10 Tasty Beers That Are Almost Impossible To Find

What makes a beer tasty is just as varied as the number of options you can find inside your neighborhood beer cave. The perfect blend of yeast, barley, and hops is a subjective thing that brewmasters worldwide have honed to a fine art. While there's no lack of scrumptious options at liquor stores, market grocers, and gas stations, what about those that are nearly impossible to find today? The pursuit of rare but delicious suds is the thing that keeps America's beerionados rolling, and who are we to naysay the hunt for a distinctively delicious recipe?

Whether the brewer keeps its offerings under wraps for an exclusive annual release party, or its product is only available in certain areas of the country, if you can get your hands on a bottle or can of one of these sought after brews, you're a lucky duck. Let's delve into a few under-explored breweries and limited releases with this showcase of 10 hard-to-find beers that will tickle your tastebuds.

Hard-to-find beers can be some of the tastiest, and we think Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout meets this mark and then some. It's a top contender for first place at the Toppling Goliath Brewing Company and for good reasons, from flavor to alcohol content. This carefully crafted stout is a whopping 12% alcohol by volume (ABV), which is more than double the standard regular beer's measly 5%.

But what makes this pick almost impossible to find? Brewing a beer that tastes like espresso and maple candy had a brownie baby takes time, which presents an obstacle to producing and distributing this beer at a high volume. A ticket to the coveted annual bottle release is the only occasion where you can get access to this particular stout. The company unleashes its silver wax-sealed bottles of Kentucky Brunch at the party, but in order to attend the sometime-in-December event, you need to purchase a lottery ticket in October and hope your number gets drawn. Unless, that is, you're a member of The Brewer's Reserve Society. In that case, your spot is guaranteed.

While a six-pack of Samuel Adams Boston Lager isn't too hard to find, its Utopias variety isn't your ordinary Saturday afternoon brew. It's edging on spirits category with a 28% ABV rating that makes other beers look like barley water. This premium offering languishes inside a Buffalo Trace Distillery cask until it reaches peak perfection. Even if that takes 30 years to achieve.

While it's true Sam Adams takes the long road when it comes to this beer, after all, it's made from only the finest yeast strains, malt, and hops varieties, it's a passion project that's worth the result. That's a complex character that reveals notes of honey and vanilla, plus a touch of soaked-in smokiness courtesy of the cask. You can only find new releases of Utopias every other year inside a collectable and individually numbered ceramic bottle. You're going to want to pick up a 25.4 ouncer of this sweet beer and comfort food for the perfect game day pairing. Look for this potent ale at specialty liquor stores, except in the 15 states it's not allowed.

Russian River Brewing has been fermenting Pliny the Younger for the last 20 years, but that doesn't mean you'll find it any and everywhere. This distinctly bitter triple IPA was a seasonal release built on the company's Elder recipe. The brewer's goal was to help hopheads make it through the winter, and what a seasonal treat thanks to this ale's piney and citrusy flavor profile. Each year it hits the company's Santa Rosa and Windsor pub locations with a slightly tweaked recipe and of course, filling a growler of this brew here is something you can only do for a limited time each year.

Pliny the Younger is a medium-bodied IPA that's loaded with seven different types of fresh hops, from Amarillo and Warrior to the newly introduced Tangier. Plan your beer tasting road trip to California between March 20^th and April 2^nd for 2026 or hope that it makes its way to your locale. Kegs filled with this 10.25% ABV ale go out in February to distributors in select states. But whatever you do, don't blink or you just might miss it.

If you like your craft beer tasty and hard to find, it doesn't get much better than the elusive Julius. It's a rare gift from Tree House Brewing Company that has a relatively low ABV for an American Hazy IPA: Just 6.8%. But don't let that sway your tastebuds. It boasts a unique flavor profile that will have you craving more. With zippy notes of tropical fruit like mango and oranges, Julius melts across your palate like nothing else on the shelves. It's made from the best hops the Pacific Northwest can grow. These lupulins create a gently bitter brew that perfectly balances the sweetness of its tasting notes, while delivering a robust aromatic experience, too.

Julius is available at five of the company's brew houses, from Charlton, Massachusetts to Woodstock, Connecticut, and only while supplies last. Tree House even offers a nifty feature on their website where you can pre-order a four-pack of Julius and staff will have it ready to go once you arrive. Stick around, sample a refreshing pour, and enjoy a curated plate of local cheese and jams at some locations.

Yellow Belly's creation emerged from a one-time joint venture between the UK's Buxton Brewery and Sweden's Omnipollo for the Rainbow Project Challenge. These European companies paired up in 2014 with a goal to create the yummiest yellow-hued beer and this tasty imperial stout was born. While we're not entirely sure it was meant for distribution after the initial collaboration, it lingered on until it was briefly sidelined in 2018 over a trademark dispute. These breweries are anything but cowardly, though. Yellow Belly persevered. You can still find a bottle or two online, and you don't want to wimp out on the search for this nearly impossible to find brew.

Yellow Belly touts a complex peanut butter and biscuit flavor that leaves behind a sweet hint of raisins and rum. Topping out at 11% ABV, this delightfully bourbon-barrel aged beer is brewed exclusively in the UK and its white paper packaging may leave you raising an eyebrow. Is it a ghost or a progressive statement against something more nefarious? No, you're not just seeing things. Its hood-like appearance was definitely meant to condemn a certain racist organization.

Maman is on many a beeroisseur's list of must-try tasty beers. This 14% ABV ale offers fans a delectable nutty, chocolatey taste with just a hint of tobacco. The essence of these flavors combine oh so well with notes of bourbon it acquires while aging in a whiskey barrel. If you could use a beginner's guide to stout, don't worry. Perennial Artisan Ales made Maman for those of us that love a black, tar-like pour, surprisingly smooth mouth feel, and little to zero head.

This Midwest company has two family-friendly locations in Missouri, including its St. Louis-based brewery and tasting room. It's here where you can have a sip of the 2025 iteration, but if that's too far of a drive to pick up a 750 milliliter bottle of this imperial stout, you can try ordering it on the Tavour app, says Perennial Artisan Ales. Have a case of Maman delivered right to your doorstep today, because according to this brewer, it's always stout season.

We suggest you add this Belgian gueuze to your almost impossible to find, tasty-beer bucket list. Brasserie Cantillon is the gold standard of the lambic brewing world, with its laser sharp focus on quality over company growth, and its Fou' Foune offering is one of the most impressive options on our list. With 6% ABV, this sour, spontaneously fermented wheat beer is aged in oak barrels for nearly two years, then blended with 300 grams of sustainably sourced apricots for every liter of lambic. It takes just five weeks for the finished product to uptake the fruit flavor and develop its iconic copper-color.

Check your local bottle shop that specializes in sour beers and keep your fingers crossed that they have it. Co-owner Jean-Pierre Van Roy kicks off the Fou' Foune bottling season near the end of August. It still wears basically the same label as it did when it was first released in 1999, so it should be easy enough to spot on the shelf. Word on the street is distributors only get a shipment once a year and Fou' Foune in a 750 milliliter bottle is always a quick sell-out.

Hill Farmstead Brewery's Ann is a beloved family namesake, but don't confuse it with its matersbier, Anna, as this variant takes the original American malted barley concoction to a whole new level. The master brewers at this small, Vermont-based bottle shop took the Anna recipe and aged it in wine barrels for as long as three years. Only a small percentage of the 6.5% ABV brew makes it to the approved "Ann" results and the criteria is purely emotional. That's what makes this pick such a rare gem.

This almost impossible to find wildflower honey brewed ale touts all the distinct flavor it promises, especially when you serve it with a complementary plate of fried chicken. With its pale golden color, delicate head, and inviting citrus aroma, it's the refreshing, mildly tart sip you're looking for on a warm day. You can grab your 750 milliliter bottle on-site at the Hill Farmstead Brewery or you may get lucky and find it on its online store. If you live in one of the four states and the District of Columbia that the company legally ships to, that is, and only if it isn't sold out.

Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve was one of many popular (and tasty) discontinued beers we thought we'd never get back. But after a brief hiatus in 2021, this brew continued its 46-year long run to much acclaim among fans. Hop Valley, now a Tilray Brands company, rereleased the 1970s era beer in select markets in the Pacific Northwest still wrapped in its retro looking label. So, admittedly it is pretty hard to find this iconic craft beer nowadays unless you live in the area.

Private Reserved isn't the most expensive beer in the world, but it sure does taste like one. This revitalized brew is a highly drinkable 4.7% ABV American-style lager. It features the original recipe's Cascade hops and still touts its traditional light body, and clear, crisp taste with a touch of bitterness you want on a hot summer day. Although it did slip by our list of old school beers that don't exist anymore by a hair, you'll have to call a few of your local merchants to see if they carry it. But it'll definitely be worth your trouble.

Hunahpu's Imperial Stout isn't the healthiest light beer you can drink, but then again, calories aren't everything to the discerning imperial stout beer lover. It's been a solid example of this philosophy since 2010, as it's clearly become an obsession for many of us who impatiently await its annual release. This highly anticipated date not so oddly coincides with maker Cigar City Brewing company's opening anniversary, as well.

If you're an adventurous drinker who loves indulging in a pint of small-batch craft beer, you're going to want to give this 11.8% ABV imperial stout a try. Hunahpu's 750 milliliter bottles are available just once a year through an innovative lottery system. Winners can gather at the Hunahpu's Day event each March to sample (and purchase) the latest batch. With distinct south-of-the border flavors of cinnamon, vanilla, espresso, chocolate, and chiles, these suds are worth a trip to the company's Spruce Street Taproom in Tampa. This imperial stout is best when served fresh, so don't let it sit around until it passes its "best enjoyed by" warning label.