Beer Advocate's Top 100 Beers

Credit to Brookston Beer Bulletin for this excellent find and their thoughts on this.  Without further adieu, BA's updated Top 100 Beers List

Top 100 List (Beers in bold are ones I've been fortunate enough to sample)

1. Pliny The Elder, Russian River Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 8%)
2. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Founders Brewing (American Double/Imperial Stout; 11.2%)
3. Trappistes Rochefort 10, Brasserie de Rochefort (Quadrupel; 11.3%)
4. HopSlam Ale, Bell’s Brewery (American Double/Imperial IPA; 10%)
5. Stone Imperial Russian Stout, Stone Brewing (Russian Imperial Stout; 10.5%)
6. St. Bernardus Abt 12, Brouwerij St. Bernardus (Quadrupel; 10.50%)
7. Founders Breakfast Stout, Founders Brewing (American Double/Imperial Stout; 8.3%)
8. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Brauerei Weihenstephan (Hefeweizen; 5.4%)
9. Péché Mortel (Imperial Stout Au Cafe), Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel (American Double/Imperial Stout; 9.5%)
10. Celebrator Doppelbock, Brauerei Aying (Doppelbock; 6.7%)
11. Duvel, Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat (Belgian Strong Pale Ale; 8.5%)
12. Dreadnaught IPA, Three Floyds Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 9.5%)
13. Nugget Nectar, Tröegs Brewing (American Amber/Red Ale; 7.5%)
14. La Fin Du Monde, Unibroue (Tripel; 9%)
15. Bourbon County Stout, Goose Island (American Double/Imperial Stout: 13%)
16. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, North Coast Brewing (Russian Imperial Stout; 9%)
17. Two Hearted Ale, Bell’s Brewery (American IPA / 7.1%)
18. Ruination IPA, Stone Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 7.7%)
19. Schneider Aventinus, Private Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn (Weizenbock / 8.2%)
20. Double Bastard Ale, Stone Brewing (American Strong Ale / 10.5%)
21. 90 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American Double/Imperial IPA; 9%)
22. Hop Rod Rye, Bear Republic Brewing (American IPA; 8%)
23. Trappistes Rochefort 8, Brasserie de Rochefort (Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 9.2%)
24. Chimay Grande Réserve (Blue), Bières de Chimay, a.k.a. Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont (Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 9%)
25. Stone IPA, Stone Brewing (American IPA; 6.9%)
26. Arrogant Bastard Ale, Stone Brewing (American Strong Ale; 7.2%)
27. Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Great Lakes Brewing (American Porter; 5.8%)
28. Chocolate Stout, Rogue Ales (American Stout; 6%)
29. Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing (Russian Imperial Stout; 9.5%)
30. Ten FIDY, Oskar Blues Grill & Brewery (Russian Imperial Stout; 9.5%)
31. Storm King Stout, Victory Brewing (Russian Imperial Stout; 9.1%)
32. Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout, Rogue Ales (Oatmeal Stout; 6.1%)
33. Alpha King Pale Ale, Three Floyds Brewing (American Pale Ale; 6%)
34. Westmalle Trappist Tripel, Brouwerij Westmalle (Tripel; 9.5%)
35. Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout, Samuel Smith Old Brewery at Tadcaster (Russian Imperial Stout; 7%)
36. Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing (Russian Imperial Stout; 9.5%)
37. Hennepin (Farmhouse Saison), Brewery Ommegang (Saison/Farmhouse Ale; 7.7%)
38. Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout, Samuel Smith Old Brewery at Tadcaster (Oatmeal Stout; 5%)
39. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Brooklyn Brewery (Russian Imperial Stout; 10.1%)
40. Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, Stone Brewing (American Strong Ale; 7.2%)
41. Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, Stone Brewing (American Strong Ale; 8.7%)
42. Trois Pistoles, Unibroue (Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 9%)
43. Bell’s Expedition Stout, Bell’s Brewery (Russian Imperial Stout; 10.5%)
44. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American IPA; 6.8%)
45. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American Barleywine; 9.6%)
46. Racer 5 India Pale Ale, Bear Republic Brewing (American IPA; 7%)
47. Orval Trappist Ale, Brasserie d’Orval (Belgian Pale Ale; 6.9%)
48. Hercules Double IPA, Great Divide Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 10%)
49. Maharaja, Avery Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 10.3%)
50. Maudite, Unibroue (Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 8%)
51. Sierra Nevada Harvest Wet Hop Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American IPA; 6.7%)
52. Palo Santo Marron, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American Brown Ale; 12%)
53. Hop Stoopid, Lagunitas Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 8%)
54. Ommegang (Abbey Ale), Brewery Ommegang (Dubbel; 8.5%)
55. Anchor Porter, Anchor Brewing (American Porter; 5.6%)
56. HopDevil Ale, Victory Brewing (American IPA; 6.7%)
57. World Wide Stout, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American Double/Imperial Stout; 18%)
58. Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend, Brewery Ommegang (Quadrupel; 9.8%)
59. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, Wells & Young’s Ltd (Milk/Sweet Stout; 5.2%)
60. Smuttynose IPA “Finest Kind”, Smuttynose Brewing (American IPA; 6.9%)
61. Stone Smoked Porter, Stone Brewing (American Porter; 5.9%)
62. Chimay Première (Red), Bières de Chimay, a.k.a. Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont (Dubbel; 7%)
63. Indian Brown Ale, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American Brown Ale; 7.2%)
64. Chimay Tripel (White), Bières de Chimay, a.k.a. Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont (Tripel; 8%)
65. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American IPA; 7.2%)
66. Prima Pils, Victory Brewing (German Pilsener; 5.3%)
67. Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb, Paulaner Salvator Thomasbraeu (Hefeweizen; 5.5%)
68. Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Rogue Ales (American Brown Ale; 6.2%)
69. Hop Wallop, Victory Brewing (American Double/Imperial IPA; 8.5%)
70. Gonzo Imperial Porter, Flying Dog Brewer (Baltic Porter; 7.80%)
71. Fuller’s ESB, Fuller Smith & Turner (Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB); 5.9%)
72. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American Pale Ale; 5.6%)
73. Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, Samuel Smith Old Brewery at Tadcaster (English Brown Ale; 5%)
74. Delirium Tremens, Brouwerij Huyghe (Belgian Strong Pale Ale; 8.5%)
75. 60 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American IPA; 6%)
76. Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu (Hefeweizen; 5%)
77. Sierra Nevada Porter, Sierra Nevada Brewing (American Porter; 5.6%)
78. Anchor Liberty Ale, Anchor Brewing (American Pale Ale; 6%)
79. Samuel Adams Cream Stout, Boston Beer Company (Milk/Sweet Stout; 4.69%)
80. Dale’s Pale Ale, Oskar Blues Grill & Brewery (American Pale Ale; 6.5%)
81. Mocha Porter, Rogue Ales (American Porter; 5.3%)
82. Dead Guy Ale, Rogue Ales (Maibock/Helles Bock; 6.5%)
83. Salvator Doppel Bock, Paulaner Salvator Thomasbraeu (Doppelbock; 7.9%)
84. Spaten Optimator, Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu (Doppelbock; 7.2%)
85. 120 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American Double/Imperial IPA; 18%)
86. Hoegaarden Original White Ale, Brouwerij van Hoegaarden (Witbier; 4.9%)
87. Punkin Ale, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Pumpkin Ale; 7%)
88. Bell’s Oberon Ale, Bell’s Brewery (American Pale Wheat Ale; 5.8%)
89. Anchor Steam Beer, Anchor Brewing (California Common/Steam Beer; 4.9%)
90. Guinness Extra Stout (Original), Guinness/Diageo (Irish Dry Stout; 6%)
91. Samuel Adams Black Lager, Boston Beer Company (Schwarzbier; 4.9%)
92. Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Boston Beer Company (Vienna Lager; 4.75%)
93. ApriHop, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (American IPA; 7%)
94. Midas Touch Golden Elixir, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Herb/Spice Beer; 9%)
95. Golden Monkey, Victory Brewing (Tripel; 9.5%)
96. Samuel Adams Winter Lager, Boston Beer Company (Bock; 5.8%)
97. Raison D’etre, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Belgian Strong Dark Ale; 8%)
98. Pilsner Urquell, Plzensky Prazdroj (Czech Pilsener; 4.4%)
99. Samuel Adams Octoberfest, Boston Beer Company (Märzen/Oktoberfest; 5.4%)
100. Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager, Sierra Nevada Brewing (Czech Pilsener; 5%)

Comments

Glad to see Sam Adams get much respect, as while they are one of the originators and a relatively mass produced craft beer, they still brew a wide array of good beers and have an excellent set of seasonal offerings (new Noble Pils was awesome, they still have one of my favorite Oktoberfests, and I was enjoying Winter Lager before my beer advocacy days).

Along those same lines, Sierra Nevada still sets the bar high in producing an outstanding line-up of strong offerings across many styles.  I look forward to trying their Stout and Porter during the cooler months and of course anticipate the release of Celebration Ale (one of my favorite IPA's).

I again welcome our Stone overlords to Illinois and look forward to further sampling their renown line-up of beers.

Even ranked at 27, I feel that Edmund Fitzgerald is underrated and as of now I have no qualm in declaring it the best regularly produced (all year) beer in America. 

Wisconsin people, you guys need to send some more New Glarus to Jason and Todd.  Surprised Dancing Man Wheat and even Raspberry Tart did not make this list (among NG beers they have tried), but again they consistently brew a wide range of strong beers across many styles (and are among best with fruit beers and session brews).

I need to try Oskar Blues in a bad way and I ever go camping again will bring their canned offerings.

As with New Glarus, we need to work some deals for Surly to be sent out east.  Lucky enough to be privy to them in Midwest, they will always sit as one of favorite breweries (even if I did not love Schadenfreude).  Even as they go all New Glarus on us and opt to be locally distributed, I will still find a way to enjoy their excellence (and hope to attend Darkness Day down the line).

Finally, nothing against European beers, but as you can see I have stayed true to American beers on this list and maintain my pledge to go with American brewed beers (predominantly craft and microbrwed) whenever possible.