The world’s best lager for 2024 has been designated in various subcategories by the U.S. Open Beer Championship.

Lager enthusiasts are currently enjoying a golden era. This type of beer, known for its crisp and smooth profile due to cold fermentation, is seeing a rise in popularity among craft brewers. As previously covered, lagers are one of the most popular styles found at major beer festivals and local taprooms alike. Although they haven’t reached the sales levels of IPAs, their presence is increasingly felt.

At this year’s U.S. Open Beer Championship, various lager subcategories stood out, with judges awarding gold medals to the best light and medium-body lagers after a rigorous blind taste testing. It’s worth noting that this overview excludes pilsners, which have been discussed in a previous article.

The U.S. Open Beer Championship, known for announcing its results earlier this season, accepts entries from worldwide breweries. However, the highlighted winners here are all from the U.S., which reflects not only higher participation rates from American breweries but also the exceptional quality of lagers produced in the country.

It’s great to see craft breweries embrace this style that was once the dominion of big beer. It’s also clear that Missing Falls Brewery understands what this style is all about. The beer’s tasting notes proudly proclaim it is a “fuss” free beer designed to be light and drinkable.

John and Amanda Hutchings started Fall River Brewing Co. out of a garage in the early 2010s. They’ve since grown into a celebrated brewery with beer distributed throughout California and Nevada. Their American-style lager, Hooked, draws on American and German influences with the goal of creating a beer with a crisp and clean finish inspired by the outdoors.

Made in collaboration with the band Old Heavy Hands, this light lager was brewed with max crushability in mind. Per the brewery, it’s “a very light-bodied, crisp lager designed to be consumed very cold. Very refreshing and thirst-quenching.”

This casino-based brewery clearly hit the jackpot with this beer. According to the brewery Oroveza is “brewed with a light grain bill and a generous amount of flaked maize to give it the clean and bright color of gold.” The result is a crisp and refreshing brew.

Würld Class is highly esteemed as per the commendation it received from the U.S. Open Beer Championship, brewed by a family-operated brewery in La Grange Park. This establishment is known not only for premium brews crafted by Jim Koblish, the owner and head brewer, but also for its strong communal atmosphere.

The gold lager is expertly made using Riwaka hops sourced from New Zealand. Described in its tasting notes, the beer exhibits “extreme citrus notes and Nectaron hops – intense pineapple, passion fruit, and stone fruit characters” along with “aromas of lemongrass and stone fruit.” Brunswick Beer and Cider finds its muse in the understated allure of North Carolina’s wetlands, highlighted by a logo that reflects the ancient cypress trees prevalent in that region.

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