Less Than 7% Of People Think This Type Of Beer Is The Best
Despite the rise of the hard seltzer, beer sales are still skyrocketing. According to Forbes, there were roughly 1,521 craft breweries operating in the United States back in 2008. That number had risen to 7,346 a decade later. With that many breweries out there, picking out a six-pack for a weekend getaway or night out with friends can feel a little overwhelming. I mean, what does dry-hopped even mean?
Tasting Table decided it was time to put brew loyalty to the test and see which of the many varieties of beer on the market today are the most popular with our readers. We conducted a survey of 515 beer drinkers from across the country about their favorite type of beer.
Nearly half of the votes, or 48.54%, came in for the classic ale. Ales are often categorized as any type of beer that is top fermented, meaning the yeast gathers at the top of the tank as it brews (via Spruce Eats). They also tend to have stronger flavors than our second place winner: the lager.
Lagers had about one quarter of the vote, or 25.24%, which is surprising due to the fact that many of the country's top selling beers fall into that category. Lagers trend toward lighter, crispier flavors, while ales favor stronger, fruitier notes by comparison. Included in the ale category would be the India pale ale or IPA, which has become a symbol of hipster, craft-brewing snobbery.
Bock was the most disliked beer
Coming in at the bottom of the poll was the German Bock beer. Renegade Brewing notes that bocks are defined by their rich, malty flavors. They're actually a type of strong lager that is brewed at lower temperatures, and typically have a dark brown color. They brought home a minuscule 31 votes in our survey, which barely reached above 6% of the total.
Bocks originated in the North German town of Einbeck sometime in the Fourteenth Century, according to Hop Culture. The legend is that when the brewing style made its way to the Southern town of Munich, "Einbeck" was misunderstood as "ein bock." Bock is the German word for goat, and the animal has become the unofficial mascot of the beer. The goat remains a frequent sight on labels and cans of the strong brew to this day.
Maybe some of you were turned off by the goat on the label, or maybe it was just the bock's strong flavor. But either way, dark beers ranked lowest in the survey with stouts collecting 65 votes, or 12.62%, and porters scraping just above the bock with 39, or 7.57%. If you haven't had a bock before, you should get out there and try some. If you don't like it, you can always dump it into the batter for some irish beer bread, or make some nice fried goodies.