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In the past few week’s I’ve published CT Beer Rankings on the state’s Most Popular Brewery and what I deemed to be the Top 25 Breweries in Connecticut.
This week we’re back to an objective list. Gathering data from Untappd and Beer Advocate, I identified the most reviewed beer of each brewery in the state.
In addition to gathering the number of reviews for each of these flagships, I logged their ratings. As such, I’m presenting this data in two ways – the most popular flagship in terms of the number of reviews and the most popular flagship by their ratings.
The first table you’ll see is the Top 25 Highest Rated CT Flagships (with at least 1000 reviews), followed by the Top 25 Most Popular CT Beers.
The next four tables will be divided into four classes by the number of reviews – 5K+, 1K-5K, 300-1K, and < 300. At the bottom of the post is the full rankings of the Most Popular Beer for each brewery in the state.
Top 25 Highest Rated CT Flagships
| Brewery | Beer | Rating | Total Reviews | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Park | Spectrum | 4.3 | 4294 | #1 |
| Fox Farm | Burst | 4.19 | 7,906 | #2 |
| Back East | Ice Cream Man | 4.18 | 10,858 | #3 |
| Five Churches | Steeple Peeple | 4.17 | 2,672 | #4 |
| Lasting Brass | War Poet | 4.11 | 1,316 | #5 |
| Thomas Hooker | #NoFilter | 4.09 | 23,751 | #6 |
| Beer'd | Dog & Boats | 4.08 | 21,298 | #7 |
| CT Valley | Trailblazer | 4.06 | 22,068 | #8 |
| Kinsmen | Yup/Nope | 4.06 | 2,193 | #9 |
| OEC | Exilus | 4.05 | 3,276 | #10 |
| Kent Falls | Super Sparkle | 4.03 | 5,386 | #11 |
| Counterweight | Headway | 4.01 | 18,757 | #12 |
| Tribus | Flow | 3.99 | 1,017 | #13 |
| Alvarium | Phresh | 3.98 | 5,241 | #14 |
| Fat Orange Cat | All Cats Are Gray in the Dark | 3.96 | 10,669 | #15 |
| Stubborn Beauty | Nummy Nummy | 3.95 | 10,435 | #16 |
| Brewery Legitamus | Dr. Strangehaze | 3.94 | 1,263 | #17 |
| Firefly Hollow | Cone Flakes IIPA | 3.93 | 9,576 | #18 |
| Lock City | O.J. On Parole | 3.93 | 2,727 | #19 |
| Armada | Savage Queen | 3.91 | 1,816 | #20 |
| Labyrinth | Turbo Love Juice | 3.91 | 1,448 | #21 |
| Shebeen | Baby Seal Dance Party | 3.9 | 4,571 | #22 |
| Nod Hill | Super Mantis | 3.88 | 2,980 | #23 |
| Bad Sons | Doobius | 3.87 | 5,181 | #24 |
| Steady Habit | Coalesce | 3.87 | 2,036 | #25 |
New Park retains the #1 spot from last year, but with a different beer. Their DIPA Spectrum overtook Cloudscape, but to display how beloved their product is, Cloudscape at a 4.21 rating and 4,239 total reviews would *still* be #1 on our list if Spectrum didn’t replace them this year. Fox Farm’s Burst moved up to the second spot overall. It must be considered in the discussion for best flagship of the state.
Back East’s Ice Cream Man didn’t even make this list last year, but catapulted themselves to the third spot in 2019. With it’s accessibility, Ice Cream Man has the rare mix of being both well-distributed and sought-after.
Hooker’s #NoFilter, Beer’d’s Dogs & Boats, CT Valley’s Trailblazer locked down the 6th, 7th, & 8th spots with a 4.09, 4.08, and 4.06 ratings respectively. With each of these beers punching-in with 20,000 plus reviews, it’s a legitimate feat for them to retain such a high rating. Bravo.
Lastly, Five Churches’ Steeple People (#4), Lasting Brass’ War Poet (#5), Kinsmen’s Yup/Nope (#10), and Back East’s Ice Cream Man (#3) all are newcomers to the Top 10 this year.
Top 25 Most Popular CT Beers
| Brewery | Beer | Total Review | Rating | Rank | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two Roads | Road 2 Ruin | 79,965 | 3.83 | #1 | #1 |
| NEBCO | Sea Hag | 35,868 | 3.84 | #2 | #2 |
| Thomas Hooker | #NoFilter | 23,751 | 4.09 | #3 | #5 |
| Black Hog | Granola Brown Ale | 23,604 | 3.71 | #4 | #4 |
| Stony Creek | Big Cranky | 23,214 | 3.72 | #5 | #3 |
| CT Valley | Trailblazer | 22,068 | 4.06 | #6 | #6 |
| Beer'd | Dog & Boats | 21,298 | 4.08 | #7 | #9 |
| Counterweight | Headway | 18,757 | 4.01 | #8 | #8 |
| City Steam | Naughty Nurse | 17,418 | 3.53 | #9 | #7 |
| Thimble Island | Ghost Island | 11,528 | 3.77 | #10 | #10 |
| Back East | Ice Cream Man | 10,858 | 4.18 | #11 | NEW |
| Fat Orange Cat | All Cats Are Gray in the Dark | 10,669 | 3.96 | #12 | #17 |
| Cottrell | Mystic Bridge | 10,598 | 3.37 | #13 | #11 |
| Stubborn Beauty | Nummy Nummy | 10,435 | 3.95 | #14 | #12 |
| Firefly Hollow | Cone Flakes IIPA | 9,576 | 3.93 | #15 | #13 |
| Outer Light | SUBduction | 8,854 | 3.75 | #16 | #16 |
| Fox Farm | Burst | 7,906 | 4.19 | #17 | #20 |
| Half Full | Bright | 7,358 | 3.39 | #18 | #18 |
| Hanging Hills | Metacomet | 5,537 | 3.72 | #19 | #22 |
| Relic | Leaf Storm | 5,428 | 3.81 | #20 | #21 |
| Kent Falls | Super Sparkle | 5,386 | 4.03 | #21 | NEW |
| Alvarium | Phresh | 5,241 | 3.98 | #22 | #32 |
| Bad Sons | Doobius | 5,181 | 3.87 | #23 | #30 |
| Shebeen | Baby Seal Dance Party | 4,571 | 3.9 | #24 | NEW |
| No Worries | Do Si Do | 4,416 | 3.89 | #25 | #25 |
Two Roads’ Road 2 Ruin and NEBCO’s Sea Hag maintain a strangle-hold on the top two spots, but Hooker’s #NoFilter leapfrogged Black Hog’s Granola Nut Brown and Stony Creek’s Big Cranky to claim 2019’s #3 rank. Beer’d’s Dogs & Boats had the largest percentage gain in the Top 10, increasing their reviews by 50%.
Kent Falls Super Sparkle, Back East’s Ice Cream Man, and Shebeen’s Baby Seal Dance Party all broke the Top 25 this year without even being their brewery’s most reviewed beer in 2018. Alvarium’s PHRESH and Bad Sons’ Doobius both made the Top 25 this year after ranking 32nd and 30th in 2018.
5K Reviews Plus
| Brewery | Beer | Total Reviews | Rating | 5K+ Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Farm | Burst | 7,906 | 4.19 | #1 |
| Back East | Ice Cream Man | 10,858 | 4.18 | #2 |
| Thomas Hooker | #NoFilter | 23,751 | 4.09 | #3 |
| Beer'd | Dog & Boats | 21,298 | 4.08 | #4 |
| CT Valley | Trailblazer | 22,068 | 4.06 | #5 |
| Kent Falls | Super Sparkle | 5,386 | 4.03 | #6 |
| Counterweight | Headway | 18,757 | 4.01 | #7 |
| Alvarium | Phresh | 5,241 | 3.98 | #8 |
| Fat Orange Cat | All Cats Are Gray in the Dark | 10,669 | 3.96 | #9 |
| Stubborn Beauty | Nummy Nummy | 10,435 | 3.95 | #10 |
| Firefly Hollow | Cone Flakes IIPA | 9,576 | 3.93 | #11 |
| Bad Sons | Doobius | 5,181 | 3.87 | #12 |
| NEBCO | Sea Hag | 35,868 | 3.84 | #13 |
| Two Roads | Road 2 Ruin | 79,965 | 3.83 | #14 |
| Relic | Leaf Storm | 5,428 | 4 | #15 |
| Thimble Island | Ghost Island | 11,528 | 3.77 | #16 |
| Outer Light | SUBduction | 8,854 | 3.75 | #17 |
| Stony Creek | Big Cranky | 23,214 | 3.72 | #18 |
| Hanging Hills | Metacomet | 5,537 | 3.72 | #19 |
| Black Hog | Granola Brown Ale | 23,604 | 3.71 | #20 |
| City Steam | Naughty Nurse | 17,418 | 3.53 | #21 |
| Half Full | Bright | 7,358 | 3.39 | #22 |
| Cottrell | Mystic Bridge | 10,598 | 3.37 | #23 |
A heavy hitting table, this ranking contains many of Connecticut’s most well-known beers. Fox Farm’s Burst is the highest rated of this bunch, and that is deserved, but every beer in the Top 10 is *really* strong. It’s a fun ranking and really a trip down memory lane – most of us have had every single one of these beers at one time or another.
1K-5K Reviews
| Brewery | Beer | Total Reviews | Rating | 1K-5k Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Park | Spectrum | 4,294 | 4.3 | #1 |
| Five Churches | Steeple Peeple | 2,672 | 4.17 | #2 |
| Lasting Brass | War Poet | 1,316 | 4.11 | #3 |
| Kinsmen | Yup/Nope | 2,193 | 4.06 | #4 |
| OEC | Exilus | 3,276 | 4.05 | #5 |
| Tribus | Flow | 1,017 | 3.99 | #6 |
| Lock City | O.J. On Parole | 2,727 | 3.93 | #7 |
| Brewery Legitamus | Dr. Strangehaze | 1,263 | 3.94 | #8 |
| Armada | Savage Queen | 1,816 | 3.91 | #9 |
| Labyrinth | Turbo Love Juice | 1,448 | 3.91 | #10 |
| Shebeen | Baby Seal Dance Party | 4,571 | 3.9 | #11 |
| No Worries | Do Si Do | 4,416 | 3.89 | #12 |
| Nod Hill | Super Mantis | 2,980 | 3.88 | #13 |
| Steady Habit | Coalesce | 2,036 | 3.87 | #14 |
| Hull's | Goodie Goodie | 1,070 | 3.81 | #15 |
| Aspetuck | Turbidity Lucidity | 1,121 | 3.8 | #16 |
| 30 Mile | Baby Fight Club | 1,395 | 3.75 | #17 |
| Witch Doctor | Bunny Patch Strawberry Malt-Shake | 1,117 | 3.75 | #18 |
| Hog River | Local 35 | 2,198 | 3.74 | #19 |
| Veracious | 29 Pews | 1,511 | 3.72 | #20 |
| Still Hill | Still Hill IPA | 1,641 | 3.61 | #21 |
| Overshores | Belle Fermiere | 2,291 | 3.59 | #22 |
| Brewport | Blood Orange Blonde | 1,810 | 3.57 | #23 |
| Willimantic | Certified Gold | 1,056 | 3.52 | #24 |
| Cambridge House | CBH IPA | 1,165 | 3.51 | #25 |
| Charter Oak | 1687 Brown Ale | 2,753 | 3.41 | #26 |
| Athletic | Run Wild IPA | 1,734 | 3.4 | #27 |
| Duvig | Cream Ale | 2,886 | 3.45 | #28 |
| Powder Hollow | West Coast Style IPA | 2,745 | 3.37 | #29 |
It will be interesting to reflect on this list next year and see how many of these beers jumped up a tier. New Park’s Spectrum, Five Churches’ Steeple Peeple, Lasting Brass’ War Poet, Kinsmen’s Yup/Nope, Tribus’ Flow, Lock City’s OJ on Parole, and Armada’s Savage Queen are all formidable ales.
They’re a bit lower on the list, but look for Nod Hill’s Super Mantis and Labyrinth’s Turbo Love Juice to make considerable gains in 2020. Dark horse candidate of the lot – Athletic’s Run Wild IPA.
300-1K Reviews
| Brewery | Beer | Total Reviews | Rating | 350-1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skygazer | Watercolors | 353 | 4.2 | #1 |
| Tox | Dart Frog | 630 | 4.08 | #2 |
| Great Falls | Lazy Hazy Housy | 646 | 3.95 | #3 |
| Forest City | Stargazer | 807 | 3.93 | #4 |
| Noble Jay | Fatty Boom Boom | 423 | 3.88 | #5 |
| Black Pond | Machu Picchu | 987 | 3.87 | #6 |
| Hoax | Miss Daisy | 433 | 3.84 | #7 |
| Problem Solved | The Origin | 358 | 3.81 | #8 |
| Urban Lodge | Super Lazy | 522 | 3.75 | #9 |
| Front Porch | Finger Guns | 749 | 3.72 | #10 |
| Norbrook Farm | Mount Pisgah | 533 | 3.71 | #11 |
| Fairfield | Little Darlin | 492 | 3.71 | #12 |
| Epicure | Lightning Struck Twice | 724 | 3.68 | #13 |
| Milford Point | Silver Sands IPA | 482 | 3.66 | #14 |
| Cliffside | Synaptic Misfire | 610 | 3.63 | #15 |
| Barleyhead | Saison du Maison | 538 | 3.63 | #16 |
| These Guys | Thams River Red | 862 | 3.62 | #17 |
| East Rock | Pilsner | 748 | 3.61 | #18 |
| Erector | Home Slice | 413 | 3.6 | #19 |
| Brassworks | Double Bird IPA | 828 | 3.51 | #20 |
2019 Breweries coming in *hot* on this list. Skygazer’s Watercolors (Passionfruit & Black Currant) from their exquisite Berliner Weiss series finished first with an imposing 4.2 rating. They’re followed by Tox’s awesome NEIPA, Dart Frog. They started canning their wonderful beer this week people! Great Falls’ Lazy Hazy Housy came in third, with Forest City’s Stargazer, and Noble Jay’s robust baltic porter Fatty Boom Boom rounding out the Top 5.
Less than 300 Reviews
| Brewery | Beer | Total Reviews | Rating | < 350 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakaway | Faceplant Ale #2 | 51 | 4.22 | #1 |
| Niantic Public House | Mystery of Juiceboxin' | 151 | 4.1 | #2 |
| Hop Culture | Hop of Shame | 313 | 4.04 | #3 |
| Little House | Alternative Fax | 348 | 3.98 | #4 |
| High Nine | Triple Wow Double Juicy | 93 | 3.98 | #5 |
| Bad Dream | Mellowcore | 301 | 3.83 | #6 |
| Elicit | Marriage Counseling | 260 | 3.79 | #7 |
| Skulls Brew House | Last Caress 1 | 171 | 3.79 | #8 |
| Woodbury | Collusion | 330 | 3.77 | #9 |
| Reverie | Double Dipper | 298 | 3.76 | #10 |
| Little Red Barn | Roll in the Hay DIPA | 305 | 3.75 | #11 |
| Luppoleto | Stiltwalker | 117 | 3.72 | #12 |
| Housatonic | Amarillo Sky | 234 | 3.69 | #13 |
| 2nd Bridge Brewing Company | Orvilles Oatmeal Stour | 125 | 3.65 | #14 |
| Center Street | PDX Pale Ale | 200 | 3.63 | #15 |
| Broken Symmetry | Cherry Nebula | 217 | 3.62 | #16 |
| Stewards of the Land | Chocolate Swallow | 101 | 3.62 | #17 |
| Shunock River | No. Sto. Pumpkin. | 55 | 3.6 | #18 |
| Better Half | Hott For Teacher | 257 | 3.51 | #19 |
| Hops on the Hill | Amarillo IPA | 307 | 3.43 | #20 |
| Maple View Farm | Dreamcatcher | 160 | 3.42 | #21 |
| Stranger Tides | Mermaid Tears | 263 | 3.4 | #22 |
| Redding | East Coast IPA | 276 | 3.37 | #23 |
| Taylor Brooke | Royal Coachman | 168 | 3.3 | #24 |
Really love some of the names at the top of this ranking. Little House and Bad Dream are two great 2018ers, with Alternative Fax and Mellowcore being fantastic offerings. Hop Culture and High Nine are awesome 2019 additions to the CT brewery scene too. Add-in some cool outfits like Little Red Barn Brewers, Stewards of the Land, and the behemoth Elicit and it should be interesting class in the years to come. Shout-out to Newtown’s Reverie Brewing, my hometown, who opened their doors in 2019.
Overall Most Popular CT Beer
| Brewery | Beer | Rating | Total Reviews | Overall Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two Roads | Road 2 Ruin | 3.83 | 79965 | #1 |
| NEBCO | Sea Hag | 3.84 | 35,868 | #2 |
| Thomas Hooker | #NoFilter | 4.09 | 23,751 | #3 |
| Black Hog | Granola Brown Ale | 3.71 | 23,604 | #4 |
| Stony Creek | Big Cranky | 3.72 | 23,214 | #5 |
| CT Valley | Trailblazer | 4.06 | 22,068 | #6 |
| Beer'd | Dog & Boats | 4.08 | 21,298 | #7 |
| Counterweight | Headway | 4.01 | 18,757 | #8 |
| City Steam | Naughty Nurse | 3.53 | 17,418 | #9 |
| Thimble Island | Ghost Island | 3.77 | 11,528 | #10 |
| Back East | Ice Cream Man | 4.18 | 10,858 | #11 |
| Fat Orange Cat | All Cats Are Gray in the Dark | 3.96 | 10,669 | #12 |
| Cottrell | Mystic Bridge | 3.37 | 10,598 | #13 |
| Stubborn Beauty | Nummy Nummy | 3.95 | 10,435 | #14 |
| Firefly Hollow | Cone Flakes IIPA | 3.93 | 9,576 | #15 |
| Outer Light | SUBduction | 3.75 | 8,854 | #16 |
| Fox Farm | Burst | 4.19 | 7,906 | #17 |
| Half Full | Bright | 3.39 | 7,358 | #18 |
| Hanging Hills | Metacomet | 3.72 | 5,537 | #19 |
| Relic | Leaf Storm | 3.81 | 5,428 | #20 |
| Kent Falls | Super Sparkle | 4.03 | 5,386 | #21 |
| Alvarium | Phresh | 3.98 | 5,241 | #22 |
| Bad Sons | Doobius | 3.87 | 5,181 | #23 |
| Shebeen | Baby Seal Dance Party | 3.9 | 4,571 | #24 |
| No Worries | Do Si Do | 3.89 | 4,416 | #25 |
| New Park | Spectrum | 4.3 | 4294 | #26 |
| OEC | Exilus | 4.05 | 3,276 | #27 |
| Nod Hill | Super Mantis | 3.88 | 2,980 | #28 |
| Duvig | Cream Ale | 3.45 | 2,886 | #29 |
| Powder Hollow | West Coast Style IPA | 3.37 | 2,745 | #30 |
| Charter Oak | 1687 Brown Ale | 3.41 | 2,753 | #31 |
| Lock City | O.J. On Parole | 3.93 | 2,727 | #32 |
| Five Churches | Steeple Peeple | 4.17 | 2,672 | #33 |
| Overshores | Belle Fermiere | 3.59 | 2,291 | #34 |
| Hog River | Local 35 | 3.74 | 2,198 | #35 |
| Kinsmen | Yup/Nope | 4.06 | 2,193 | #36 |
| Steady Habit | Coalesce | 3.87 | 2,036 | #37 |
| Armada | Savage Queen | 3.91 | 1,816 | #38 |
| Brewport | Blood Orange Blonde | 3.57 | 1,810 | #39 |
| Athletic | Run Wild IPA | 3.4 | 1,734 | #40 |
| Still Hill | Still Hill IPA | 3.61 | 1,641 | #41 |
| Veracious | 29 Pews | 3.72 | 1,511 | #42 |
| Labyrinth | Turbo Love Juice | 3.91 | 1,448 | #43 |
| 30 Mile | Baby Fight Club | 3.75 | 1,395 | #44 |
| Lasting Brass | War Poet | 4.11 | 1,316 | #45 |
| Brewery Legitamus | Dr. Strangehaze | 3.94 | 1,263 | #46 |
| Cambridge House | CBH IPA | 3.51 | 1,165 | #47 |
| Aspetuck | Turbidity Lucidity | 3.8 | 1,121 | #48 |
| Witch Doctor | Bunny Patch Strawberry Malt-Shake | 3.75 | 1,117 | #49 |
| Hull's | Goodie Goodie IPA | 3.81 | 1,070 | #50 |
| Willimantic | Certified Gold | 3.52 | 1,056 | #51 |
| Tribus | Flow | 3.99 | 1,017 | #52 |
| Black Pond | Machu Picchu | 3.87 | 987 | #53 |
| These Guys | Thams River Red | 3.62 | 862 | #54 |
| Brassworks | Double Bird IPA | 3.51 | 828 | #55 |
| Forest City | Stargazer | 3.93 | 807 | #56 |
| East Rock | Pilsner | 3.61 | 748 | #57 |
| Front Porch | Finger Guns | 3.72 | 749 | #58 |
| Epicure | Lightning Struck Twice | 3.68 | 724 | #59 |
| Great Falls | Lazy Hazy Housy | 3.95 | 646 | #60 |
| Tox | Dart Frog | 4.08 | 630 | #61 |
| Cliffside | Synaptic Misfire | 3.63 | 610 | #62 |
| Barleyhead | Saison du Maison | 3.63 | 538 | #63 |
| Norbrook Farm | Mount Pisgah | 3.71 | 533 | #64 |
| Urban Lodge | Super Lazy | 3.75 | 522 | #65 |
| Fairfield | Little Darlin | 3.71 | 492 | #66 |
| Milford Point | Silver Sands IPA | 3.66 | 482 | #67 |
| Hoax | Miss Daisy | 3.84 | 433 | #68 |
| Noble Jay | Fatty Boom Boom | 3.88 | 423 | #69 |
| Erector | Home Slice | 3.6 | 413 | #70 |
| Problem Solved | The Origin | 3.81 | 358 | #71 |
| Skygazer | Watercolors (Passion Fruit / Black Currant) | 4.2 | 353 | #72 |
| Little House | Alternative Fax | 3.98 | 348 | #73 |
| Woodbury | Collusion | 3.77 | 330 | #74 |
| Hop Culture | Hop of Shame | 4.04 | 313 | #75 |
| Hops on the Hill | Amarillo IPA | 3.43 | 307 | #76 |
| Little Red Barn | Roll in teh Hay Double IPA | 3.75 | 305 | #77 |
| Bad Dream | Mellowcore | 3.83 | 301 | #78 |
| Reverie | Double Dipper | 3.76 | 298 | #79 |
| Redding | East Coast IPA | 3.37 | 276 | #80 |
| Housatonic | Amarillo Sky | 3.69 | 234 | #81 |
| Stranger Tides | Mermaid Tears | 3.4 | 263 | #82 |
| Elicit | Marriage Counseling | 3.79 | 260 | #83 |
| Better Half | Hott For Teacher | 3.51 | 257 | #84 |
| Housatonic | Amarillo Sky | 3.69 | 234 | #85 |
| Broken Symmetry | Cherry Nebula | 3.62 | 217 | #86 |
| Center Street | PDX Pale Ale | 3.63 | 200 | #87 |
| Skulls Brew House | Last Caress 1 | 3.79 | 171 | #88 |
| Taylor Brooke | Royal Coachman | 3.3 | 168 | #89 |
| Maple View Farm | Dreamcatcher | 3.42 | 160 | #90 |
| Niantic Public House | Mystery of Juiceboxin' | 4.1 | 151 | #91 |
| 2nd Bridge Brewing Company | Orvilles Oatmeal Stour | 3.65 | 125 | #92 |
| Luppoleto | Stiltwalker | 3.72 | 117 | #93 |
| Stewards of the Land | Chocolate Swallow | 3.62 | 101 | #94 |
| High Nine | Triple Wow Double Juicy | 3.98 | 93 | #95 |
| Shunock River | No. Sto. Pumpkin. | 3.6 | 55 | #96 |
| Breakaway | Faceplant Ale #2 | 4.22 | 51 | #97 |
Wow. Very impressive. Well done, mate. Cheers!