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SAN DIEGO — San Diego is sometimes called the “Craft Beer Capital of America,” and locals can be awfully proud of our impressive collection of successful breweries.

But the competition is also getting stiff: The last decade has seen an explosion of breweries that operate on a smaller scale and offer a wider, and sometimes more experimental, selection of beer. While craft beer often has a higher price tag than your average domestic beer, consumers are clearly willing to pay more: In 2020, craft beer accounted for almost a quarter of the U.S. retail beer market.

Stacker compiled a list of the breweries with the most top 100 ranked beers in California using data from BeerAdvocate.

Several San Diego County breweries dot the list, including a whopping four in the top 10. The top local spot, according to the rankings, goes to Alesmith Brewing Company. The popular local brewer, available at a tasting room in the Miramar area, is responsible for .394 Pale Ale — named in honored of San Diego Padres’ legend Tony Gwynn and his career-high batting average from 1994.

Continue reading to find out which other California breweries made BeerAdvocate and Stacker’s top 20. Any ties were broken by the highest-ranking beer.

#20. North Coast Brewing Co.
– Top 100 beers in California: 1
– Highest ranked beer:
— #76. Old Stock Cellar Reserve (Aged In Bourbon Barrels) (Old Ale)

#19. Noble Ale Works
– Top 100 beers in California: 1
– Highest ranked beer:
— #64. Citra Showers (IPA – Imperial)

#18. FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
– Top 100 beers in California: 1
– Highest ranked beer:
— #49. Imperial Eclipse Stout – Elijah Craig (12 Year) (Stout – American Imperial)

#17. Moonraker Brewing Company
– Top 100 beers in California: 2
– Highest ranked beers:
— #72. Yojo (IPA – New England)
— #87. DOJO (IPA – New England)

#16. Stone Brewing
– Top 100 beers in California: 2
– Highest ranked beers:
— #54. Fyodor (Stout – Russian Imperial)
— #74. Enjoy By IPA (IPA – Imperial)

#15. Kern River Brewing Company
– Top 100 beers in California: 2
– Highest ranked beers:
— #14. Citra (IPA – Imperial)
— #59. Winter Ale (5th Anniversary Ale) (IPA – Imperial)

#14. Ballast Point Brewing Company
– Top 100 beers in California: 3
– Highest ranked beers:
— #80. Victory At Sea – Barrel-Aged (Porter – Imperial)
— #85. Victory At Sea – Coffee And Vanilla (Porter – Imperial)
— #97. Sculpin (IPA – American)

#13. The Rare Barrel
– Top 100 beers in California: 3
– Highest ranked beers:
— #73. Map Of The Sun (Wild Ale)
— #86. Home, Sour Home (Wild Ale)
— #100. Soliloquy (Wild Ale)

#12. Cellarmaker Brewing Co.
– Top 100 beers in California: 3
– Highest ranked beers:
— #52. Vastness Of Space – Bourbon Barrel-Aged (Stout – American Imperial)
— #66. Double Dobis (IPA – Imperial)
— #99. I See A Dankness (IPA – Imperial)

#11. Bruery Terreux
– Top 100 beers in California: 4
– Highest ranked beers:
— #51. Sour In The Rye – Pineapple And Coconut (Wild Ale)
— #70. Oude Tart – Cherries (Sour – Flanders Red Ale)
— #71. Sour In The Rye – Peaches (Wild Ale)

#10. The Lost Abbey
– Top 100 beers in California: 4
– Highest ranked beers:
— #7. Duck Duck Gooze (Lambic – Gueuze)
— #10. Cable Car Kriek (Wild Ale)
— #11. Cable Car (Wild Ale)

#9. Alpine Beer Company
– Top 100 beers in California: 5
– Highest ranked beers:
— #17. Keene Idea (IPA – Imperial)
— #24. Great (Barleywine – American)
— #39. Bad Boy (IPA – Imperial)

#8. Modern Times Beer
– Top 100 beers in California: 5
– Highest ranked beers:
— #6. Monster Tones (Stout – American Imperial)
— #27. Modem Tones – Bourbon Barrel-Aged – Vanilla (Stout – American Imperial)
— #75. Chaos Grid – The Final Course (Stout – American Imperial)

#7. AleSmith Brewing Company
– Top 100 beers in California: 6
– Highest ranked beers:
— #3. Speedway Stout – Vietnamese Coffee – Bourbon-Barrel Aged (Stout – American Imperial)
— #22. Speedway Stout – Bourbon Barrel-Aged (Stout – American Imperial)
— #30. Speedway Stout – Vietnamese Coffee (Stout – American Imperial)

#6. Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
– Top 100 beers in California: 7
– Highest ranked beers:
— #8. Parabola (Stout – Russian Imperial)
— #21. Parabajava (Stout – Russian Imperial)
— #25. §ucaba (Barleywine – English)

#5. The Bruery
– Top 100 beers in California: 8
– Highest ranked beers:
— #13. Black Tuesday – Reserve (Stout – American Imperial)
— #18. Black Tuesday (Stout – American Imperial)
— #19. Chocolate Rain (Stout – American Imperial)

#4. Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
– Top 100 beers in California: 8
– Highest ranked beers:
— #4. Westly (Wild Ale)
— #12. West Ashley (Farmhouse Ale – Saison)
— #31. Saison Bernice (Farmhouse Ale – Saison)

#3. Russian River Brewing Company
– Top 100 beers in California: 8
– Highest ranked beers:
— #1. Pliny The Younger (IPA – Imperial)
— #5. Pliny The Elder (IPA – Imperial)
— #15. Supplication (Wild Ale)

#2. Monkish Brewing Co.
– Top 100 beers in California: 11
– Highest ranked beers:
— #23. Adios Ghost (IPA – New England)
— #29. Foggier Window (IPA – New England)
— #36. Foggy Window (IPA – New England)

#1. Bottle Logic Brewing
– Top 100 beers in California: 14
– Highest ranked beers:
— #2. Fundamental Observation (Stout – American Imperial)
— #9. Hypermash Hydra (Stout – American Imperial)
— #20. Fundamental Forces (Stout – American Imperial)

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