100 Beers to Try Before You Die

A brew round-up selected by a variety of experts.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

No one wants to drink bad beer. But standing in the bottle shop or the bodega, or sitting at the bar where the music is deafening and the bartender's surly, it's often easier to make the safe choice and get what you've been drinking since college. "Bud bottle, please." Easy. The keg will never be kicked; you don't have to worry about mispronouncing the name; you don't have to worry about not liking that new beer with the ludicrous name that puns on the word hops. "Bud bottle," you say, and everything is fine.

It doesn't have to be that way anymore. You should drink good beer. You should be able to order without fear. To make this daunting task less overwhelming, we spoke with seven experts in the field to get their favorites: Jimmy Carbone, owner of Jimmy's No. 43 in the East Village, one of the best beer bars in the city; Wendy Littlefield, co-owner of Vanberg & DeWulf, one of the premier importers of Belgian beers in America; Andre Wechsler, owner of German beer bar Wechsler's; David Liatti, former Sixpoint Brewery engineer and owner of Cobble Hill public house 61 Local; Samuel Merritt, founder of Civilization of Beer, a business focused on improving beer knowledge among distributors and retailers; Justin Philips, co-owner of Park Slope restaurant Beer Table; Mike Lovullo, specialty brands manager for Union Beer Distributors; and B.R. Rolya, of Shelton Brothers Imports.

Each person selected a handful of beers—Complex picked, too— in order to put together a diverse list of 100 beers to try before you die. On your mark, get set, drink.

RELATED: The 50 Best Dive Bars in NYC

RELATED: Fancy Forties: 10 Malt Liquor Cocktails

RELATED: First We Feast - Best Craft Beer from Every State

RELATED: First We Feast - America's Best Cheapest Beers Ranked

The Alchemist Heady Topper

Not Available Interstitial

Allagash Black Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Allagash Interlude

Not Available Interstitial

Au Baron Cuvée des Jonquilles

Not Available Interstitial

Augustiner Edelstoff

Not Available Interstitial

Barrier Bulkhead

Not Available Interstitial

Barrier Dunegrass

Not Available Interstitial

Barrier Greenroom

Not Available Interstitial

Birra Del Borgo ReAle

Not Available Interstitial

Birreria Baladin Nora

Not Available Interstitial

Blind Bat Long Island Potato Stout

Not Available Interstitial

Bohemia

Not Available Interstitial

Brasserie Theillier La Bavaisienne

Not Available Interstitial

Brauerei Aying Ayinger Celebrator

Not Available Interstitial

Brauerei Päffgen Kölsch

Not Available Interstitial

BrewDog Punk IPA

Not Available Interstitial

Bronx Pale Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Not Available Interstitial

Brouwerij De Ranke XX Bitter

Not Available Interstitial

Brouwerij Smisje 't Smisje Kerst

Not Available Interstitial

Cantillon Gueuze

Not Available Interstitial

Carton Boat Beer

Not Available Interstitial

Cigar City Guava Grove

Not Available Interstitial

Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale

Not Available Interstitial

De Cam Oude Lambiek

Not Available Interstitial

De Dolle Brouwers Stille Nacht

Not Available Interstitial

Dieu du Ciel! Péché Mortel

Not Available Interstitial

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Not Available Interstitial

Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

Not Available Interstitial

Dupont Avril

Not Available Interstitial

Dupont Bière De Beloeil

Not Available Interstitial

Dupont Saison Dupont

Not Available Interstitial

Ettaler Curator Dunkler Doppelbock

Not Available Interstitial

Firestone Walker Wookey Jack

Not Available Interstitial

Founders Harvest Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Founders Red's Rye PA

Not Available Interstitial

Fuller's ESB (Extra Special Bitter)

Not Available Interstitial

Fuller's London Porter

Not Available Interstitial

Grado Plato Montegioco Bran Reserva

Not Available Interstitial

Grado Plato Strada San Felice

Not Available Interstitial

Green Flash West Coast IPA

Not Available Interstitial

Greenport Harbor Brewing Company Black Duck Porter

Not Available Interstitial

Greenport Harbor Brewing Company Summer Ale

Not Available Interstitial

High Point Ramstein Winter Wheat

Not Available Interstitial

Hill Farmstead Mimosa

Not Available Interstitial

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Hof Ten Dormaal Blond

Not Available Interstitial

J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela

Not Available Interstitial

Köstritzer Schwarzbier

Not Available Interstitial

Kuhnhenn Fluffer

Not Available Interstitial

Lagunitas A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Lambickx

Not Available Interstitial

Lambrucha

Not Available Interstitial

Mahr's Ungespundet-hefetrüb

Not Available Interstitial

Maine Beer Company Zoe

Not Available Interstitial

Meantime India Pale Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Newcastle Brown Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Nøgne Ø God Jul

Not Available Interstitial

O'Hara's Irish Stout

Not Available Interstitial

Ommegang Abbey Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Orval

Not Available Interstitial

Oude Gueuze Tilquin à l'Ancienne

Not Available Interstitial

Dupont Posca Rustica

Not Available Interstitial

Professor Fritz Briem Grodziskie

Not Available Interstitial

Professor Fritz Briem 1809

Not Available Interstitial

Pretty Things St. Botolph's Town

Not Available Interstitial

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Russian River Pliny the Elder

Not Available Interstitial

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Scaldis Prestige de Nuits

Not Available Interstitial

Schneider Weisse

Not Available Interstitial

Schneider Weisse Meine Hopfenweisse

Not Available Interstitial

Schneider Weisse Mein Nelson Sauvin

Not Available Interstitial

Schneider Weisse Unser Aventinus

Not Available Interstitial

Scheldebrouwerij Hop Ruiter

Not Available Interstitial

Schlenkerla Marzen

Not Available Interstitial

Sierra Nevada Torpedo

Not Available Interstitial

Sixpoint Resin

Not Available Interstitial

Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Stillwater Artisanal Ales Autumnal

Not Available Interstitial

Stillwater Artisanal Ales Cellar Door

Not Available Interstitial

Stillwater Artisanal Ales Stateside Saison

Not Available Interstitial

Stone IPA

Not Available Interstitial

Terrapin Rye Pale Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Theakston Old Peculier

Not Available Interstitial

Thomas Hardy's Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Thornbridge Hall Kipling

Not Available Interstitial

Thornbridge Hall Raven

Not Available Interstitial

Troegs Perpetual IPA

Not Available Interstitial

Uerige Altbier

Not Available Interstitial

Unibroue Éphémère

Not Available Interstitial

Vicaris Tripel-Gueuze

Not Available Interstitial

Victory Headwaters Pale Ale

Not Available Interstitial

Victory Prima Pils

Not Available Interstitial

Weihenstephaner Korbinian

Not Available Interstitial

Witkap Stimulo

Not Available Interstitial

Wandering Star Mild at Heart

Not Available Interstitial

Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Not Available Interstitial

21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon

Not Available Interstitial

Latest in Pop Culture