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I voted for New England since there are some great breweries here that I love (Clown Shoes, Mayflower, Allagash, Cisco, etc.), but Pac NW gets my number 2 vote (Denver and Great Lakes a tossup for 3rd).
Outside of the NW I've found the West Coast to leave a bit to be desired. Too reliant on the IPA and hoppier beers for my tastes (I don't dislike hoppy beers but like more variety). I'm sure there are some notable breweries in the SE, but I've yet to try anything great from that region.
I am going to have to go New England followed by NW.
New England has an incredible amount of variety, a few favorite breweries in each NE State:
Massachusetts:
Trillium
Spencer
Jacks Abbey
CBC
Pretty Things
Clown Shoes
Berkshire
Wormtown
Night Shift
Slumbrew
Idle Hands
Maine:
Foundation
Maine Beer Company
Allagash
Baxter
Shipyard
CT:
Thimble Island
Berr'd
Relic
Vermont:
Alchemist
Farmstead
Grassroots
Otter Creek
Zero Gravity
Long Trail
New Hampshire:
Smuttynose
Redhook
Stoneface
Rhode Island:
Proclamation
Revival
New England also has current bragging rights on Beer Advocate as having the number 1 rated beer in the world, Heady Topper from Alchemist Brewery in Vermont. I can say without a doubt it is one of the finest beers I have tasted ever. Wish it was easier to get a hold of.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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You know, I don't get the Heady Topper love. It's nice, but is just another all hops explosion beer to me.
I'll even take Switchback for drinkability, or definitely some of the Berkshire Brewing Co beers (I think the best MA brewery (Pretty Things has fallen way off)) over it... not that HT is knocking my door down.
I voted Great Lakes (New Glarus, Two Brothers, Three Floyds, Rolling Meadows, Ale Asylum, Bell's, Surly, Great Lakes, etc.), but Pac NW is really great, too.
I voted for New England since there are some great breweries here that I love (Clown Shoes, Mayflower, Allagash, Cisco, etc.), but Pac NW gets my number 2 vote (Denver and Great Lakes a tossup for 3rd).
Outside of the NW I've found the West Coast to leave a bit to be desired. Too reliant on the IPA and hoppier beers for my tastes (I don't dislike hoppy beers but like more variety). I'm sure there are some notable breweries in the SE, but I've yet to try anything great from that region.
Jai Alai from Miami or Tampa I believe is really good
You know, I don't get the Heady Topper love. It's nice, but is just another all hops explosion beer to me.
I'll even take Switchback for drinkability, or definitely some of the Berkshire Brewing Co beers (I think the best MA brewery (Pretty Things has fallen way off)) over it... not that HT is knocking my door down.
You find Heady too hoppy? I love hoppy beers, but I find Heady very drinkable actually. Its a Double IPA, so you are going to get some bitterness and boozy type flavor, but overall I find so many other beers more hoppy than Heady.
I have to also disagree about Pretty Things falling off. Between the Baby Tree, 1939, Saint Botolph's and the standard Jack D'or, it keeps me pretty engaged.
Berkshire is a great brewery though, no dispute there. What do you think of Trillium?
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Reputation: 40635
I've had Trillium, but I'm not recalling anything particular about it.
And yeah, there are beers more hoppy than HT, but I don't understand that fascination... I can drink a few Lagunitas or Baxters or whatever, but then I'm kind of grossed out by the hops after a couple. Just not a super hops lover. I'm in active avoiding IPA mode now, but often one of those, or Sierra Nevada PA are the only decent beers in some places during the summer when all the shandy junk hits the taps.
Pretty Things Field Mouse is excellent, I just never see it anymore... and I liked the White Rabbit one... their darker stuff I just don't like too much.
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E, MD, NJ, NY, PA, D.C.
