Highest-rated beer in Iowa

Written by:
June 20, 2024
Alexey Andr Tkachenko // Shutterstock

Highest-rated beer in Iowa

After more than a decade of massive growth, the beer industry is experiencing a slowdown. According to the Brewers Association, in 2024, nationwide closings of brewpubs and taprooms outpaced openings for the first time in 14 years, and overall beer production volume decreased by 1.2%.

Changing consumer preferences factor into this decline. The convenience of ready-to-drink cocktails has increased spirits sales, but many people are simply opting to drink less. A January 2025 survey from NCSolutions found that almost half of Americans plan to cut back on their drinking in 2025.

To achieve this goal, some people are shifting to non-alcoholic drinks, including NA beers. This has created demand for higher-quality NA beers, including non-alcoholic IPAs and stouts. Other consumers are opting for moderation, looking for session beers and light beers that are still full of flavor.

That said, hop-forward beers are still popular—for example, hazy IPAs were the most popular entrant in the 2025 World Beer Cup. Fruit beers are also having a moment, with cherry and raspberry leading the pack in a 2024 report from Research and Markets, while drinkers looking for sweeter options can find brewers experimenting with candy-infused beers. Many beer makers are revisiting regional flavors on traditional styles, such as Czech pilsners, Mexican lagers, and Vienna lagers. At the same time, craft brewers continue to push the envelope to find new ways to excite beer lovers, often using unusual ingredients like sage, peppercorn, watermelon, and garlic.

Among all these different options, certain beers still appeal to hopheads more than others. Stacker compiled a list of the best beers from Iowa using data from BeerAdvocate and sorted them according to their weighted ranking. Beers without images were excluded. Only beers that made BeerAdvocate's top 100 list by state were included.

#17. Yard Sale

- Rating: 4.12 (41 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.7%
- Brewery: Lion Bridge Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#16. Øl Tella - Barrel Aged

- Rating: 4.57 (12 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.9%
- Brewery: Pulpit Rock Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#15. Richard The Whale - Coffee

- Rating: 4.50 (13 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.5%
- Brewery: Big Grove Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#14. Disaster At Meux

- Rating: 4.16 (28 ratings)
- Type: English Porter
- ABV: 5.8%
- Brewery: Lion Bridge Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#13. Pour-Over Porter

- Rating: 4.17 (37 ratings)
- Type: Robust Porter
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Pulpit Rock Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#12. Neon

- Rating: 4.17 (40 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Barn Town Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#11. Tip The Cow

- Rating: 4.16 (50 ratings)
- Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
- ABV: 6.2%
- Brewery: SingleSpeed Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#10. Compensation

- Rating: 4.16 (61 ratings)
- Type: English Dark Mild Ale
- ABV: 4.7%
- Brewery: Lion Bridge Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#9. Color TV

- Rating: 4.35 (22 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.8%
- Brewery: Big Grove Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#8. Rhyme Animal

- Rating: 4.31 (45 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Pulpit Rock Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#7. Richard The Whale

- Rating: 4.41 (27 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.5%
- Brewery: Big Grove Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#6. Saftig

- Rating: 4.28 (87 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.1%
- Brewery: Pulpit Rock Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#5. Pseudo Sue - Double Dry-Hopped

- Rating: 4.52 (1,437 ratings)
- Type: American Pale Ale
- ABV: 5.8%
- Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#4. King Sue

- Rating: 4.57 (3,584 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#3. Assassin

- Rating: 4.65 (1,533 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#2. Mornin' Delight

- Rating: 4.70 (1,789 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.8%
- Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#1. Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout

- Rating: 4.83 (951 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.

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