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The topic of top regions of the US for craft beer came up in the City vs. City subforum, and in honor of American Craft Beer Week, I decided to take the top 250 beers currently listed on beeradvocate.com and break them down by brewery and region. So far, I've done the Top 250 general list and the "Beers of Fame" list which requires the beers to have been registered on the site for at least 10 years and had to have received at least 1,000 ratings. It was a fun project for me and thought I'd share on this subforum so you can see what breweries are representing your region on the list.
Feel free to add comments, especially your own reviews of some of the breweries on the list (particularly if you have tried the actual ranked beer). One thing that was noted was that Pac NW and Intermountain West breweries are a bit underrepresented but we couldn't pinpoint why, since they often win a lot of awards. Either way, this list is definitely not gospel, but I think it gives a pretty good point of reference.
Enjoy!
Top 250 Beers by Region
California (18 Breweries)
The Bruery (CA) 12
Russian River (CA) 9
Alpine (CA) 8
Stone (CA) 7
Firestone Walker (CA) 5
Alesmith (CA) 5
The Lost Abbey (CA) 3
North Coast (CA) 2
Ballast Point (CA) 2
Kern River (CA) 1
Port Brewing (CA) 1
FiftyFifty (CA) 1
Lagunitas (CA) 1
Green Flash (CA) 1
Societe (CA) 1
Bootlegger’s (CA) 1
Sante Adairius (CA) 1
Almanac (CA) 1 62 Total
Great Lakes/Midwest (20 Breweries)
Three Floyds (IN) 7
Founders (MI) 6
Goose Island (IL) 5
Toppling Goliath (IA) 5
New Glarus (WI) 5
Surly (MN) 4
Kuhnhenn (MI) 4
Bell’s (MI) 3
Great Lakes Br. Co. (OH) 3
Perennial Artisan (MO) 2
Dark Horse (MI) 2
Fat Heads (OH) 2
Central Waters (WI) 2
Pipeworks (IL) 2
Columbus Br. Co. (OH) 1
Thirsty Dog (OH) 1
Hoppin’ Frog (OH) 1
The Brew Kettle (OH) 1
Minneapolis Town Hall (MN) 1
Boulevard (MO) 1 58 Total
New England (18 Breweries)
Hill Farmstead (VT) 18
Jack’s Abby (MA) 3
The Alchemist (VT) 2
Lawson’s Finest Liquids (VT) 2
New England Br. Co. (CT) 2
Allagash (ME) 2
Boston Beer Co. (MA) 2
Tree House (MA) 1
Maine Beer Co. (ME) 1
Otter Creek (VT) 1
Trillium (MA) 1
Voodoo (PA) 1
Troegs (PA) 1
DC Brau (DC) 1
Dogfish Head (DE) 1
Captain Lawrence (NY) 1
Victory (PA) 1
Southern Tier (NY) 1 41 Total
Belgium (16 Breweries)
Cantillon 10
Drie Fonteinen 4
De Struise 3
Westvleteren 2
Rochefort 2
Rodenbach 2
Dieu Du Ciel 1
Het Anker 1
Tilquin 1
Bockor 1
Girardin 1
Westmalle 1
Bieres de Chimay 1
Bosteels 1
Fantome 1
St. Bernadus 1 33 Total
Pacific Northwest (9 Breweries)
Cascade (OR) 4
Hair of the Dog (OR) 3
Boneyard (OR) 3
Midnight Sun (AK) 2
Pelican Pub (OR) 1
Logsdon Farmhouse (OR) 1
Fremont (WA) 1
Anchorage (AK) 1
Deschutes (OR) 1 17 Total
Intermountain West (7 Breweries)
Avery (CO) 2
Great Divide (CO) 2
Oskar Blues (CO) 1
Epic (UT) 1
Odell (CO) 1
New Belgium (CO) 1
Dry Dock (CO) 1 9 Total
Southwest (4 Breweries)
Prairie Artisan Ales (OK) 3
Jester King (TX) 1
Live Oak (TX) 1
La Cumbre (NM) 1 6 Total
Germany (3 Breweries)
Bayerische Staatsbrauerei 1
Weisses Brauhaus 1
Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer 1 3 Total
To qualify, the beer must have been on beeradvocate for at least 10 years and must have at least 1,000 ratings.
Belgium (23 Breweries)
Cantillon 7
St. Bernardus 5
Westvleteren 3
Huyghe 3
de Rochefort 3
Duvel Moortgat 3
Bieres de Chimay 3
Dieu Du Ciel 2
Rodenbach 2
Van Steenberge 2
Lindemans 2
Dupont 1
Fantome 1
d’Orval 1
Westmalle 1
Drie Fonteinen 1
Bosteels 1
Brouwerij Het Anker 1
Verhaeghe 1
Liefmans 1
Schloss Eggenberg 1
d’Achouffe 1
De Brabandere 1 47 total
New England & Mid Atlantic (16 Breweries)
Dogfish Head (DE) 9
Victory (PA) 5
Ommegang (NY) 4
Troegs (PA) 4
Smuttynose (NH) 4
Allagash (ME) 3
Weyerbacher (PA) 2
Southern Tier (NY) 2
The Alchemist (VT) 1
Ithaca Beer Co. (NY) 1
Brooklyn (NY) 1
Boston Beer Co. (MA) 1
Old Dominion (DE) 1
Long Trail (VT) 1
Magic Hat (VT) 1
Flying Dog (MD) 1 41 total
California (12 Breweries)
Stone 9
Sierra Nevada 6
Bear Republic 5
North Coast 5
Russian River 4
Anchor 4
Anderson Valley 3
Lagunitas 3
Alesmith 3
Ballast Point 2
Alpine 1
Firestone Walker 1 46 total
Great Lakes/Midwest (10 Breweries)
Great Lakes Br. Co. (OH) 9
Three Floyd’s (IN) 8
Bell’s (MI) 8
Founders (MI) 5
Goose Island (IL) 3
New Glarus (WI) 2
Dark Horse (MI) 2
New Holland (MI) 2
Minneapolis Town Hall (MN) 1
Thirsty Dog (OH) 1 41 total
Germany (8 Breweries)
Bayerische Staatsbrauerei 5
G. Schneider & Sohn 3
Paulaner 3
Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer 3
Spaten-Franziskaner-Brau 2
Hacker-Pschorr Brau 2
Brauerei Heller-Trum 1
Kostritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei 1 20 total
Intermountain West (6 Breweries)
Great Divide (CO) 4
New Belgium (CO) 2
Oskar Blues (CO) 3
Left Hand (CO) 1
Avery (CO) 6
Odell (CO) 1 16 total
United Kingdom (6 Breweries)
Samuel Smith 4
Fuller Smith & Turner 3
J.W. Lees & Co 1
Wells & Young’s 1
Harviestoun 1
Orkney 1 11 ranked total
Pac Northwest (4 Breweries)
Rogue (OR) 10
Deschutes (OR) 4
Hair of the Dog (OR) 2
Alaskan (AK) 1 17 ranked total
South Atlantic (1 Brewery)
Sweetwater (GA) 1 1 ranked total
Canada (1 Brewery)
Unibroue (QC) 6 6 ranked total
Netherlands (1 Brewery)
Bierbrouwrjj De Koninshoeven 1 1 ranked total
Ireland (1 Brewery)
Guinness 1 1 ranked total
Japan (1 Brewery)
Kiuchi 1 1 ranked total
Sri Lanka (1 Brewery)
Ceylon/Lion 1 1 ranked total
My two favorite breweries in Maine are not listed. See Dog (Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale) and Shipyard (Pumpkinhead). None of the 9 breweries in West Virginia are listed.
Left off Arizona Wilderness Brewing which recently just one the best new brewery in the world by one of the beer websites. But you can only get their beer onsite, they don't bottle or can yet. But other than than, Arizona is a pretty poor place to find a good micro brew. So not offended that no Arizona breweries are represented.
Left off Arizona Wilderness Brewing which recently just one the best new brewery in the world by one of the beer websites. But you can only get their beer onsite, they don't bottle or can yet. But other than than, Arizona is a pretty poor place to find a good micro brew. So not offended that no Arizona breweries are represented.
Arizona Wilderness' Dos Cabezas IPA is currently ranked on the Best New Beers list, #242. I'm working on getting that list together right now.
Interesting list. Certainly distribution factors in to this. You have to be able to get your beers out in a large enough quantity to get enough reviews on beer advocate to hit the 1,000 ratings.
Some of the best beers I have ever had are single batch or limited runs that will never hit 1,000 reviews on BA.
My two favorite breweries in Maine are not listed. See Dog (Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale) and Shipyard (Pumpkinhead). None of the 9 breweries in West Virginia are listed.
Dying to try Pumpkinhead. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for the artwork on their carton and label.
Dying to try Pumpkinhead. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for the artwork on their carton and label.
The Pumpkinhead is really good. I'm anxious for a chance to try the Applehead. One of the West Virginia distributors started carrying Shipyard, but they never did get any Pumpkinhead at Drug Emporium. One of my Huntington friends said they had Shipyard in Ohio before it came to WV. I don't know where you are in Ohio, but some searching may be in order.
BTW, I saw some cool art work on a Pumpkin Ale from South Carolina. Gruntled Pumpkin from RJ Rockers Brewing.
The Pumpkinhead is really good. I'm anxious for a chance to try the Applehead. One of the West Virginia distributors started carrying Shipyard, but they never did get any Pumpkinhead at Drug Emporium. One of my Huntington friends said they had Shipyard in Ohio before it came to WV. I don't know where you are in Ohio, but some searching may be in order.
BTW, I saw some cool art work on a Pumpkin Ale from South Carolina. Gruntled Pumpkin from RJ Rockers Brewing.
The Pumpkinhead is really good. I'm anxious for a chance to try the Applehead. One of the West Virginia distributors started carrying Shipyard, but they never did get any Pumpkinhead at Drug Emporium. One of my Huntington friends said they had Shipyard in Ohio before it came to WV. I don't know where you are in Ohio, but some searching may be in order.
BTW, I saw some cool art work on a Pumpkin Ale from South Carolina. Gruntled Pumpkin from RJ Rockers Brewing.
I've never had Pumpkinhead but I recently bought a mixed case of Shipyard for a party and it has 6 Applehead, 6 Export Ale, 6 IPA, and 6 (pale ale maybe?) of something else I can't recall off the top of my head. I'm not a big cider/apple beer fan, but I thought the Applehead was OK. I'll be on the lookout for Pumpkinhead now.
Skydog mentioned that some of the best beers he ever had were single batch or limited runs and I agree with that 100%. If anyone's looking for something out of the ordinary, look for anything from Olde Burnside Brewery in East Hartford, CT. I was just at their beer garden a couple of weeks ago and I had their imperial IPA (I think they call it Mons Vega) and it was fantastic. I think the only place you can get it is at their beer garden, though. I guess that means I'll be heading back there soon.
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