Craft beer moves too quickly to take your eye off of who’s doing what and why it matters for a second. After updating our list for the past two years, we’re back with a fresh crop of movers and shakers.
Experts Featured
Anne Becerra is a beer consultant, educator and writer.
Kate Bernot is a reporter and editor covering the beverage industry.
Kevin Kain is a beer writer.
Ryan Pachmayer is a beer writer and brewer.
David Nilsen is a beer writer and educator.
Christa Sobier is the owner of Beer Witch in Brooklyn, New York.
Don Tse is a beer writer and podcaster.
After so many premature predictions it became a running joke, it seems like we are finally in the age of the lager, and plenty of breweries are skewing their tap lists to celebrate all things traditional, easy-drinking and low ABV. That last quality is a general vibe as breweries prove that even today’s moderation-interested consumer can still enjoy full-flavored options. The shift from wide distribution to a more niche focus is still growing, and breweries are appealing to local-minded drinkers through house-grown and -foraged ingredients. The experience for consuming these beers matters, too. Eager to motivate people to get off of their couches and drink on-site, breweries are leaning into conversation-starting practices, from using Czech side-pull faucets to tapping English ales on cask.
To help compile this list of the breweries making waves in 2025, beer writers, podcasters, educators and brewers weighed in. Some of these breweries are brand-new, some of them are decades old, but all of them are leading the way on exciting changes in the beer landscape.
Known for: A range of lagers poured traditionally on side-pull faucets
Can to know: Pivovarský Bál 12° Plato Czech-Style Foeder Lager
It’s no longer enough to simply be “a lager brewery” to stand out. Founded by Scott Novick, Alternate Ending makes a name for itself with, yes, exceptional lagers, brewed by Brendan Arnold. But what sets Alternate apart is that its beers span the globe: a foedered Czech-style lager, a crisp German-style pilsner, an Iberian-style lager made with paella rice and saffron, a Mexican-style dark and a Thai rice version with basil. When Lukr, the Czech maker of side-pull faucets for foam-crowned lager pours, launched its first U.S. tour of the “Perfect Pour Academy” to train tapsters on using the faucets properly, Alternate Ending was one of the few breweries to get certified. Taproom guests can enjoy aroma-packed pours in the three traditional Czech styles: hladinka, šnyt and mlíko.
“When I heard Lukr was going to Alternate Ending, that put them on my radar and made me want to try their traditional-style lagers,” says Christa Sobier, owner of Brooklyn, New York, bottle shop and bar Beer Witch. “My brother and I even took a road trip out to the taproom and they know how to pour properly; it was a great experience.” Alternate Ending ticks a few more boxes on the list, with a unique taproom setting—it’s in an old movie th, inspiring a subtle cinema theme for the brewery—and a lineup of excellently brewed hoppy beers, too.
Known for: Czech-style lagers, brewed and served traditionally
Draft to know: Cohesion 10° Czech-style pale lager
Try to bring up notable lager breweries in 2025 without mentioning Cohesion Brewing Co. and any beer connoisseurs in your presence will correct you. It has the good fortune of existing in Denver: Each fall, many in the craft beer community descend upon the city for the Great American Beer Festival, and afterward return to their cities singing praises of breweries there. And Cohesion has beguiled even the most discerning industry veterans with a devotion to nuanced Czech-style lagers, also served with care on Lukrs.
“Cohesion is one of the coolest, [most] on-trend breweries in America today,” says beer writer and podcaster Don Tse. “[They use] local ingredients, partnering with a local maltster to have a custom-made malt that works well with the authentic, Old World decoction mashing technique. Cohesion also uses open fermenters, horizontal conditioning tanks fitted with spunding valves that carbonate the beer naturally and, in the taproom, keeps beer in a temperature-controlled water bath and serves the beer through genuine side-pull taps.”
Known for: Saisons, often made with uncommon ingredients
Bottle to know: Spandrel, a saison with aged hops, raw spelt and Brettanomyces
Is/Was is another resounding vote for specialization in craft brewing—and, like Continental lagers, also provides a repertoire skewing low in alcohol—but founder Mike Schallau has committed to an even narrower niche.
“[Is/Was] appears to be making strictly Belgian-inspired, sessionable beers work as their whole ethos,” says beverage alcohol reporter and editor Kate Bernot. “Kudos to them, in the year of our lord 2025.” The brewery opened its taproom in October 2024, concentrating primarily on Belgian- and French-style saisons. It’s a fairly rare style in contemporary American craft beer, but Schallau is building a reputation strong enough that the die-hard saison fans know where they’ll find a gold mine of options, and others can build an appreciation for these farmhouse ales. Helping with that, Bernot adds, are the unconventional ingredients he uses in these beers, like agave hearts, sourdough bread and bison grass.
Known for: A diverse lineup of IPAs, pastry stouts, Scottish and English ales, and hard tea
Can to know: Be Dope Hazy IPA
On the opposite end of the spectrum from narrowing focus, another approach to success as a craft brewery in 2025 is diversifying. It’s one that Milieu Fermentation is employing well. Andrew Bergeron and Rob Bessett worked for Ursula Brewing before taking over the space and establishing Milieu. They’re miraculously making something for everyone—and doing all of it well.
“In 2025, nobody making great beer in Denver/Aurora will go under the radar, so choosing ‘Fermentation’ instead of ‘Brewing’ in the name was a really good decision,” says beer writer and brewer Ryan Pachmayer. “It signals to fermentation-curious folks that there’s more than just beer there. The beer connoisseurs will come either way.” Those beer drinkers will find juicy hazies, bitter West Coasts, a Thai banana stout and hard-to-find gems like Scottish ale, English pub ale, Baltic porter and table beer—but Milieu’s hard tea and the potential for experimentation in more categories will keep the company relevant for a wide audience.
Known for: Belgian-style ales, lagers and stouts
Can to know: Capable of Anything Chamomile Blonde Ale
Drawing on her former career in media research and consumer insights, Sarah Real analyzed data to get a grasp on consumer behavior before co-founding Hot Plate with husband Mike Dell’Aquila. That planning paid off—in 2024, the brewery’s first year of business, they made USA Today’s “10 Best” list for best new brewery, and have made beers in collaboration with marquee names like Patton Oswalt and Ben Folds. Real takes trendy styles like crisp lagers and complex farmhouse ales and pushes them forward with botanicals and spices.
“All of the beers I’ve had from [Hot Plate] have been approachable and well-made while still being interesting and creative, which is a great combination,” says Anne Becerra, a beer consultant, educator and writer, calling the chamomile blonde in particular subtle and elegant.
Known for: Classic styles inspired by bakery favorites
Can to know: Carrot Cake Style Amber Ale
The craft beer industry has notoriously done a pretty poor job of welcoming people of color even as consumers, let alone brewers, let alone brewery founders. The arrival of Brown Girl’s Brew and founder Christina Thomas is both refreshing and important for the representation and visibility the brand fosters. The new operation—already available at a number of bars, restaurants and grocery stores in the New York City area, as well as Total Wine & More for online sales—has become known for its evocative flavors. Thomas pays homage to her mother, who owned a bakery in Chicago, with a carrot cake amber ale, Key lime pie ale, lemon pound cake lager, banana pudding hefeweizen and German chocolate cake stout. For today’s flavor-driven consumer, Brown Girl’s Brew stands to do well and subsequently have a positive impact on the industry’s diversity.
Known for: A pioneering pale ale and a contemporary lineup of IPAs
Can to know: Celebration Fresh Hop IPA
Even casual beer drinkers are aware of Sierra Nevada’s role in shaping craft beer as we know it. Founded by Ken Grossman in 1980, this brewery helped ignite American thirst for hops with a pale ale many still consider a go-to. It laid the groundwork for fresh-hop IPAs with Celebration and set the gold standard in styles like barleywine and brown ale. Throughout the years, Grossman has developed methods for creating ever-hoppier but still balanced beers that have been adopted industrywide. That history is all well and good, but why is the company a brewery to know in 2025?
Sierra Nevada proves nimble and forward-thinking—honoring its history without being precious about it. A few years back, the brewery established its Little Thing sub-brand that speaks to a whole new generation of beer drinkers with hoppy, juicy and even tropical hazies. Sierra Nevada also meets today’s consumer demands with well-executed nonalcoholic beers, embraces a local emphasis by brewing estate beers with ingredients grown on-site and leads the industry in sustainable practices.
Known for: Ales made with ingredients foraged and grown on-site
Bottle to know: Wild Carrot & Nettle light golden farmhouse ale
Opened in 2013 by Marika Josephson and Aaron Kleidon, Scratch has not only epitomized the “brewery as local fixture” while others have chased endless growth, but they also have taken the local thing about 10 steps further.
“[Josephson and Kleidon] forage herbs, flowers, nuts, tree bark, dead leaves, mushrooms and just about anything else edible they can find from their rural property to create beers that can’t exist anywhere else,” says beer writer and educator David Nilsen. “It’s not a model most breweries can follow… which is kind of the point.” A fennel stout, an elderflower saison, a sour brewed with toasted hickory bark—these beers entice beer lovers as well as a growing number of people interested in hyperlocal creations and culinary tie-ins. Kleidon and Josephson even co-authored (with Ryan Tockstein) The Homebrewer’s Almanac, an oft-cited reference on brewing with grown, gathered and foraged plants.
Known for: Sessionable hoppy ales and lagers
Can to know: Eager to Share American pale ale
In-the-know beer fans already had an eye on Zac Ross, who had brewed at Kent Falls Brewing Co. and The Answer Brewpub, when he landed at Twelve Percent Beer Project. While brewing for some of the most hyped hazy IPA and pastry stout brands through Twelve Percent, Ross quietly launched Marlowe, named for his late grandfather. He wanted to get more low-ABV but still full-flavored options circulating, and beers like his Eager to Share pale ale, with dreamy art by fellow Twelve Percent brewer Carla Waclawski, quickly drew notice. After many challenges finding a space of their own, Ross and co-owner Waclawski have settled Marlowe into a Westchester taproom.
“I don’t think Zac’s intent was to brew an array of beers, as much as he wants to brew approachable and sessionable beers,” says beer writer Kevin Kain. “It just so happens that whatever style he brews, he does a pretty damn good job, and his customers respond well.” Kain describes the Marlowe taproom as having more of a pub feel, with conversations between Ross and guests often breaking out over cask pours of English ales or side-pull German lagers.
Known for: Well-balanced pale ales
Can to know: Hip-Hops and R&Brew American Pale Ale with orange zest
After launching its lineup out of brewery incubator Pilot Project in 2021, Funkytown appeared in our 2023 roundup based on two momentous years of growing distribution; brewing excellent pale ales, amber ales and witbiers; winning awards; and building a vital bridge to underserved consumers, particularly people of color, in the craft beer space. Funkytown returns to our list as founders Richard Bloomfield, Zachary Day and Gregory Williams are planning to open a taproom in 2025. The trio is currently fundraising in order to establish a space on Chicago’s West Side, where their enthusiastic fans will be able to enjoy the brewery’s fruity Belgian-style pale ale, tropical mango pale ale and caramel-flavored Irish red. With four years under its belt, the brewery has hit its stride and made a name, and it will be exciting to watch what kind of space they create, how their beers evolve and what kind of events take shape.
