Shop
Beers With the Most 5-Star Check-Ins on Untappd in 2024
Cheers to 14 years of beers and check-ins!
Photography courtesy of @3floydsbrewing
Looking for More?
Updated on October 17, 2024
In 2010, Untappd Founder Greg Avola had an idea: Build a social platform for the craft beer community.
Avola had impeccable timing. Because while “Like a G6” ran on repeat, Twilight still hadn’t stopped making movies, and the Gordon Ramsey-led MasterChef aired for the first time in the U.S., craft beer bubbled and brewed in the background.
And while beer may not have been as catchy as playing Angry Birds on your iPhone4, smartphones and countless apps continued to grow in popularity.
Avola and his co-founder Tim Mather wanted to combine the two, creating a social platform solely focused on craft beer.
In September 2010, they released the first prototype of Untappd in private beta. Untappd has come a long way in its lucky fourteen years. Today, you can post photos, enjoy Untappd in Dark Mode, earn badges, and purchase beer boxes.
Oh, and you can even buy beer on the app now!
Over these last baker’s-dozen-plus-one years, Untappd has grown into the world’s largest digital platform for craft beer. (Psst: 11 billion registered members of the community.)
So when a beer hits a coveted 5.0 rating on the app, you know it has some cultural cache.
Which is why, to celebrate Untappd’s fourteenth go around the proverbial Internet sun, we looked at the beers currently pulling in a 5.0 ranking in 2024. And gave our two cents (for what it’s worth) on what makes them some of the highest-rated beers on Untappd this year.
Editor’s Note: The statistics for these rankings come straight from Untappd’s platform. We are simply presenting them here. If you disagree with something, we hear ya, but the facts don’t lie!
Untappd’s Beers With the Most 5-Star Check-Ins of 2024
Pliny the Elder – Russian River Brewing Company
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 7,535
Photography courtesy of @russianriverbrewingofficial
Double IPA – It’s not surprising the first-ever double IPA in the country, and one of the most iconic American beers, holds the top spot here by a good mile with over 7.5k five-star check-ins on Untappd in 2024, a slight dip from its 9.5K in 2023.
What is surprising, though, is that a beer initially imagined in the mid-nineties when Russian River Brewing Co-Founder Vinnie Cilurzo worked at Blind Pig Brewing has received rave reviews from fans for decades.
Actually, it all makes complete sense. Because this is a legendary beer!
Pliny the Elder gets its name from Pliny, a man who lived during the first century, 23 to 79 A.D. According to brewing history, Pliny and several others invented the botanical name Lupus Salictarius, aka hops.
And speaking of hops…
Brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe hops, Pliny the Elder is a classic double IPA, well balanced with pine, resin, and citrus hop aromas with a lingering, dry finish. This trendsetting imperial IPA is slightly bitter with a bouquet of floral hops, citrus, and pine. Brewed in limited quantities, Pliny the Elder is best enjoyed fresh.
Setting the standard for double IPAs, Pliny the Elder has won countless awards and continues to be the brewery’s most popular beer.
Heady Topper – The Alchemist
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 6,314
Photography courtesy of @alch3mistb33r
Double IPA – Another all-American classic, Heady Topper checks in second on this list with 6.3k total five-star check-ins.
We could see a trend on this list, paralleling some of the most iconic beers in American history.
John and Jen Kimmich opened The Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waterbury, VT, with only about four or five rotating beers, including Heady Topper.
John brewed the now-infamous double IPA just two months after opening. But the beer didn’t take off right away. At the time, The Alchemist thrived locally, with little national presence. And most beers, like Heady Topper, were only available on draft at The Alchemists’ 7-bbl brewpub. The limited distribution ensured freshness but helped increase the beer’s rarity and created its “unicorn” status.
Everything changed when Tropical Storm Irene caused a flood that put the pub out of business in August 2011.
That’s when John turned all his attention to Heady Topper, canning the now-iconic double IPA right after the flood in The Alchemist’s production space.
It was one of his smartest moves.
Arguably, this beer catapulted The Alchemist into craft brewing lore. Most likely, if you mention The Alchemist, it’s followed quickly by the words “Heady Topper.” Today, it’s one of the most famous breweries in the world. And Heady Topper is one of the most famous beers.
And for good reason.
Heady Topper is a hoppy, American double IPA clocking in at 8% ABV. If you read the can, it instructs the drinker to consume the dank goodness straight from aluminum to preserve the flavor.
Today, Heady Topper is much more readily available, but it is still one of those life-changing beers, which is probably why it garnered so many five-star check-ins on Untappd this year.
Traditional Lager – Yuengling Brewery
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 5,843
Photography courtesy of @yuenglingbeer
Amber Lager – Established in 1829, D.G. Yuengling & Son technically holds the title of the oldest operating brewery in the whole United States. According to the Brewers Association, Yuengling holds the top spot for producing the most volume in the country.
Most of which is their iconic Yuengling Lager. Considered an amber lager, Yuengling’s slightly toasty and roasted red masterpiece (thanks to caramel malt) comes from a historic recipe resurrected in 1987. A combination of Cluster and Cascade hops provides that floral balance to the perceived sweetness from the malt. Everything combines for a very distinct character.
A true classic, Yuengling Lager collected close to 5.9k five-star check-ins this year, proving that sometimes folks just want a beer that…tastes like beer. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Zombie Dust – 3 Floyds Brewing
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 5,535
Photography courtesy of @3floydsbrewing
American Pale Ale – First released in 2010, Three Floyds’ Zombie Dust features a now well-recognized hop that had just come on the market a mere three years earlier—Citra. And only Citra.
This SMaSH American pale ale captured the juicy, citrusy flavor profile of Citra perfectly.
Today, thousands of beers have showcased Citra, but Zombie Dust is like one of the OGs.
At only 6.2% ABV and 50 IBUs, Zombie Dust gained popularity because it’s just a damn-well-made beer that doesn’t overload your palate with dankness but instead brightens it with orange, tangerine, and clementine. And at a time when people started reaching higher and higher IBU heights, Zombie Dust stood out like the working person’s beer—nothing too fancy, but everything just right.
It’s great to see this classic continue to dominate with 5.5k five-star check-ins on Untappd this year. In fact, this classic American pale ale is the first beer on the list to move up spots (from sixth to fourth) and to grow in check-ins in 2024 (from 3.4k to 5.5k).
Trappist Westvleteren 12 – Brouwerij De Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 3,465
Yes, we took this picture on the bus. We know it’s not pretty, but hey, we got a chance to try Westie 12, and we weren’t going to say no!
Belgian Quadrupel – Brewed by The Trappist monks of the St. Sixtus’ Abbey at The Brouwerij De Sint-Sixtusabdij in Vleteren, Belgium, in such small quantities this Belgian quad rose to rare fandom on the sheer absence of production.
The monks brew Westie 12, as it’s affectionately known in the industry, once a week as a way to make money for their abbey. Sold only once a month either at the door of the monastery or a no-nonsense tavern across the street, Westie 12 vaulted to the top of any craft beer connoisseur’s bucket list simply because of the laundry list of steps and dash of luck you’d need to try a sip from these unmarked bottles.
But it’s also the taste—as we can attest.
Funny story: Hop Culture Senior Content Editor Grace Weitz’s first taste of Trappist Westvleteren 12, one of the rarest beers in the world, happened on a bus in Belgium last year.
A part of a group traveling to Belgium to tour breweries in this historic beer country, Weitz visited many Belgian breweries from Drie Fonteinen, Cantillon, and Orval (see later in this list).
But Brouwerij De Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren only opens infrequently. So, while the group couldn’t actually visit the brewery, one of the tour leaders broke off to pick up fresh bottles for everyone to share on the bus.
And at 9 a.m. (no joke, this is a true story), Weitz clinked her bus chalice with several others in the back of the bus and said, “Cheers!”, drinking her first sip of Westie 12 as the bus chugged along to Rodenbach.
And the rating she gave the beer: 5.0!
(Honestly, we can’t make up this type of content.)
“Pours a Coca-Cola molasses color,” she wrote in her notes. “Smooth as black velvet or the surface of a lake in the morning, Westvleteren 12 had great notes of chocolate cherry and almost no hint of booze despite hitting a 10.2% ABV. One of the best beers I’ve ever tried!”
While one of the rarest beers in the world captured the number three spot on this list last year, it actually dropped a couple notches to hold at fifth in 2024.
Duvel – Duvel Moortgat
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 3,310
Photography courtesy of @duvel_belgium
Belgian Strong Golden Ale – This beer seems simple from the outside—a combination of pure spring water, barley, and Slovenian and Czech hops. But Duvel Moortgat brews this Belgian strong golden ale with precision and meticulous attention to detail.
The beer takes ninety days to make, fermenting the ale in tanks from twenty to twenty-six degrees Celsius with an original house yeast strain that, according to Duvel, Victor Moortgat, son of founder Jan-Leonard Moortgat, selected himself from Scotland in the 1920s!
Only after maturing in storage tanks and cooling down to negative-two degrees Celsius is Duvel finally ready to bottle, adding extra sugar for a two-week secondary fermentation as the beer warms again to twenty-four degrees Celsius.
See, making Duval is an exact science. And it’s not finished.
A further six-week lagering in cold cellars ensures this Belgian strong golden ale tastes like none other in the world.
Which is why 3,310 people gave Duvel a 5.0 rating on Untappd this year.
Lagerbier Hell – Augustiner-Braü München
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 2,714
Photography courtesy of Augustiner-Bräu
Helles – Our first newcomer to this year’s rankings, Lagerbier Hell comes from Munich’s oldest brewery, Augustiner-Bräu, which dates back to 1328. Sort of considered the Bavarian answer to the Czech Pilsner, Lagerbier Hell perfectly encapsulates the helles style—clean, crisp, slightly malty, and undeniably drinkable.
Focal Banger – The Alchemist
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 2,467
Photography courtesy of @alch3mistb33r
American IPA – The Joker had Harley Quinn; Scobby Doo had Shaggy; Batman had Robin. Even the most iconic heroes and villains had sidekicks. Which is why we love seeing Focal Banger on this list because, yes, Heady Topper is an incredible beer, but so is this American IPA that’s often overshadowed by its epic counterpart.
Despite the hypeness of Heady Topper, Focal Banger actually holds its own as a bangin’ beer, nabbing 2.7k five-star check-ins on Untappd just this year.
Featuring Citra and Mosaic hops, Focal Banger pours a gorgeous, slightly hazy yellow with tropical fruit and honeydew aromas.
Definitely on the more assertive bitterness side with 90 IBUS, Focal Banger mellows out with equally punchy powers of grapefruit and pineapple.
Making this list proves that Focal Banger is way more than just a beer sidekick.
Spotted Cow – New Glarus Brewing Company
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 2,278
Photograph courtesy of New Glarus Brewing
Farmhouse Ale – In 1997, New Glarus Co-Founders Dan and Deb Carey took a trip to England for a beer competition. A side journey to the English countryside full of pastures and sheep inspired Deb. She thought, “I bet when people visit Wisconsin, they must have the same feeling about the cows” (New Glarus).
Spotted Cow became the brewery’s flagship farmhouse ale, featuring Wisconsin malts and a bit of corn. The beer represents Wisconsin to its core, much like New Glarus, a brewery that has stayed committed to only serving and distributing beer in its home state for the last three decades.
Today, it’s rare to find such a successful brewery as dedicated to its home as New Glarus.
Which makes Spotted Cow’s 2,278 five-star check-ins even more of an achievement, considering the beer is literally only available in one Midwestern state.
Shiner Bock – Spoetzl Brewery
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 2,234
Photography courtesy of The Spoetzel Brewery
Bock – Founded in Shiner, TX, in 1909, The Spoetzl Brewery brews old-world traditions and recipes from German and Czech settlers in Central Texas. One of the largest independent craft brewers in the country, The Spoetzl Brewery has become especially well known for one beer in particular—Shiner Bock.
Like how folks in upstate New York stand by Genesee Cream Ale, those in the Northeast die on a hill for a ‘Gansett, Minnesotans go ham for Hamm’s, and hipsters everywhere fall for PBR, those from Texas always reach for a Shiner.
According to the beer’s Untappd description, Bock has a tan, dense head with a crystal-clear amber color and a sweet aroma with a subtle roasted maltiness on the nose. The taste is slightly sweet, with notes of roasted nuts and caramel. Lightly hopped, this dark lager goes down smooth.”
With 2,234 five-star check-ins, Shiner is pretty finer. 🤷♀️
Gumballhead – 3 Floyds Brewing
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 2,149
Photography courtesy of Michael Kiser | Good Beer Hunting
American Wheat Beer – It’s everyone’s favorite cigarette-smoking feline, Gumballhead. Created by artist Rob Syers, Gumballhead’s artwork has become almost as iconic as the beer itself. The anthropomorphic cat represents the alternative, the fighter, the one that goes against the grain, much like 3 Floyds. One of the archetypal examples of an American wheat beer, Gumballhead includes hand-selected Amarillo hops from the Yakima Valley paired with a malty backbone that’s perfect for those fumes of grapefruit, lemon, and peach.
Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier – Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
Number of 5-Star Check-Ins: 2,082
Photography courtesy of @weihenstephan+official
Hefeweizen – Today, the German brewery Weihenstephaner, which calls itself the oldest brewery in the world, makes one of the best and most referential hefeweizens in the world.
Brewed according to centuries-old traditions on the Weihenstephan hill, Hefeweissbier is an epitome of the German style, pouring golden-yellow with a fine head of white foam, smells of cloves, and refreshing, full-bodied, yeasty banana flavor.
If you want the classic German version, you can’t go wrong with one from one of the most historic breweries in the world.
A winner of numerous awards, Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier is the epitome of a German hefeweizen, which is probably why it’s gained 2,082 five-star check-ins on Untappd in 2024.
