These Ohio Beers Among 101 Best In America

CLEVELAND, OH — It’s a debate sure to leave some scratching their heads and others in tears. And no, this isn’t Yanny or Laurel (but it was Laurel).

This is about bragging rights for beer.

The Daily Meal did the impossible and came up with the definitive 101 best beers in America. So when your buddies want to start a bar fight over the top picks in Ohio, do us a favor: Tell them to take it up with the food and drink website.

In Ohio, 5 beers were listed among America’s best. Here they are:

• Columbus Brewing Company Bodhi
• ABV: 8.3 percent
• Category: IPA
• "Ohio is the home to many stellar breweries that make incredible beers, but Columbus Brewing Company’s Bodhi just may take the cake. This golden IPA highlights Citra hops but is truly balanced in every sense of the word."
• Hoof Hearted Konkey Dong
• ABV: 8 percent
• Category: Double IPA
• "Any number of beers from Ohio’s Hoof Hearted Brewing could have landed a spot on the 101 best beers in America, but Konkey Dong is perhaps their most famous offering. And we see why it has such notoriety. Beyond the fun name and money-in-a-barrel label, Konkey Dong is a smooth, creamy, and lightly bubbly Double IPA that’s somehow both dry and full of fruity, juicy hop flavor. It’s insanely drinkable and as good a flagship beer as any out there."
• Great Lakes Brewing Company Chillwave Double IPA
• ABV: 9 percent
• Category: Double IPA
• "There’s no shortage of great breweries in Cleveland, but the mother of them all is Great Lakes. The brewery, which has been around for over 25 years, is a city institution. While their core IPA Commodore Perry is a beautiful, drinkable brew, GLBC really perfected their hoppy brews with the springtime Chillwave Double IPA. Named for surfers who brave the waters of Lake Erie, this beer is so hoppy yet balanced, leading to easy drinking for snowy Ohio winters and warm summer nights."
• Fat Head’s Brewery Hop JuJu
• ABV: 9 percent
• Category: Imperial IPA
• "Fat Head’s often wins awards for its beers, but few of their beers have won more that their Imperial IPA, Hop JuJu. It won the gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2013 and 2015 and took home the bronze in 2016. It also won gold at the 2016 World Beer Cup. So, yeah, it’s good. What wins so many awards? A powerhouse, powerfully hoppy beer with Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Cascade, and Citra hops. This February release has a cult-like following, so be sure to hunt this down when you have the chance."
• Hoppin' Frog Brewery B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher
  • ABV: 9.4 percent
  • Category: Imperial Stout
  • "Akron, Ohio’s Hoppin’ Frog gets plenty of accolades and love, and while they have a variety of amazing beers for every kind of beer fan, nothing beats. B.O.R.I.S. What does B.O.R.I.S. stand for, you ask? Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout. And this big, bold, full-bodied beer certainly is bodacious to say the least. Thick, creamy, and pitch black, this beer has a dark, fruity taste with just a bit of coffee and roasted malts on the tongue. It’s not for the faint of heart; you’ll taste every bit of that 9.4 percent ABV, so sip this slowly and enjoy."

If you’re into the beer you might recognize some of the more popular or highly rated brews on the list, including Russian River Pliny the Elder — and Younger, of course — Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Allagash White, Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout and The Alchemist Heady Topper.

Overall, beer sales volume was down 1.2 percent in 2017, according to the Brewers Association.

But craft beer sales jumped 5 percent and accounted for 12.7 percent of the overall beer market. In Ohio, there are 225 craft breweries, the group found.

Good brewers and ingredients are essential to any great beer. But other factors — including something as small as the tap used to pour the beverage and the glassware used to drink it — also play a role.To figure out which beers are America’s best, the authors cross-referenced beer ratings on the app Untappd and the sites BeerAdvocate and RateBeer. The site looked for beers that got the highest marks from both average joes — including your tatted up, bearded friend — and beer-tasting professionals. The authors also used their own “extensive tasting experience and knowledge,” giving preference to the best beers the site’s editors have had in the last year.

The Daily Meal also gave special consideration to states with a smaller number of brewers, including North Dakota and New Mexico.

“Thus, nearly every state in the union is represented on our list of the 101 best beers in America,” the authors wrote.

The beers are not ranked in any particular order, noting that it’s “frankly impossible” to compare one style against another.

So don’t worry, you can still debate which is actually the best. And Patch encourages you to do so. Head over to our Facebook page and let us know: Do you agree with the beers on this list? What's the best beer in Ohio?

Click here to read the full article at The Daily Meal.

Patch reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Shutterstock / Natalya Okorokova