The Top 10 Craft Breweries With the Most 5-Star Check-Ins of 2022
Presented by Oskar Blues Brewery
Which breweries did you all rate the highest this year? Go ahead, take a guess. We bet you can name a few without even looking at the list. Although some may surprise you.
This year, we've refined this ranking even more. We're not only basing these top breweries on the sheer number of check-ins, but on the most five-star-rated check-ins. So we're truly presenting the cream of the crop this year.
Without further ado: We're taking a look at the top ten craft breweries of 2022 based on the most 5-star check-ins globally*.
10. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery 🇺🇸
There is everything right with craft beer pioneer Dogfish Head kicking off this ranking. The Milton, DE-based brewery clocks in tenth with over 11.6k five-star check-ins so far this year. Could the return of its classic high-ABV World Wide Stout be propelling the brewery into top status on Untappd for the year? It's definitely possible. Utopias Barrel-Aged World Wide Stout ranked fifth on our list of the 10 Best Imperial / Double Stouts of 2022 earlier in the year. So we wouldn't be surprised if that beer contributed to Dogfish's success here. Or it could be the archetypal 60-Minute IPA or 90-Minute IPA. Regardless, Dogfish Head's timeless beers and even the newer innovative ones will continue to enshrine this brewery in the best of all time.
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Subsidiary of The Boston Beer Company
Milton, DE United States
Regional Brewery
9. Yuengling Brewery 🇺🇸
According to the Brewers Association's Annual Craft Brewing Industry Production Report, D.G. Yuengling and Son, Inc. is the largest craft brewery in the entire country. Considered America's Oldest Brewery®, Yuengling nets ninth place on this list with 11.8k five-star check-ins in 2022 so far. This is a historic brewery. In fact, did you know: Yuengling's Lord Chesterfield Ale was one of the original beers served at the very first Great American Beer Festival in Boulder, CO, in 1982? Beyond that, Yuengling Lager has become a staple for many lager drinkers, especially in the Northeast. And their Hershey's Chocolate Porter has become a seasonal favorite (the story behind this beer is pretty cool too).
8. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. 🇺🇸
With just over 12.1k five-star check-ins in so far, Sierra Nevada continued to enjoy high check-ins from its uber successful Hazy Little Thing New England-style IPA, which is the number three overall craft brand through the first eight months of 2022 with $74.4 million in sales and the number one selling hazy IPA, according to IRI. Plus, Sierra Nevada enjoyed success from its new seasonal Summer Break IPA and still-iconic Christmas-time Celebration Fresh Hop IPA (which celebrated its forty-first anniversary this year). For 2023, signs point to Sierra Nevada experimenting more in the beyond-beer space, so we'll continue to watch this revered brewery innovate next year.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, CA United States
Regional Brewery
7. Samuel Adams 🇺🇸
Curiously, this craft brewery behemoth did not make the list in 2021. But 13.3k five-star check-ins so far in 2022 netted Samuel Adams seventh place this year. This is one of the biggest breweries in the country, ranking number two on the Brewers Association's Annual Craft Brewing Industry Production Report. So for our part, we're continually impressed to see how Samuel Adams' uses its large platform to impact the craft beer community. They've supported the LGBTQ+ community, fighting for a more inclusive and equitable industry. And continued to provide resources for minority-owned businesses through their Brewing the American Dream program. Yes, their beer is iconic. But to us this is the future of craft beer and to see such a stalwart in the industry pave the way for everyone else makes us optimistic for the future.
Samuel Adams
Subsidiary of The Boston Beer Company
Boston, MA United States
Regional Brewery
6. Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. 🇺🇸
Toppling Goliath is another one of those breweries that just consistently ranks high on our best-of lists. Although, unlike Tree House and Other Half, which dominate the hazy and IPA categories, Toppling Goliath succeeds on the darker end of the spectrum.
In 2022, the brewery's Mornin' Delight (2022) ranked as the highest-rated Coffee and Double/Imperial Coffee Stout of the year with an incredible 4.54 rating on Untappd. Additionally, Toppling Goliath's exemplary Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout stands out as the fourth highest-rated imperial/double stout of all time. First on that list? Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout (2016) (Silver Wax), followed by two other Side Project beers that aren't being produced anymore. So really we might as well call the original the highest-rated "living" imperial/double stout on the Untappd app of all time. It's certainly one of the rarest beers in the world because it's so hard to nab a bottle—Toppling Goliath only releases 300 to 400 bottles a year.
So it makes sense then to see this Decorah, IA-based brewery nab the number seven spot with over 14k five-star check-ins in 2022 at the moment.
Toppling Goliath Brewing Co.
Decorah, IA United States
Regional Brewery
5. The Alchemist 🇺🇸
Considered one of the originators of the hazy IPA movement, The Alchemist slides into this list for the first time with over 14.7k five-star check-ins on Untappd. And while Heady Topper obviously tops many a list as the best double/imperial IPA (came in tenth on ours), it was actually its little brother Focal Banger that placed higher, ranking third on our "12 Best American IPAs of 2021." Beyond its beers, The Alchemist continued to make waves this year for its sustainability efforts, replacing plastic handles on its four-packs with those made of plants. We're excited to see how The Alchemist continues to rank on this list in years to come.
4. Other Half Brewing Co. 🇺🇸
Other Half Brewing Co. lands in fourth with a respectable 15.9k five-star check-ins at the time of publication. We can't deny how much the Untappd community loves Other Half. We consistently find their beers topping our best-of lists including: The 20 Best Imperial/Double New England-style / Hazy IPAs of 2022, The 20 Best Hazy/New England-style IPAs of 2022, and even the 25 Best Lagers of 2022.
Which is why when Next Glass Director of Strategic Media and Sales Kenny Gould hosted our new YouTube travel show Next Exit in Brooklyn, he hit Other Half first.
Other Half's Brooklyn location is embedded in the fabric of craft beer culture in America. But over the last half decade or so, the brewery has continued to expand. Most recently, cutting the ribbon on its seventh location in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia in February. Which is why Hop Culture gave them an honorable mention in their piece on "Best New Breweries of 2022."
There is no mountain this brewery can't top. So the question on all our minds next year: Can Other Half become a champion on this list in 2023?
Other Half Brewing Co.
Brooklyn, NY United States
Regional Brewery
3. Russian River Brewing Company 🇺🇸
We're not surprised to see one of the most iconic breweries in the country snag third on this list with 18.2k five-star check-ins. After all, Pliny the Younger is not only one of the rarest beers in the entire world, but also one of the highest-rated Double/Imperial IPAs on Untappd in 2022 and the fifth highest-rated beer out of all styles.
Incredibly, the Pliny the Younger release this year in late March generated $6.1 million in economic impact in 2022, a twenty percent increase compared to 2020 and a record for Russian River. After a one-year hiatus due to COVID, the release returned in person this year, selling an epic 40,000 bottles. According to the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, 12,000 tourists from forty-two states and five different countries made the pilgrimage to Santa Rosa just for this beer. If that (or any of the stats we just shared) doesn't tell you the cult-like following around this beer and brewery, nothing will.
Bell's only narrowly claimed a margin of victory for second place (see below), so we're ready to watch these two epic breweries duke it out next year.
Russian River Brewing Company
Windsor, CA United States
Regional Brewery
2. Bell's Brewery 🇺🇸
Bell's Brewery slips into the number two spot with over 19.3k five-star check-ins. It's undeniable that the Comstock, MI-based brewery deserves a spot on this list. The iconic brewery started the year by announcing the retirement of its legendary founder, Larry Bell, meaning 2022 officially marked the first year Bell's has been…well, "Bell-less."
But the brewery still rang in the new year strong, pushed forward by a sale to Australian brewer Lion, who also owns New Belgium Brewing, at the end of 2021. The brewery followed up with an announcement in the first quarter of the year that they would consolidate their portfolio with New Belgium outside of Michigan. They also hired a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director in June. And this past September Bell's continued to expand its footprint, opening up distribution in Northern California and Montana. We can now find Bell's in forty-four states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, timeless beers like Oberon, Two Hearted Ale, and Christmas Ale continue to set the standard for craft beer in America. All makes Bell's a well-deserved brewery on this list with the second highest number of five-star check-ins in 2022.
1. Tree House Brewing Co. 🇺🇸
Well, we can't say we're shocked. Tree House deservedly wears the crown on the list of Untappd's Top Breweries of 2022, recording an epic 51.9k five-star check-ins at the time of publication. That's a cool 32.6k more five-star check-ins than second place. Pretty impressive.
Since opening in 2011 in a small red barn in Brimfield, MA, Tree House has rooted itself into American craft beer culture (see what we did there). The brewery's American IPAs consistently ranked as some of the best, peppering our list of the "12 Best American IPAs of 2021" that we published at the beginning of the year with standouts like Julius, Green, and Alter Ego. And absolutely DOMINATING (with a capital D) our list of "The 15 Best Double/Imperial IPAs of 2022." They snagged the seven top spots with beers like King JJJuliuss, King Julius, Very HHHazyyy, and Very GGGreennn, to name a few.
In addition to expanding to a farm location in Woodstock, CT, and two breweries in Deerfield and Sandwich, MA, Tree House recently announced customers can get beer from a Tewksbury location. There is no mistaking that Tree House is one of the best breweries in the entire country. We expect to continue to see big numbers and check-ins from Tree House in 2023.
Tree House Brewing Company
Charlton, MA United States
Regional Brewery
Stay tuned for our next post as we dive into the highest average rated styles of 2022 based on Untappd check-ins. What was your top brewery this year? Let us know in the comments below!
Looking for More Top Breweries of the Year?
Read about Hop Culture's Best New Breweries of 2022
Interested in Seeing These Stats All Year?
Becoming an Untappd Insider gets you access to personalized data whenever you want! Learn more about your habits with in-depth analytics. Easily see activity trends, your favorite locations, your top beer styles, and much more.
BECOME AN UNTAPPD INSIDER TODAY
*Statistics as of 12/9/22
Toast
