Defining someone as a “beer influencer” is a strange task. The word “influencer” alone is a freaking landmine. While virtually everyone in the content creation world longs to be influential, people still bristle at anyone marketing themselves as such. We’re using it here as a funky umbrella term that includes beer writers, brewers, beer sommeliers, beer-tenders, beer models, beer podcasters, beer advocates, and just plain old, well-respected beer lovers. In short, people we deem influential in this world.
That said, this list has caused controversy before. Last year’s launch kicked off a firestorm that led to a fair bit of industry drama and, in the end, some positive, progressive conversations about the challenges women in beer face. Those problems haven’t gone away. Meanwhile, the pandemic has added a whole new set of complications for the industry. It’s a trying time for small-time operators across the board right now. All the more reason to follow people who live, breathe, and drink in the craft beer ecosystem. People who are deeply invested in the state of their industry and keen to share it with the rest of us.
So here you go: 20 “beer influencers” we love in 2020. A chance to learn about beer from the people who make it and champion it. A chance to discover new pints, bottles, and growlers from beer podcasters, writers, and advocates. But first-and-foremost, a chance to have fun with endless combinations of grain, hops, yeast, and water.
Natalya Watson, Beer Sommelier — 2,142 followers
Natalya Watson (beerwithnat) is a great entry point for any beer-curious tippler. Watson has a deeply enjoyable beer podcast that’s supported her Instagram feed. Watson is also a certified Advanced Cicerone, YouTuber, and author of Beer: Taste the Evolution in 50 Styles.
Watson’s Instagram feed is all about beer education alongside useful beer reviews, making it an excellent repository for extending your beer knowledge.
Mark Dredge — 2,862 followers
Mark Dredge is a beer, food, and travel writer with a killer beer-themed Instagram feed. Dredge has also authored six books about beer and the most recent — A Brief History of Lager — is yet another must-have for all beer lovers.
Following Dredge on Instagram is a no-brainer for any level of beer enthusiast. If you crave knowledge, this man has it.
Aristotle Green — 3,803 followers
Aristotle Green’s feed offers a glimpse into a beer hypeman’s life on the frontlines and behind the scenes. The Queens-based “Curator of VIBES” for his local brewery takes you into beer fests and the New York City beer scene. Granted, the feed does tend to focus on Green’s home brewery Finback (which you should also follow), but that doesn’t take away from the feed being a fun look at beer-making, drinking, and hyping.
Grassowhat — 6,240 followers
New York-based Alison Grasso works as an audio and visual editor by day and champions craft beer by night (and weekends!). Grasso has a masterful beer-forward YouTube channel and created the #WomeninCraft video series.
Grasso’s feed is a great way to learn about new beers, beer bars, and the female brewers who are helping define the industry.
Hops and Charlie — 10.8k followers
Charlotte Fisher’s feed, Hops and Charlie, falls squarely into the beer model category with a Florida focus. The feed is an easy follow overall, with great beer call-outs from craft breweries all over the U.S., sunny Florida backdrops, and a chill mood.
Cory Smith — 13.5k followers
Cory Smith, who primarily writes for Good Beer Hunting, is the person to follow if you want to up your beer knowledge dramatically. Smith is an ambassador for the intersection of beer, travel, and food around the world (with a focus on his current home of Copenhagen). His Instagram is an easy follow for anyone looking for great shots of beer, beautifully plated food, and insight into the brewers and chefs who make all that magic happen.
Black Brew Culture — 13.6k followers
Mike Potter wants to upend the “white dude with a beard” stereotype that has gripped American craft beer for the better part of three decades. Potter founded Black Beer Culture out of his Pittsburgh digs. The movement and its corresponding Instagram account have been instrumental in bringing a wider awareness to Black American brewers and beer lovers while also serving as a spot for all novices to learn about the wonderful nuances that make a great beer.
One Hoppy Lady — 14.8k followers
Bella, the force behind One Hoppy Lady, is a Certified Cicerone Beer Server and a professional photographer. That gives her a deep knowledge of beer to pair with her acumen behind the camera. Both add up to a fantastic beer feed on Instagram. Bella’s tastes tend to be impeccable and the beers she highlights in her feed are definitely worth hunting down (no matter how much effort that takes).
Taratea — 15.4k followers
Artist, photographer, and beer-lover Tara Eckes calls out a lot of great beer. Eckes feed is also a great spot to find shout outs to great stops for road trips in America’s vast Southwest. Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico’s scenic byways, breweries, diners, beer bars, and breath-taking nature are as much a highlight as the actual beers Tara recommends.
Hoppyhayes — 15k followers
Lindsay Hayes is on the frontline of beer drinking. Hayes was working as a beer-tender in Nashville at Southern Grist Brewing before moving to Divine Barrel Brewing in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hayes also works as the marketing manager for NC’s Catawba Brewing. That means Hayes knows how to select an awesome beer for you to drink and maybe fall in love with. This makes Hayes’ feed an informative follow for anyone looking for something new to drink.
Big World Small Girl — 17k followers
Caitlin Johnson, the Austin-based beer and travel blogger behind Big World Small Girl, brings life and color to her Instagram as she travels, eats, and drinks her way around the world (obviously that will be more localized in the months to come). Her feed touches on poolside cocktails and spirits brands alongside more classic travel wish fulfillment, but it’s really the beer that’s the main event.
While Johnson posts beer from all over, her feed is a must for anyone visiting Austin who wants to drink (and eat) the best of the best.
The Beer Trekker — 22.6k followers
Miguel Rivas’ Instagram feed opens with “Every beer has a story. Every story has a beer.” We’re already all-in on The Beer Trekker from that phrase alone. Rivas hosts Instagram live streams with some of the biggest and most important names in brewing from around the world. This makes Rivas’ feed one of the best repositories of brewer resources on the internet which, in turn, makes it a highly trustable place to find equally great beer.
Worst Beer Blog — 25.7k followers
Peter David’s Worst Beer Blog is, by far, one of the funniest follows on Instagram. The brewery fail clips alone — full of exploding tanks and scurrying brewers — are enough reason to follow. David’s feed is also a great place to get the most forehead-slapping beer news on the internet these days, with his deep commenter base bringing more entertainment value to every single post.
If you’re not on Instagram, Worst Beer Blog is on Twitter and just as great a follow there.
Craftbeeray — 29.7k followers
This is the perfect account if you’re looking for straight-up beer recommendations. San Diego’s Craftbeeray is all about giving you those beer tips with a laser focus on the pints themselves. Ray’s posts are concise moments he experiences in the beer world with even more concise descriptions of what he’s drinking.
La Petite Biere — 32k followers
Émilie Leclerc blends a vintage aesthetic, travel, food, and beer into her feed on Instagram. The actress-model-journalist has a great love for beer, especially the beer from her home, Quebec. Leclerc travels the world drinking some of the best beer being brewed out there, making her feed a great place to find out what’s going on in the scene up in Canada but also further afield.
Is Beer A Carb — 32.3k followers
Megan Stone is a brewer with cred from both Mikkeller San Diego and Modern Times Beer who advocates for women and LBGTQ+ folks in the beer industry. Her Instagram handle, Is Beer A Carb, finds the rainbow-haired tattooed model traveling, drinking, and advocating for beer and the people making it.
Southern Beer Girl — 33.4k followers
Alyssa Thorpe is the head brewer at Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery out in Denver, Colorado. She’s a master brewer with a great eye for great beer around the country. Thorpe’s Instagram feed is a great way to find out what this expert in the field drinks and finds herself inspired by — all so that you can drink it too.
Craft Beer Deer — 37.5k followers
If we were ranking the photography aesthetics in play with these influencers (we’re not), Julie Roesser’s Craft Beer Deer might be at the top. Roesser is a professional photographer who also adores all things beer. That combination makes her Instagram feed one of the most beautiful beer feeds to be found on Instagram, full stop. The crystal clear vision, seen through a photographer’s eye, leaves the beer looking gorgeous in every photo.
Crafty Beer Maven — 37.5k followers
Mikealaa Crist is a big advocate for the California Coast beer scene and knows all the spots to hit in that region. Crist is also a former assistant brewer and has been working in the brewery scene (in sales and marketing) for years now. Following along Crist’s feed is an easy one. You’ll get beautiful California nature with killer beer recommendations from an industry stalwart.
The Girl With The Beer — 87.5k followers
Melis is the mind behind the travel and beer feed, The Girl With Beer. Her feed combines quality beer recommendations with full-on #FOMO travel experiences around the world while also advocating for women in the industry. The Girl With Beer is the best of both worlds of travel and the brewing industry with a real sense of accessibility and, of course, lots of awesome pints along the way.
