Highest-rated beer in Virginia

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 Virginia 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.

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BeerAdvocate

1 / 29

#29. Bask

- Rating: 4.28 (58 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 7.8%
- Brewery: Basic City Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

2 / 29

#28. Grand Larceny

- Rating: 4.24 (99 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: The Answer Brewpub
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

3 / 29

#27. Bitter Valentine

- Rating: 4.23 (570 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.3%
- Brewery: Alewerks Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

4 / 29

#26. Battle Creek

- Rating: 4.32 (72 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Triple Crossing Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

5 / 29

#25. Imperial Pumpkin - Bourbon Barrel

- Rating: 4.43 (35 ratings)
- Type: Pumpkin Beer
- ABV: 9.4%
- Brewery: Alewerks Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

6 / 29

#24. Green Dreams

- Rating: 4.32 (80 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Triple Crossing Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

7 / 29

#23. Nectar & Knife

- Rating: 4.30 (126 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Triple Crossing Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

8 / 29

#22. Interstellar Burst

- Rating: 4.36 (69 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: Triple Crossing Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

9 / 29

#21. Hard In The Paint

- Rating: 4.35 (79 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: The Answer Brewpub
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

10 / 29

#20. Bourbon Barrel Porter (BBP)

- Rating: 4.27 (636 ratings)
- Type: Imperial Porter
- ABV: 9.0%
- Brewery: Alewerks Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

11 / 29

#19. Café Royale

- Rating: 4.30 (793 ratings)
- Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
- ABV: 8.4%
- Brewery: Alewerks Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

12 / 29

#18. Dark Hollow Reserve: Concealed Darkness

- Rating: 4.46 (49 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 10.6%
- Brewery: Blue Mountain Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

13 / 29

#17. Resolute

- Rating: 4.33 (411 ratings)
- Type: Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.5%
- Brewery: Brothers Craft Brewing
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

14 / 29

#16. Ruse

- Rating: 4.39 (113 ratings)
- Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
- ABV: 11.3%
- Brewery: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

15 / 29

#15. Crucial Taunt

- Rating: 4.35 (374 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

16 / 29

#14. Bourbon Barrel GBS (Gingerbread Stout)

- Rating: 4.34 (854 ratings)
- Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
- ABV: 11.5%
- Brewery: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

17 / 29

#13. Bale

- Rating: 4.46 (76 ratings)
- Type: American Imperial Stout
- ABV: 13.5%
- Brewery: Aslin Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

18 / 29

#12. We Ded Mon

- Rating: 4.41 (154 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 11.0%
- Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

19 / 29

#11. Talking Backwards

- Rating: 4.46 (91 ratings)
- Type: Imperial IPA
- ABV: 10.8%
- Brewery: Ocelot Brewing Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

20 / 29

#10. IdonteverEVERwanttoBU

- Rating: 4.45 (105 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 9.3%
- Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

21 / 29

#9. Never Never Again Again

- Rating: 4.49 (73 ratings)
- Type: Fruited Kettle Sour
- ABV: 5.1%
- Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

22 / 29

#8. whiteferrari

- Rating: 4.40 (260 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.0%
- Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

23 / 29

#7. Orange Starfish

- Rating: 4.39 (420 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 6.5%
- Brewery: Aslin Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

24 / 29

#6. Mind The Hop

- Rating: 4.42 (312 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 9.5%
- Brewery: Aslin Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

25 / 29

#5. Master Of Karate

- Rating: 4.41 (537 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.4%
- Brewery: Aslin Beer Company
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

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BeerAdvocate

26 / 29

#4. Kentucky Christmas Morning

- Rating: 4.43 (486 ratings)
- Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
- ABV: 12.2%
- Brewery: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

27 / 29

#3. Foolery

- Rating: 4.46 (222 ratings)
- Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
- ABV: 13.0%
- Brewery: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

28 / 29

#2. Trickery

- Rating: 4.44 (527 ratings)
- Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
- ABV: 13.5%
- Brewery: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
- Read more on BeerAdvocate

BeerAdvocate

29 / 29

#1. Double Orange Starfish

- Rating: 4.46 (500 ratings)
- Type: New England IPA
- ABV: 8.3%
- Brewery: Aslin Beer 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.