Like pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, and fruitcake on Christmas, New Year’s Eve is forever linked with the fizzy, sparkling wine known as Champagne. As we await the ball drop (and hopefully a kiss from that special someone), we hoist a glass of the bubbly stuff. It’s just what we do. It doesn’t matter whether or not you actually like Champagne. When the calendar turns to another year, you drink it and that’s that. It’s tradition. But we all know traditions are meant to be broken and that’s why, this year, instead of sparkling wine, we’re going to be drinking beer. And sure, during the evening, we’ll grab a lager or pale ale to sip as we munch on cocktail weenies and chicken wings. But, as the clock strikes midnight, instead of Champagne, we’re going to hold up one of these beers instead.
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New Year’s beer: Skip the Champagne and Drink These IPAs Instead
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NYE Beer Alternatives
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Devils Backbone Brut IPA
If you sort of like Champagne, but you’d rather have a beer, this is the beer for you. This 7 percent ABV lager is effervescent, dry, and perfect for enjoying as you celebrate another year gone by.
Photo: Devils Backbone
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Unibroue La Fin Du Monde
Since it’s inevitable that the world will probably end in 2020 (because why wouldn’t it?), it makes sense to sip on a bottle (or three) of La Fin Du Monde from Canadian brewery Unibroue. Made since 1994, this Belgian-style Tripel is the most awarded beer in Canadian history.
Photo: Unibroue
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New Belgium La Folie
If you want your New Year's Eve beer choices to resemble a fine wine, you might want to pick up a bottle of New Belgium La Folie. This sour brown ale spends up to three years in oak barrels. The result is a tart, fruity beer that pairs well with seasonal desserts.
Photo: New Belgium
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Brewery Ommegang Brut IPA
Cooperstown, New York, is known for two things: the Baseball Hall of Fame and Brewery Ommegang. This craft brewery is known for its award-winning takes on the Belgian style. At 6.3 percent ABV, its Brut IPA is bottled conditioned for two weeks to add extra fizz to this juicy, fruity brew.
Photo: Brewery Ommegang
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Sixpoint Sparkler
No New Year's Eve celebration is complete without fireworks, so why not add a sparkler into the mix? This 7 percent ABV Brut IPA is hazier than most Champagne-style beers and is full of juicy fruit flavors that are like an explosion in your mouth.
Photo: Sixpoint
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Sierra Nevada Brut IPA
If you like your beer dry and refreshing, than grab a sixer of Sierra Nevada’s Brut IPA for your New Year’s Eve soiree. It’s also full of citrus and piney hops flavors guaranteed to help you start 2020 on the right, boozy foot.
Photo: Sierra Nevada
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Ska Moral Panic
If you’ve ever enjoyed any of Ska’s other beers (including Mexican Logger), you know they’re cranking out some pretty high-quality brews. This includes Moral Panic, a 5.75 ABV percent Brut IPA chock full of tropical fruit flavors.
Photo: Ska Brewing
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Westbrook Gose
If you’re going to mention dry, sour beers, you have to mention the OG. Long before it was all the rage to craft this style, South Carolina’s Westbrook was making its salty, briney, tart, 4 percent ABV brew.
Photo: Westbrook
