Boulder, CO • June 30, 2011—Zymurgy, the journal of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), announced the results of its annual reader survey of the “Best Beers in America.” The 2011 winner for the “Best Commercial Beer in America” for the third straight year is Pliny the Elder, a double IPA brewed by Russian River Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Zymurgy has been conducting the annual survey for nine years, inviting readers to vote online for their 20 favorite beers that are commercially available in the United States. Votes were received from more than 28,000 Zymurgy readers around the world.

1. Russian River Pliny the Elder

2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

T3. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Sponsorship

T3. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout

5. Bell’s Hopslam

6. Stone Arrogant Bastard

7. Sierra Nevada Celebration

T8. Sierra Nevada Torpedo

T8. Stone Ruination

10. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

11. Stone Sublimely Self Righteous

12. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine

13. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

T14. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

T14. Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale

T16. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

T16. New Glarus Belgian Red

Sponsorship

18. North Coast Old Rasputin

19. Bell’s Expedition Stout

T20. Deschutes The Abyss

T20. Left Hand Milk Stout

T20. Odell IPA

T20. Samuel Adams Noble Pils

T20. Surly Furious

T20. Troegs Nugget Nectar

T26. Rogue Dead Guy Ale

T26. Samuel Adams Boston Lager

28. Anchor Steam

T29. Bear Republic Racer 5

T29. Ommegang Three Philosophers

T29. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

T29. Three Floyds Alpha King

T29. Three Floyds Dark Lord

T34. Avery Maharaja

T34. Dogfish Head Indian Brown

T34. Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

T34. Three Floyds Gumballhead

Sponsorship

T38. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

T38. Lost Abbey Angel’s Share

T38. New Belgium La Folie

T38. New Belgium Ranger

T38. Oskar Blues Old Chub

T43. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

T43. Great Divide Yeti

T43. New Belgium 1554

T43. Russian River Blind Pig

T43. Ska Modus Hoperandi

T48. Alesmith Speedway Stout

T48. Dark Horse Crooked Tree

T48. Green Flash West Coast IPA

T48. Summit EPA

T48. Victory Prima Pils

“We were thrilled to find out that we were named the best beer in America for the third year in a row,” said Vinnie Cilurzo, owner and brewer at Russian River. “It is a real honor, especially coming from the homebrew community. It is particularly flattering in that there is so much great craft beer being produced across the United States.”

Finishing second for the second straight year was Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, an IPA brewed in Kalamazoo, Mich. Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA (Milton, Del.) tied for third in the voting with Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Following recent trends, seven of the top 10 vote-getters in the competition are IPAs, proving that hoppy beers are still king among readers despite an ever-expanding availability of beer styles.

What a great list. It’s pretty awesome that our metro has such stellar distribution and has access to the vast majority of these beers. What do you think of the list? Any misses ?