Highest-rated beer in Massachusetts

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

Highest-rated beer in Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts 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.

#13. Barrel-Aged Framinghammer - Cocoa-Nut

- Rating: 4.38 (503 ratings)
- Type: Baltic Porter
- ABV: 10.0%
- Brewery: Jack's Abby Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#12. Breakfast Exorcism

- Rating: 4.41 (475 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: Clown Shoes
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#11. Samuel Adams Utopias

- Rating: 4.47 (2,850 ratings)
- Type: American Strong Ale
- ABV: 28.0%
- Brewery: Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company)
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#10. Cutting Tiles - Mosaic

- Rating: 4.52 (1,457 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#9. Fort Point Pale Ale - Galaxy Dry Hopped

- Rating: 4.55 (1,799 ratings)
- Type: American Pale Ale
- ABV: 6.6%
- Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#8. Fort Point Pale Ale - Double Dry Hopped

- Rating: 4.57 (1,801 ratings)
- Type: American Pale Ale
- ABV: 6.6%
- Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#7. Double Dry Hopped Congress Street

- Rating: 4.59 (1,653 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.2%
- Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#6. Headroom

- Rating: 4.60 (838 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#5. Juice Machine

- Rating: 4.65 (1,386 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#4. Very Green

- Rating: 4.65 (1,716 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.3%
- Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#3. Very Hazy

- Rating: 4.67 (1,372 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.6%
- Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#2. King JJJuliusss

- Rating: 4.70 (991 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.4%
- Brewery: Tree House Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#1. King Julius

- Rating: 4.70 (1,692 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Tree House 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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