5 Of The Best New Beers Of 2026, So Far

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.

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."

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." 

Super Burrito is available for retail in four-packs of 16-ounce cans, as well as single-serve, 19.2-ounce cans.

In March this year, Colorado-based Odell Brewing Company released MDRN IPA, a hop-forward beer that it describes on its website as "bright, clean, and explosively aromatic." Consensus online seems to be that it is easy to drink, with complex aromas of orange zest and stone fruit, as well as notes of grapefruit and berry — and at 5.8% ABV, it's light and extremely chuggable. 

The fact that Odell has delivered yet another winner should come as no surprise. The brewery has been an ever-present on the American craft beer scene since 1989, relentlessly experimenting with hop varieties and processes. Today, the IPA is the most popular style of craft beer in America. "Our hop partnerships go back decades. Those relationships allow us to experiment with new hop processing techniques that push the limits of what an IPA can be," COO Brendan McGivney is quoted as saying by Brewbound. For MDRN IPA, it brings together premium, experimental varieties from Yakima Chief Hops in Washington, and Clayton Hops in New Zealand. And the fans are lapping it up. It has an average rating of 3.8 across 1,369 reviews on Untappd.

On BeerAdvocate, one customer wrote, "This is an excellent and underrated modern style (hence the name) IPA. Bursting with tropical fruit notes; kinda took me off guard with how fruity it is. Similar to a lot of other modernized "no-coast" IPAs but a lot more fruits-forward than many. Highly recommended, this was a definite win from Odell." Another fan said it felt more like a pale ale than an IPA due to the reduced bitterness, writing, "A subdued citrusy/fruity/juicy/tropical-kinda flavor and a clean, barely-there aftertaste. Very quaffable and slammable."

Great Lakes Brewing Co. is the oldest brewery on this list. Having started making beer in 1988, its core catalogue includes light lagers, Dortmund lagers, IPAs, Midwest IPAs, hazy IPAs, double IPAs, as well as porters. What it didn't have was a year-round wheat beer. In March this year, Great Lakes Brewing Co. launched Orange & Honey Wheat to bridge that gap. "We've had peak and valley sales with our wheat line-up these past few years due to how the beers were too aligned with seasonality so we decided to develop a flavor-forward beer with broader, year-round appeal," Co-CEO Chris Brown said on the brand's website.

This easy-drinking beer is all about balance, with hints of honey and a burst of blood orange shining all the way through. Orange & Honey Wheat has an impressive rating of 3.7 across over 3,000 reviews on Untappd (the highest number on this list). The beer also has fans across social media. "If you're in the Great Lakes Brewing distribution area and are looking for a new addition to your spring line up, try GLB's new Orange Honey Wheat!" one customer said on Reddit, adding, "Fresh orange peel flavor, not overpoweringly sweet, perfect backyard beer. I'd recommend one of these and some homemade grilled chicken tacos." Over on BeerAdvocate, one fan was especially impressed by the hit of citrus. "Wow! BIG orange aroma! Carries through to taste as well. As the beer warms the honey comes through strongly. A light refreshing hop flavor in the finish," wrote the reviewer, noting that the beer was a little sweet, but "very delightful." Perhaps it would fit into our list of the absolute best beers to satisfy your sweet tooth!

The final beer on our list is House Cat from Rhinegeist, a Cincinnati-based brewery that's been bottling the spirit of the Rhine since 2013. Pilsners are pale, golden lagers that originated in the Czech Republic in the 19th century (more specifically, it came from Pilsen, one of many European cities that should be on every beer lover's bucket list). Rhinegeist describes House Cat as its take on a classic European pilsner with an American craft twist thats comes from the tropical fruit and citrus notes of American hops. 

What you get is a crisp, easy-drinking pilsner with floral and citrus aromas, and subtle bready notes. At 5.2% ABV, it's the lightest beer on this list. Launched in February, the pilsner has an average rating of 3.7 across 1,952 votes on Untappd. "It's unique but damn is it good," one fan commented on Instagram. Writing on BeerAdvocate, one customer said the beer was very refreshing, writing, "Lightly tangy tasting with a zip and a zing. Lovely feel and super easy to drink ... It is Germanic in nature but has the hoppy American touch that begs for its own sub-style. It is excellent." It even had enough character to convert a non-Pilsner drinker, who posted this comment on the same BeerAdvocate page: "Very tasty for a pilsner! Bready and cracker with a hint of vanilla. I'm not a pilsner fan, but this is good!"