BOULDER, CO – 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.
“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.
With more than 1,700 breweries now in the U.S. and more than 600 breweries in planning, according to statistics compiled by the Brewers Association, there are more choices than ever for beer lovers to explore, according to Jill Redding, editor of Zymurgy. “The Zymurgy readers’ poll grows in numbers and prestige each year,” said Redding. “As homebrewers and beer lovers, our readers have some of the most sophisticated and knowledgeable palates on the planet.”
The complete Zymurgy list of the “Best Beers in America” is available on HomebrewersAssociation.org.