The best beer from every state

Kona Brewing Co beer
Kona Brewing's Da Grind Buzz took the No. 1 spot for Hawaii. Facebook/KonaBrewingCo

There's nothing like a crisp, cold glass of beer when you're ready to unwind, and every state has brews that stand out above the rest. 

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In honor of National Beer Day, we've put together a list of the best beer in every state and Washington, DC, based on reviews from craft-beer authority RateBeer.com

Scroll down to see which beer took the top spot for your home state, whether it's a breakfast stout from Michigan or a hoppy and hearty IPA from Maine. 

Note: For states where the top choice was a cider or a mead, we went with the next highest-ranked beer instead. Melissa Stanger wrote an earlier version of this story.

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ALABAMA: Birmingham's Good People Brewing is the maker of El Gordo, a full-bodied stout that delivers notes of vanilla, dark chocolate, and bourbon at a hefty ABV of 13.9%.

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ALASKA: Midnight Sun's Sloth is a Belgian-style imperial stout that is incredibly dark. It has a sweet aroma and notes of vanilla, coconut, and whiskey.

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ARIZONA: Dragoon Brewing Company's Lazarus is the "most complex beer" that they’ve produced. Aged in barrels for 12 months, the beer includes toasty and chocolatey flavors and has an ABV of 13.25%.

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ARKANSAS: Hailing from Rogers, Ozark Beer Company's Double Cream Stout is aged for seven months in charred oak barrels. It has a rich and smooth taste, with notes of cocoa and some vanilla.

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CALIFORNIA: Santa Rosa's Russian River Brewing is famous for its hard-to-get 11% imperial IPA, Pliny the Younger. The brewery calls it a triple IPA because it's hopped three times.

Russian River Pliny the Younger
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COLORADO: Denver's Great Divide Brewing Company ages its Yeti Imperial Stout on a blend of French and toasted oak chips, giving it flavors of chocolate and roasted coffee. The strong but balanced beer has an ABV of 9.5%.

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CONNECTICUT: Perfect for the warm weather months, New England Brewing Company's Fuzzy Baby Ducks IPA has a citrus fruitiness that comes through in its taste and aroma. A bitterness on the back end helps balance the flavors out.

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DELAWARE: Like Dogfish Head's 120 Minute IPA, World Wide Stout clocks in at an impressive ABV of between 15% and 20%. This boozy stout is released once a year in November.

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FLORIDA: St. Petersburg's Cycle Brewing whips up its Cycle Pallet 1, a barrel-aged imperial stout that has an ABV of 10.4% and flavors of coffee and cinnamon.

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GEORGIA: Atlanta's Wrecking Bar Brewpub brews its Maximus Russian Imperial Stout, which is aged in barrels and includes flavors of peppers, cinnamon bark, toasted cocoa nibs, and vanilla beans.

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HAWAII: Described by Kona Brewing as "assertive", Da Grind Buzz is an imperial stout made with 100% freshly roasted local Kona coffee. At 8.3%, it's high in alcohol but goes down smooth.

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IDAHO: The Barrel Aged Seven Devils Imperial Stout from Boise's Sockeye Brewing includes notes of vanilla, bourbon, and chocolate. The full-bodied stout has an ABV of 10.5%.

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ILLINOIS: The Bourbon County Stout from Chicago's Goose Island Beer Company goes down smooth with notes of oak and bold coffee — but at 14.2%, it will knock you off your feet.

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INDIANA: Hailing from Munster, Indiana, Three Floyds' Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout is a 15% whopper brewed with Dark Matter Coffee. It's one of the most sought-after beers in the world and is released just once a year.

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IOWA: Born and bred in Decorah, Toppling Goliath's Mornin' Delight is an imperial stout with an aroma of espresso and notes of maple syrup and vanilla. With an ABV of 12%, it'll make for a sweet and boozy time.

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KANSAS: Lawrence's Free State Brewing ages its Owd Macs Imperial Stout in old McCormack's whiskey barrels, hence the name. Dark and slightly sweet, it clocks in at 9.5% ABV.

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KENTUCKY: For its 70K beer, Against the Grain Brewery in Louisville took the recipe for its 35K sweet stout and doubled it, resulting in a big, comforting 13.1% beer.

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LOUISIANA: Parish Brewing Company's Ghost In the Machine has a golden orange pour with an aroma that mimics tropical fruit, pine, and toffee. With an ABV of 8.5% and floral hops, you're in for a refreshing drink.

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MAINE: Located in Freeport, Maine Beer Company makes a beer fittingly called Dinner. This 8.2% imperial IPA is hearty and hoppy, and you may just want to go to sleep afterward.

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MARYLAND: Stillwater Artisanal's Gose Gone Wild includes large amounts of Citra and Amarillo hops. While it has a lower percentage of alcohol (4.3%), its crisp palate and subtly tart flavors make up for it.

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MASSACHUSETTS: Good Morning is a beer that wakes you up. Brewed with grade-A maple syrup, the imperial stout by Tree House Brewing in Monson is chocolatey and slightly sweet, with an ABV of 8.4%.

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MICHIGAN: Founders Brewing Company's Canadian Breakfast Stout is brewed with chocolate and coffee and aged in maple-syrup bourbon barrels. You'll feel like you're getting a taste of breakfast with every sip.

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MINNESOTA: Minneapolis-based Surly Brewing's Surly Darkness includes flavors of chocolate, cherries, raisins, coffee, and toffee. With a 9.6% ABV, it offers a sweet aroma of roasted malts and dark fruits.

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MISSISSIPPI: Straight out of Kiln, Lazy Magnolia Brewing has come up with an imperial rye IPA, Timber Beast, which is spicy, hoppy, and boozy at 9% ABV.

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MISSOURI: Abraxas, a word of mystical origin, perfectly describes this 11% imperial stout from St. Louis' Perennial Artisan Ales. Brewed with cacao nibs and ancho chilis, it ages for nearly a year in rye-whiskey barrels.

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MONTANA: Missoula's Big Sky Brewing has been making Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout since 2006. The roasty beer was born at 8.75% ABV, but these days is found at 10%.

Big Sky Brewing Ivan the Terrible Barrel Aged
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NEBRASKA: Black Betty (Reserve Series) is a multiple-award-winning Russian imperial stout from Nebraska Brewing in Papillon. It's dry and complex at 9% ABV.

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NEVADA: With the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas comes new craft breweries like Joseph James. Their Bourbon Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout is aged for seven months, and comes in with flavors of coffee and chocolate from the oak and bourbon. It has a 9.5% ABV.

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NEW HAMPSHIRE: Unlike regular porters, Baltic porters are brewed at lower temperatures similar to lagers. From Portsmouth, Smuttynose Brewing's version is raisin-y and rich at 8.7% ABV.

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NEW JERSEY: Kane Brewing joined the IPA train with Head High (6.5%), but where this beer one-ups the competition is in using four different hops that give it citrus and pine notes.

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NEW MEXICO: Elevated IPA is La Cumbre's flagship beer, but it's also its best beer. "La cumbre" means "the summit" in Spanish. The 7.2% IPA is clean and earthy, just like its Albuquerque birthplace.

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NEW YORK: Brooklyn's Evil Twin makes a Double Barrel Jesus stout that gets top marks for being a rich, dark, and complex beer with a bourbon edge, spices, and layers of chocolate and coffee. The strong aroma and creaminess of the pitch-black brew are not for the faint of heart.

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NORTH CAROLINA: Another imperial stout, Olde Hickory's The Event Horizon is a rich beer made with local honey and aged in oak bourbon barrels. With 8.5% ABV, it's a powerful brew that's dense in flavor.

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NORTH DAKOTA: Out of the city of the same name, Fargo Brewing makes its Iron Horse pale ale with intense floral hop aromas and flavors of grapefruit. The 5% beer is hoppy enough for hop lovers, but not too hoppy for the hop-averse.

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OHIO: BORIS The Crusher is a barrel-aged stout from Hoppin' Frog with a 9.5% ABV. A robust flavor and rich feel are offset by green hops and cherry notes for a refreshing touch.

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OKLAHOMA: Prairie Bomb! is great to drink and fun to say. The 13% ABV imperial stout brewed by Tulsa's Prairie Artisan Ales is aged in rum casks for a hearty flavor and a slight presence of liquor, coconut, and vanilla.

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OREGON: Offered December through February, Deschutes Brewery's The Abyss is a full-bodied imperial stout brewed with licorice and molasses and aged in oak and bourbon barrels. It's a whopping 11% ABV.

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PENNSYLVANIA: The Phoenix Kriek by Selin's Grove Brewing isn't your typical kriek (cherry) sour beer. The difference here is that Selin's Grove makes its beer nice and jammy and only slightly tart.

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RHODE ISLAND: Westerly's Grey Sail Brewing makes an aggressively hopped double IPA, Captain's Daughter, with tropical and stone fruit aromas and flavors. At 8.5% ABV, it's not as alcoholic as other imperial IPAs, but it's up there.

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SOUTH CAROLINA: Mt. Pleasant's Westbrook Brewing Company made a Mexican Cake Imperial Stout to celebrate its first anniversary. Then they made a 10.5% ABV Jack Daniel's barrel-aged version — a limited release that's nearly impossible to find. Buy it if you do.

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SOUTH DAKOTA: A slightly sweet, multigrain porter made with a bite of rye, Firehouse Brewing's Honey Rye Porter is a 5% ABV dark beer perfect for a warm or cool day.

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TENNESSEE: A vanilla-heavy imperial stout, Wiseacre Brewing's Astronaut Status will send you in the direction of the moon at 10.5% ABV. It's a dark and heavy brew with bourbon and coconut notes.

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TEXAS: Atrial Rubicite is Jester King Brewery's first barrel-aged sour fruit beer. The Austin-based brewery used hundreds of pounds of raspberries to give this 5.8% beer its color and taste.

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UTAH: In Salt Lake City, Squatters Craft Beers barrels Fifth Element and lets nature take over the fermentation process, resulting in a Champagne-y, light-bodied 6.8% ABV beer reminiscent of summer stone fruit.

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VERMONT: With a perfect "100" score on RateBeer, the Ann by Hill Farmstead is a complex, artisanal beer aged in French Oak wine barrels. A blonde beer, it's bright but soft, with honey and citrus notes.

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VIRGINIA: AleWerks Brewing's Bitter Valentine is a crisp and über-hoppy 9% ABV imperial IPA.

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WASHINGTON: Seattle's Fremont Brewing brings the warmth of bourbon to its Abominable winter ale by aging it in barrels and releasing it in December in limited quantities. Fans of the 11% ABV beer lovingly refer to it as the B-Bomb.

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WASHINGTON, DC: On the Wings of Armageddon from DC Brau Brewing is a 9.2% ABV imperial IPA — a little fruity, a little bitter, and very hoppy.

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WEST VIRGINIA: The Big Timber Porter is a rich beer that's mildly sweet and smooth on the finish. It's got a roasted flavor matched by vanilla and coffee notes, all at a 6.5% ABV.

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WISCONSIN: The Central Waters Sixteen means business, with an 11.5% ABV and a big, bold stout flavor aged in oak barrels. Pitch black and with a frothy head, it's a well-rounded brew with the dark chocolate and roasted notes of its fellow imperial stouts.

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WYOMING: Snake River Brewing has developed a perfectly balanced foreign-style stout. At 5.8% it won't knock you out, but the slight sweetness and richness are great to enjoy after a long day skiing in Jackson Hole.

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