Highest-rated beer in South Dakota

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

Highest-rated beer in South Dakota

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 South Dakota 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. Sapwood

- Rating: 3.78 (6 ratings)
- Type: Oatmeal Stout
- ABV: 6.2%
- Brewery: Sawyer Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#29. Forty Winks

- Rating: 4.07 (4 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 10.3%
- Brewery: Fernson Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#28. Grond

- Rating: 4.38 (3 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: Remedy Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#27. Tedious Fool

- Rating: 3.96 (5 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 8.7%
- Brewery: Severance Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#26. Quadruple

- Rating: 4.15 (4 ratings)
- Type: Quadrupel (Quad)
- ABV: 10.7%
- Brewery: WoodGrain Brewing Co
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#25. Operation Dreamsicle

- Rating: 4.06 (5 ratings)
- Type: Fruited Kettle Sour
- ABV: 5.6%
- Brewery: Covert Artisan Ales
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#24. Daisy Gazer

- Rating: 4.08 (5 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 7.6%
- Brewery: Look's Beer Co
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#23. 100LL

- Rating: 4.28 (4 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 10.5%
- Brewery: Sawyer Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#22. Vajazzled

- Rating: 4.02 (6 ratings)
- Type: Wild Ale
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Covert Artisan Ales
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#21. Curio

- Rating: 3.58 (27 ratings)
- Type: Berliner Weisse
- ABV: 4.0%
- Brewery: Fernson Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#20. R&R

- Rating: 4.18 (5 ratings)
- Type: Wild Ale
- ABV: 5.25%
- Brewery: Covert Artisan Ales
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#19. Hefe-Metal

- Rating: 3.60 (16 ratings)
- Type: Hefeweizen
- ABV: 5.4%
- Brewery: Remedy Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#18. Red Water

- Rating: 3.58 (21 ratings)
- Type: Irish Red Ale
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Crow Peak Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#17. Mother Lode

- Rating: 4.12 (6 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Sawyer Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#16. West Side Park

- Rating: 3.88 (9 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Ben's Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#15. Runkle Road IPA

- Rating: 3.86 (10 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: The Knuckle Saloon & Grill
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#14. IPA

- Rating: 3.82 (11 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Remedy Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#13. Hot Mama

- Rating: 3.78 (13 ratings)
- Type: Chile Beer
- ABV: 6.3%
- Brewery: Sick N Twisted Brewing Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#12. Lion's Paw Lager

- Rating: 3.71 (48 ratings)
- Type: Vienna Lager
- ABV: 4.6%
- Brewery: Fernson Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#11. Shy Giant

- Rating: 3.72 (47 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 7.0%
- Brewery: Fernson Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#10. Pile O' Dirt Porter

- Rating: 3.76 (191 ratings)
- Type: Robust Porter
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Crow Peak Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#9. Egg Pie

- Rating: 4.49 (5 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 12.0%
- Brewery: Covert Artisan Ales
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#8. IPA

- Rating: 3.83 (13 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.6%
- Brewery: WoodGrain Brewing Co
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#7. Lord Grizzly - Barrel Aged

- Rating: 4.15 (8 ratings)
- Type: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
- ABV: 11.38%
- Brewery: Lost Cabin Beer Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#6. Queen Bee Imperial Honey Cream Ale

- Rating: 3.75 (31 ratings)
- Type: Cream Ale
- ABV: 7.3%
- Brewery: Remedy Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#5. Vanilla BBC

- Rating: 4.28 (8 ratings)
- Type: Wild Ale
- ABV: 6.0%
- Brewery: Covert Artisan Ales
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#4. Milk Stout

- Rating: 3.87 (16 ratings)
- Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
- ABV: 5.2%
- Brewery: WoodGrain Brewing Co
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#3. Wagonplane Porter

- Rating: 3.89 (17 ratings)
- Type: American Porter
- ABV: 5.5%
- Brewery: Fernson Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#2. Lord Grizzly

- Rating: 3.95 (27 ratings)
- Type: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
- ABV: 8.2%
- Brewery: Lost Cabin Beer Co.
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

#1. SoDank IPA

- Rating: 4.11 (19 ratings)
- Type: American IPA
- ABV: 6.8%
- Brewery: Lost Cabin Beer Co.
- 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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