I will happily solve that Surly problem of yours, Dustin, within the next 6 months.
Interestingly, there are probably 3 or 4 breweries whose beer I have had once or twice and really enjoyed it, but not enough experience to list them as an all-time favorite. They have been mentioned here by a few folks.
I am also interested in that Dogfish Head was mentioned by me and few others, yet was number 2 or 3 on the list that prompted this.
I wonder if I should have included Troeg’s, Weyerbacher, or Church Brew Works on my list…
Here’s my attempt (again, no particular order):
Anderson Valley
Russian River
Lagunitas
Smuttynose
Bruery
Stoudts
Cascade
Goose Island
Nebraska Brewing
Weyerbacher
Hill Farmstead
Long Trail
Firestone Walker
Founders
Allagash
Great Divide
Two Roads
Maine Beer Co.
Heavy Seas
Avery
I would have included Unibroue, as Bob Hudak did, but the title asks for American breweries.
The tough thing with these lists is that distribution, or lack thereof, gets in the way. I love Russian River and put that on the top of the list but I have only ever gotten those via trade. So the average guy in Illinois has never even tried one of their beers. I love New Glarus but outside of Wisconsin it’s really tough to get. They put out some really great beers on a regular basis but unless you travel there or trade with someone who lives there, you have virtually no idea. I really like Allagash but I almost never buy the stuff available here in Illinois because I think it’s substantially inferior to their limited release beers – which I’ve only gotten via trade or travel to Maine. So I’d put Allagash in the top 5 but someone who could only get their “white” wouldn’t rank them at all. It’s really tough. Having said that I’ll put together a list of my favorite breweries. I could survive on these alone…
- Russian River
- Allagash
- New Glarus
- Cascade
- Ale Asylum
Absoluely! I have a couple on my list that most people here have never even seen or heard of solely because they are small, local places.
Definitely true. Also, some of us don’t have easy access to shops with a really good selection. One place near me gets a bunch of Bear Republic and Lagunitas, but only a few different varieties of Stone (and no Enjoy By). They stock 4 or 5 GI beers (no BCBS at all), but have like 20 different kinds of Rogue and a ton of specialty Sam Adams. Most of the other shops have a decent selection of Michigan beers, but the rest of their domestics are pretty much the same as the grocery store. There are definitely places with better selection in Grand Rapids, but I’m hardly ever near any of them.
This thread has been useful, however, for making some “beers to find while travelling” lists.
Hey Tim,
Are there any local brewers that you think can compete with these guys, distribution issues notwithstanding? Or do you feel that these 5 are heads and shoulders above anyone in Chicago?
Chicago gots some good stuff too
Citra Hero from Revolution was AWESOME.
Half Acre is really good too!
The top four on the list I do think are head and shoulders better than anything in Chicago, they all put out a lot of beer at a very high level. But I do enjoy a lot of the Chicago stuff. I drink Revolution on a regular basis – they even have it at Buffalo Wild Wings here. I also like Pipeworks. But the above producers really hit my sweet spot. If I want an APA I chose Ale Asylum Bedlam or New Glarus Moon Man. If I want a sour, I pull a RR, Allagash or Cascade. So those are my go to producers. I also really love Lagunitas. I remember one day having a FFF Alpha King and Lil Sumpin Sumpin side by side and the Lagunitas blew the FFF away so I might put them at 6th.
Off the top of my head-
Anchor Brewing
Sierra Nevada
Russian River BC
Bear Republic
Deschutes Brewing Co.
Anderson Valley BC
Port Brewing (but freshness is an on going problem in NorCal)
Avery Brewing Co.
Ninkasi
Lagunitas
Firestone Walker
Green Flash
North Coast
Alagash
Victory (hard to find but i’m a fan)
Hair Of The Dog
Moonlight Brewing Co. (look for it on draught when in Napa or Sonoma)
…
Many other breweries that I have too limited experience with and some I enjoy some of their beers (Stone, Gordon Biersch) but not enough their brews to make the list. So many to try…
Somewhat OT, but would you guys stop visiting Russian River please!
Cripes, tried to go there for lunch yesterday (Thurs) at about 1:30 and there was no room anywhere. Had to walk the two blocks to Third Street Aleworks for lunch beers.
lol
Not a complete list, but…
Almanac
RRBC
Prairie
Cascade
Boulevard
Crooked Stave
Bruery - Brian, I think all the sours are world class.
Stone
Alesmith
Logsdon
The Commons
Anchorage
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Freshness is an ongoing problem everywhere. Even at the brewery it is difficult to find their IPAs fresh. This, along with other quality control issues, is the reason Port doesn’t make my list.
Hard to find and always good
Russian River
Three Floyds
Easy to find and always good
Bell’s
Cigar City
Westbrook
Eye opening how many “bigger” craft producers are mentioned in this thread, several examples where I could care less if I ever have another beer from 'em again.
Current Taps I Can Not Resist:
Allagash
Almanac
Anderson Valley
Caldera
Dogfish Head
Evil Twin
Fort George
Goose Island Brewing
Heretic
Logsdon Farmhouse
Mikkeller
Ommegang
Pfriem Family
Rare Barrel
Revolution Brewing
Russian River
10 Barrel
Upright Brewing
Nice to see these lists. Couple of questions for you all though…
- are you all traveling to VT for beer? How have o many tried Hill Farmstead?
- southern cal recently just got widespread distribution on Bells and Goose Island, I have tried a few, and have to say, I don’t get it, yet? Any recs on something I should try from one or the other?
Howard
I trade for my out of distro stuff. Heady Topper is fairly easy to trade for as it’s released pretty regularly. HF and Lawson’s are tougher and you need good in distro ammo to trade for those.
Bells and GI have a big lineup of beers. As with all big craft breweries, the beers are hit and miss. I really only like BCBS and the variants from GI, but it’s the gold standard for me for BBA stuff, so I listed it as one of my favs. A lot of the great Bells beers are seasonal and difficult to get also. I love Black Note from Bells.
Trading for VT stuff is the best way to get it. I don’t travel to the NE much, but I will load up when I go.
Bells- odd that they & Founders are distributing west. The Bells stouts are extremely good across the board, so if you see those- well worth picking up. I love Two Hearted, but will reach for many local IPA’s ahead of it based on freshness issues alone.
Goose Island- Wait until the day after Thanksgiving when BCBS & the variants hit, & you can rejoice on their wide Distro. The sours are really good too, but extremely expensive. Their “regular” stuff is in the same boat as other Midwest beers on west coast shelves.
Where are you seeing Bells in SoCal? I’d love to get my hands on some. Bells makes my list, and they do so on the strength of a very solid lineup across the board (imo). Their Amber ale is one of my favorite Ambers (admittedly, I don’t drink many); their Porter is fantastic, and distinctive; their Sparkling Ale is phenomenal, and the Two Hearted strikes what I consider to be the perfect balance between west coast and east coast IPA styles. Their lineup of stouts is phenomenal. I can’t speak on their lagers b/c I’m not a lager guy, and I can’t really speak on their Pale Ale or Best Brown Ale b/c it’s been a loooong time since I’ve had either. Oh yeah — almost forgot — their Oberon Hefeweizen, which is released annually in March, is my favorite American-made Hefe.
Brian,
In north county San Diego it is everywhere suddenly… Bevmo, Whole Foods, my local Leucadia liquor store. Interesting comment on the Two Hearted as a mix of styles, it certainly didn’t come off West coast; my taste buds are ruined from too many SD IPA’s though, however, I tire of the huge hopped and mostly bitter IPA. I don’t necessarily want complete balance, but better malt and less boozy is what I seek. The oberon is around in cans and bottles, I will try that.
Thanks for the comments, I will check out BCBS in November, assuming it makes its way out here.
Howard