Add Tasting Table on Google: Preferred Source Google Discover There was a time in the not-so-distant past when the beer landscape largely consisted of iconic, mass-produced brews, and the best beer was essentially the coldest one in the fridge. Things are very different today. According to 2025 data from the Brewers Association, there are nearly 10,000 regional breweries, microbreweries, taprooms, and brewpubs in America. The explosion of the craft beer industry hasn't just resulted in more bottles on the shelves, but also increased creativity and innovation, with most breweries regularly pushing out new releases to keep their customers coming back. To help you keep tabs, we've drafted a list of the five best beers of 2026, so far.
Needless to say, what constitutes "best" is extremely subjective. From lagers and pilsners to stouts and IPAs, there are so many types of beer, spanning such a wide range of flavor profiles, that what makes a beer stand out ultimately comes down to personal preference. To make this exercise as objective as possible, we first compiled a list of beers with confirmed, first-time commercial releases in the U.S. in 2026, and excluded returning seasonal brews or refreshed versions of existing beers. We then checked consumer reaction on the beverage review site Untappd, only keeping beers that had an average rating of over 3.5. Finally, we went through written customer feedback across platforms including Untappd, BeerAdvocate, Reddit, and Instagram to make sure the broader sentiment aligned with these positive ratings.
With these caveats and conditions in place, here's our list of the five beers that have been going down smoothly in 2026.
Melvin Brewing Unlike many beers from the Midwest, the West Coast is known for its hop-heavy IPAs that are bitter and fruity, with intense aromas. This February 2026 release from Melvin Brewing checks all the boxes. Method Drop is a West Coast IPA from the award-winning Wyoming-based brewery, and is described on its label as a "futuristic IPA."
Melvin Brewing has been around since 2010, and one of its core beliefs is that if a beer doesn't have a hint of madness, it isn't beer. Its Method Drop uses hops all the way from New Zealand. "Method Drop IPA features Nelson Sauvin and Riwaka hops, producing bright Sauvignon Blanc notes, juicy white peach, and a touch of diesel dankness for a flavor profile that is punchy, memorable, and just a little unhinged," Melvin Brewing said in a press release from January, adding that the beer reflected the brewery's "commitment to technical precision and bold experimentation." It has a 6% ABV content, and is sold in 12-ounce cans.
It's gone down well with tipplers. Method Drop has an average rating of 3.7 across over 700 reviews on Untappd, where one customer described it as "a nice juicy West Coast IPA ... very nice on the palette," and another called it "West Coast through and through." There's love for the beer on BeerAdvocate as well. "This one is really good, really modern, bright, somewhat intense on the hops but neither oversaturated nor bitter, which is nice," wrote one fan, adding, "[it's] summery and fruity then, very compelling, and quite drinkable for what it is, first new one I've had from them in some time."
Dust Bowl Brewing Company Super Burrito is a Mexican-style double lager from Dust Bowl Brewing Company. Unlike American lagers, which are usually light, crisp, and uncomplicated, Mexican lagers tend to be more flavorful, carrying sweet, bready notes from corn (here are 12, ranked worst to best). Dust Bowl Brewing's Taco Truck Lager is a prime example — and the brewery actually describes Super Burrito as Taco Truck's big brother, packed with bolder flavors and a bigger punch at 8.1% ABV. "We've had great success with our Taco Truck family of Mexican-style lagers. Super Burrito has the body and drinkability of those smaller beers but comes in with more strength for those looking for a bigger option," Don Oliver, the Brewmaster at Dust Bowl Brewing Co., was quoted as saying by The Brewer Magazine in May.
By all accounts, it really is easy to drink. It has 167 reviews on Untappd with an average rating of 3.8, and multiple customers tagging the beer as "refreshing" and "crushable." Over on Instagram, one user said the experience of drinking an 8.1% ABV lager was "very interesting," adding that the beer "pours with a light golden color and has a crystal clear, see through appearance." Another fan, commenting on Dust Bowl's Instagram post, called it "Taco Truck Of The Gods."
