
Highest-rated beer in Montana
Highest-rated beer in Montana
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 Montana 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.
#30. Mob Barley
- Type: American Barleywine
- ABV: 11.63%
- Brewery: Meadowlark Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#29. Vigilante IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.7%
- Brewery: Bridger Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#28. Prickly Pear Pale Ale
- Type: American Pale Ale
- ABV: 5.5%
- Brewery: Lewis & Clark Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#27. Hat Trick Hop IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Tamarack Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#26. Citra IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#25. Single Hop Pale Ale
- Type: American Pale Ale
- ABV: 6.3%
- Brewery: Bitter Root Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#24. Doppelbock
- Type: Doppelbock
- ABV: 8.4%
- Brewery: Bayern Brewing, Inc. / Edelweiss Bistro
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#23. Bitter Root IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.2%
- Brewery: Bitter Root Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#22. Hopzone IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Bozeman Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#21. Lupujus 7
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Imagine Nation Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#20. Mountain Man Strong Ale
- Type: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#19. Yamabiko
- Type: Japanese Rice Lager
- ABV: 5.0%
- Brewery: New Hokkaido Beverage Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#18. Bozone Plum St. Porter
- Type: American Porter
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Bozeman Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#17. Cold Smoke Scotch Ale
- Type: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: KettleHouse Brewing Co. (Southside Taproom)
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#16. Black Steer's Tookus
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 5.4%
- Brewery: Meadowlark Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#15. Ivan The Terrible Imperial Stout
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Big Sky Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#14. Big Belt Weizenbock
- Type: Weizenbock
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Lewis & Clark Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#13. Olde Bluehair Barley Wine
- Type: American Barleywine
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: Big Sky Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#12. Tin Sky DDH
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Mountains Walking Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#11. Last Cast Black IPA
- Type: Black IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Bitter Root Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#10. Scepter IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Draught Works
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#9. Mountain Man Scotch Ale
- Type: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#8. Grazing Clouds
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.2%
- Brewery: Mountains Walking Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#7. Teddy Roosevelt American Badass
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 7.9%
- Brewery: Meadowlark Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#6. Single Malt IPA
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Blackfoot River Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#5. Dessert Cart - Hazelnut, Coffee and Vanilla Bean
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 10.5%
- Brewery: Mountains Walking Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#4. Mosaic Cloud Curtain
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Mountains Walking Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#3. Double Grazing Clouds
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.5%
- Brewery: Mountains Walking Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#2. Tumbleweed
- Type: English IPA
- ABV: 6.6%
- Brewery: Lewis & Clark Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate
#1. Ivan The Terrible Imperial Stout - Barrel-Aged
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 11.6%
- Brewery: Big Sky 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.