaste and actually tasked like the flavor it suggests. Then, I looked at the overall “nutrition” facts. Finally, I’d ask myself a question: “Would I drink another one, or would I buy a case of this repeatedly?”
It’s important to note that I disqualified top beer brands. While I applaud their efforts for the attempt at entering the hip space, I have yet to find one where their best product was not actually their beer. Lastly, I am not a big fruit juice person. Nor do I typically like citrus mixed with alcohol. In this case, however, there are four hard seltzers where I find the fruit flavor enjoyable. My top choice here is now a brand that I do keep stocked in my cooler.
Kayla is the midday host on Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce. She started her career in radio back in 2016 as an intern at another Detroit station and worked her way here. She's made stops in Knoxville, TN, Omaha, Ne and other places before returning to Detroit. She’s done almost everything in radio from promotions to web, creating content on social media, you name it.
She’s a true Michigander, born and raised. So, you can catch her camping or vacationing up north to exploring the downtown Detroit or maybe even catching a sports game. During her free time, Kayla enjoys watching movies, roller-skating, crafting, and music festivals. She and her husband together dip into many of the great things Michigan has to offer. Together they also like to travel.
A few hobbies of hers include wine and beer tastings, crafting, hiking, roller skating, movies, home improvement projects, gardening, and festivals. She’s always looking to take on more local events happening in the community.
She loves connecting with the community. When writing, Kayla covers topics including lifestyle, pop culture, trending stories, hacks, and urban culture.
