The 12 New Craft Beers to Drink in 2024

1. Stone 28th Anniversary Hazy Double IPA

Stone Brewing has established itself as one of the world’s most renowned brewers of IPAs and consistently nails the style and its sub-categories.

Origin: San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Beer type: Double Hazy IPA
Price: $18 for 12 oz 6-pack
ABV: 8.5%
Brewed by: Stone Brewing Company

This Hazy Double IPA celebrates the 28th anniversary of the hop-forward brewery, which began brewing in 1996. It features Mosaic and Nelson Sauvin hops, which bring a fruity aroma of mango, pineapple and passion fruit and a full palate of juicy citrus notes, a triumphantly tropical IPA fit for commemorating 28 years of Stone Brewing.

2. AleSmith Speedway Stout Affogato Edition

San Diego’s AleSmith Brewing, founded in 1995, has gained great acclaim over the years for its crowd-pleasing Speedway Stout.

Origin: San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Beer type: Imperial Stout
Price: $20 for 16 oz 4-pack
ABV: 12%
Brewed by: AleSmith Brewing Company

First brewed in 1997, over the years it was ramped up from 8% to its current 12% ABV and several variations with intriguing ingredients have been released. This latest version features a combination of Tahitian vanilla beans and premium espresso, with the coffee enhancing the roasted malt notes and providing a balanced and satisfying bitterness. In addition, the Tahitian vanilla beans add a hint of sweetness and a smooth, creamy texture that complements the coffee. This imperial stout should please both coffee connoisseurs and lovers of rich, roasty stouts.

3. Schöfferhofer Watermelon Mint

Just in time for the hot days of summer, this thirst quencher is the latest addition to the portfolio of award-winning German wheat beers.

Origin: Frankfurt, Germany
Beer type: Hefeweizen
Price: $9.50 for 16.9 oz 4-pack
ABV: 2.5%
Brewed by: Schöfferhofer

This new offering features two traditional summer season favorites, as it is a mix of 50% unfiltered German hefeweizen beer and 50% watermelon drink with natural mint flavor. It makes for a combination of smooth bitter, sweet and sour with a touch of minty coolness. It’s quite refreshing and goes down easily, in large part due to its low alcohol content, which just like all beers in the Schöfferhofer family, is only 2.5% ABV. If you like this one, you’ll probably like other variations of Schöfferhofer beers infused with fruit juice, which include Grapefruit, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Pomegranate and Wild Cherry.

4. Firestone Walker Parabolita Barrel-Aged Salted Caramel Stout

Firestone Walker Brewing Company has its roots in winemaking, and the brewery founded in 1996 has distinguished itself by specializing in aging its beers in oak barrels.

Origin: Paso Robles, CA
Beer type: Imperial Stout
Price: $7 for 16 oz can
ABV: 9.2%
Brewed by: Firestone Walker

Its Parabola was first created in 2005 for the inaugural Anniversary Ale, and over the ensuing years this imperial stout has gained iconic status for being aged in barrels resulting in rich flavors of bourbon, vanilla and bitter chocolate. Each year there are variants of this brew, including this newest addition, which begins with Parabola aged for one year in bourbon barrels, which is then blended with a complement of Velvet Merlin milk stout to create a silky mouthfeel and a more approachable ABV of 9.2%, pared down from Parabola’s more potent 13.6%. It’s also infused with Madagascar vanilla beans, cocoa nibs and lastly a dash of sea salt, which Barrel Program Manager Eric Ponce explains, “acts just like it does in food. It makes the aromas pop, elevates the flavors and adds texture to the mouthfeel.” This new release also marks Firestone Walker’s first-ever canned Vintage beer.

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5. Deschutes Tropical Fresh IPA

Juicy IPAs are currently the hottest segment of the craft beer market, and this new release fits the bill.

Origin: Bend, OR
Beer type: IPA
Price: $12 for 12 oz 6-pack
ABV: 6.5%
Brewed by: Deschutes Brewery

It’s the latest entry to the Deschutes Bond Series line launched in 2013 that has included Fresh Squeezed IPA, Fresh Haze IPA, Squeezy Rider West Coast IPA, Lil’ Squeezy Juicy Pale, Royal Fresh Imperial IPA, Hazetron Imperial Hazy IPA and Farmstand Fresh Mango IPA. This IPA is brewed with a malt bill of 2-row pale and unmalted wheat. Although there is no fruit in the brew, prolific additions of Mosaic, Simcoe, Strata and Experimental 586 hops bestow ample amounts of tropical flavors of citrus (especially grapefruit), pineapple and a touch of mango, making this a drink that is both refreshing and full flavored. While it was rolled out in the Pacific Northwest in January, the rest of the country can try it as it hits nationwide markets in March 2023.

6. Rochefort Triple Extra

The Trappist Brasserie de Rochefort has been brewing ales since 1797.

Origin: Rochefort, Belgium
Beer type: Belgian Triple
Price: $12 for 12 oz 6-pack
ABV: 8.1%
Brewed by: Brasserie de Rochefort

In 1920, well before the production of the famous Trappist Rochefort 6, 8 and 10 that have been brewed since the 1950s, the monks brewed an extra-strong blonde beer but discontinued brewing it after a few years. Now, 100 years later, the monks are offering a strong blonde beer inspired by the original recipe. Distinguished by its golden blonde color, notes of citrus and a spicy fragrance, compliments of additions of spices and orange peel, come to the forefront and are joined by rich depth with a hint of honey accents and a body that is fairly light for a beer of this strength. The first new Rochefort beer released since 1955, this Belgian-triple was introduced to Belgians in 2020, and is now available in the U.S.

7. Dissident Peach

Deschutes Brewery opened in 1988 and is one of craft beer’s pioneers.

Origin: Bend, Oregon, U.S.A.
Beer type: Sour-Flanders Oud Bruin
Price: $15 for 500ml bottle
ABV: 10%
Brewed by: Deschutes Brewery

Since 2008 the Bend, Oregon-based brewery has been brewing its cherished Flanders-style brown ale Dissident, fermented in oak barrels with cherries, its first and only wild yeast beer, with Brettanomyces added to provide its characteristic sour taste. In recent years, Deschutes has been changing it up with innovative versions using other fruits, with previous versions featuring boysenberries and marionberries. Its latest rendition makes use of Oregon peaches from the Barid Family Orchards and is aged in oak barrels for 11 months. Like the original, it features predominant sour notes, tannins and acidity, along with bright, tart flavors of peaches.

8. Sapporo Pure

A welcome recent trend is the release of new beers that are low on carbs and calories but not on flavor.

Origin: San Jose, California, U.S.A.
Beer type: Light Lager
Price: $8 for six-pack 12 oz cans
ABV: 4%
Brewed by: Sapporo U.S.A.

Such is the case of this light lager from the number-one-selling Asian beer brand in the United States. Brewed at the brewery location in San Jose, CA, it weighs in at a mere 90 calories, 2.4 carbs and 4% ABV per 12 oz serving. This golden-hued beer is crisp and effervescent, featuring bright floral notes with a subtle hop bitterness. After your first sip awash with flavor you’ll likely want to proclaim that this is not your father’s light beer that dominated the latter part of the 20th century. This premium light beer is packaged in a slim can with minimalist labeling featuring a silver background with the Sapporo logo and PURE in aqua blue lettering.

9. 10 Barrel Brewing Company Reel Good Summer Ale

There’s definitely a beer for everyone and a beer for every occasion.

Origin: Bend, Oregon, U.S.A.
Beer type: Kolsch
Price: $10 for six-pack 12 oz cans
ABV: 5%
Brewed by: 10 Barrel Brewing Company

The Bend, Oregon-based 10 Barrel Brewing Company features beers built for the outdoors, and the tagline “Drink Beer Outside” appears on all of its cans and bottles. This easy-drinking Kolsch, brewed using traditional methods and subtle Champagne-like fermentation, goes down easy and is a clean and crisp thirst quencher. As the image of a fisherman on the label implies, it will be a good companion to fishing, or any activity in the great outdoors, or just relaxing indoors after a hard day or vigorous activity. A portion of the proceeds from Reel Good benefit Trout Unlimited’s Home Rivers Initiative, a project by the conservation group focused on protecting and recovering the Gallatin River and its tributaries.

10. Mikkeller Game of Thrones Iron Anniversary IPA

The wildly popular Games of Thrones is matched with the huge popularity of the IPA craft beer style in this new release from the world-renowned Copenhagen-based Mikkeller brewery.

Origin: San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Beer type: New England-style IPA
Price: $18 for four-pack 16 oz cans
ABV: 7%
Brewed by: Mikkeller

Produced at its new brewing facility in San Diego, this hazy IPA marks the 10-year anniversary of the TV series and is the first of a series of Thrones-inspired beers from Mikkeller, with more to come over the next few years. This first release fits in the realm of NEIPA, also known as hazy or juicy IPA, a sub-style known for its unfiltered appearance and significant amounts of fruit-mimicking hops that give it fruity aromas and flavors that are expressive without being as bitter as the aggressive West Coast American IPA style. Dry hopped with the fittingly-named Styrian Dragon hop, predominant flavors include pineapple, mango and peach and a hint of hop bitterness. Mikkeller’s art director Keith Shore designed the label depicting a warrior on bended knee holding a sword aloft with the three-eyed raven perched on it, which just might make the can a collector’s item for diehard fans of the series.

11. Guinness Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Beer

Guinness has long been the gold standard for a world-class stout, which it has brewed at the St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin since 1759.

Origin: Dublin, Ireland
Beer type: Irish Dry Stout
Price: $8 for four-pack 14.9 oz cans
ABV: 4%
Brewed by: Guinness St. James’s Gate Brewery

Its latest innovation makes use of an ingredient never before used by the iconic brewery: coffee! Released just in time for iced coffee season, after pouring you are met with a sweet and distinct rich coffee aroma, and a flavor that is a perfect balance of bitter and sweet with a quite noticeable roast coffee flavor. Brewed using cold brew coffee extract and coffee flavors, it adds a rich, smooth and creamy palate with hints of espresso, chocolate and caramel. Of course, a Guinness stout is best served on nitro, and an ingenious widget in the can infuses nitrogen into the beer upon opening and recreates the signature surge and settle effect you get from a Guinness Draught on tap. An added bonus is that this rich and creamy brew is only 114 calories per 12 oz serving.

12. Monday Night Brewing Taco Tuesday

The Atlanta-based Monday Night Brewing, launched in 2011, has released Taco Tuesday, and there’s a story behind the names of both the brewery and the beer.

Origin: Atlanta, Georgia
Beer type: Mexican-style Lager
Price: $16 for 12 oz 12-pack
ABV: 4.5%
Brewed by: Monday Night Brewing Company

The brewery is named for its origins, as back in 2006 its three founders—Jonathan Baker, Joel Iverson and Jeff Heck—chose Monday evenings to homebrew together. As for the beer, this easy-drinking Mexican-style lager can serve well as a pairing for tacos…or burritos…or enchiladas…or yardwork…or sips of tequila. Brewed with Pilsner and Munich malts and hopped with Saphir and Saaz, it serves up a touch of sweetness with a smooth finish and a healthy dose of salinity contributes to a crisp, mouthwatering effect. The brewery is known for its beers’ unusual, memorable names and most of the cans’ artwork feature neckties, harkening back to the days when the brewery’s founders would loosen their ties after arriving from their white collar jobs on Monday evenings to brew each week’s batch of beer, and the special ties for this beer fittingly are emblazoned with whimsical smiling tacos.