The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) released its annual "Best Beers in America" results last week, posting a top-25 list as voted on by readers of the Brewers Association’s homebrewing magazine, Zymurgy. For the third-straight year, the No. 1 ranking went to Bell’s’ Two Hearted IPA. The beer beat out Russian River Brewing Company’s Pliny the Elder, which had held the top spot (and is now No. 2) for eight years prior.

Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, Founders’ Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and The Alchemist’s Heady Topper rounded out the top five, and a full list can be seen on the Homebrewers Association's website.

Unlike other “best beer” lists from sites like BeerAdvocate and RateBeer, or leaderboards on Untappd, this listing comes from a straight vote, not a collection of ratings entered through an app or website. Historically, the AHA list, published annually in its Zymurgy magazine, features strong repeats from year-to-year, and also regularly includes a variety of long-beloved beers eschewed by other lists that highlight the haziest IPAs or sweetest Pastry Stouts.

Two Hearted, for example, debuted in 1997, and Sierra’s Pale Ale has been around so long (more than 30 years) that it’s credited as inspiration for the present-day American IPA.

But aside from the subjective nature of this list, and the fact that it likely contains a number of beers that the geekiest 1% of drinkers have long since given up on, there are still some interesting nuggets to be found in this annual ranking. Notably, it’s a pretty good reflection of the changing tastes of American drinkers.

The latest installment features a wide-ranging showcase of what consumers are drinking today, from classic, widely distributed IPAs (Two Hearted and Founders’ All Day IPA), to increasingly distributed Imperial Stouts (Founders’ Breakfast Stout and New Holland’s Dragon's Milk), to trendier brands (WeldWerks’ Juicy Bits New England IPA).

Unlike lists derived from beer rating sites, where there’s a social benefit to knowing whatever is hot, next, or rare, the Zymurgy tally is more attuned to what can be seen as average beer drinkers’ preferences. Bud Light, Miller Lite, and Coors Light—the best-selling beers in the U.S.—will never show up on “best beer” lists like this. However, Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale or Pale Ale—both found in the Zymurgy collection—are far more likely to be taking up space in refrigerators across the country than a can of fruited Gose from a small town on the West Coast that could also maybe explode before it’s traded to someone thousands of miles away.

To drive home how fast things change in American beer, consider this: only five beers that were featured in the 2019 list were also included 10 years ago. Russian River’s Pliny the Elder, Bell’s’ Two Hearted Ale, Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada’s Celebration, and North Coast’s Old Rasputin are the lone holdovers.

What has disappeared in the interim? Four beers from Texas' Rahr & Sons Brewing Company (Winter Warmer, Ugly Pug Schwarzbier, Iron Thistle Scotch Ale, and Stormcloud IPA), three Stone beers (Arrogant Bastard, IPA, and Ruination), two from Sierra Nevada (Torpedo Extra IPA and Bigfoot Barleywine), Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Lagunitas IPA, and Bear Republic’s Racer 5, to name some.

These brands have lost real estate in voters’ minds, but how do they fare among general shoppers? Here’s a look at the IRI volume decreases of some of these brands, based on their sales peaks in grocery, convenience, and other stores (marked in parentheses in the chart) through 2018: