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It's not a knock on Washington by any stretch. I probably could have put them both there, but I still think Oregon gets the edge. Washington has more breweries in total, but Oregon has more breweries per capita than any other state in the country (Vermont is second, by the way). For me (and many others) Oregon leads in quality too. Hair of the Dog is one of my favorites. Rogue is excellent. Deschutes is outstanding. Seattle's a great beer town, but I didn't notice a beer culture as prevalent as Portland's. Bend, OR is an excellent beer town as well.
I would disagree - the beer culture in Seattle is through the roof. There are so many great local breweries to choose from: Georgetown, Elysian, Pike, Fremont, Big Al's, Reuben's, Stoup, Two Beers, Elliott Bay, and on and on. And there are a ton of beer bars (almost every neighborhood has multiple) everywhere to sample all the great local breweries as well as stuff from other regions and countries.
There's a reason Washington had so many more new breweries open last year (83) than any other state - the culture and the market for craft beer in Seattle and throughout the State are very high.
Now, I could see arguing that Oregon is slightly better, but to say Oregon carries the PNW is ridiculous. WA is easily - easily - a top 5 craft beer state and a good argument could be made that its in the top 3 or even better.
We have some great craft brewers in CO. That being said, my favorite is a Colorado Springs-brewed Scottish Ale called Laughing Lab. I've been addicted to that stuff since moving here in 1999. I don't even like beer that much.
Now, I could see arguing that Oregon is slightly better, but to say Oregon carries the PNW is ridiculous. WA is easily - easily - a top 5 craft beer state and a good argument could be made that its in the top 3 or even better.
I don't disagree with anything you've said about Washington. In fact, I sort just said what you said here in my last post (bolded):
Quote:
Originally Posted by DANNNY__
It's not a knock on Washington by any stretch. I probably could have put them both there, but I still think Oregon gets the edge. Washington has more breweries in total, but Oregon has more breweries per capita than any other state in the country (Vermont is second, by the way). For me (and many others) Oregon leads in quality too. Hair of the Dog is one of my favorites. Rogue is excellent. Deschutes is outstanding. Seattle's a great beer town, but I didn't notice a beer culture as prevalent as Portland's. Bend, OR is an excellent beer town as well.
I do think Oregon is slightly better. And when I say "anchored" I don't mean "carried by." I simply meant that Oregon is the best craft beer state in that region (even if the margin between it and Washington isn't big or is even debatable). The margin between the best and everybody else in some of those regions is huge. That's not the case in the Northwest.
I don't disagree with anything you've said about Washington. In fact, I sort just said what you said here in my last post (bolded):
I do think Oregon is slightly better. And when I say "anchored" I don't mean "carried by." I simply meant that Oregon is the best craft beer state in that region (even if the margin between it and Washington isn't big or is even debatable). The margin between the best and everybody else in some of those regions is huge. That's not the case in the Northwest.
Fair enough - I think we're on the same page and I may have misconstrued your language. I do think Washington's best breweries are as good as Oregon's, and I also think the variety and quantity between the two states is on par. I don't know as much about Alaska, but I get the sense there is a pretty strong beer culture there as well.
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While Heady-Topper is great, I don't think you can rely on one beer or even one style (IPA) to claim your region is the best. You can go on beer advocate and find scores of of 95-100 in just about any style from the Great Lakes region. Like I've said before, the Great Lakes have high quality in a variety of beer styles, and don't fall back on a signature style. That's why they get my vote. Heady Topper is fantastic, though, don't get me wrong!
While Heady-Topper is great, I don't think you can rely on one beer or even one style (IPA) to claim your region is the best. You can go on beer advocate and find scores of of 95-100 in just about any style from the Great Lakes region. Like I've said before, the Great Lakes have high quality in a variety of beer styles, and don't fall back on a signature style. That's why they get my vote. Heady Topper is fantastic, though, don't get me wrong!
Top Rated Beers: New England (US) | BeerAdvocate
Here's Beer Advocate's top rated beers in New England. There's a good bit of variety on the list (although it's definitely skewed towards IPAs near the top). It would be a mistake to assume Heady Topper is all there is to New England's craft beer scene. It may be the best, but there are plenty of great beers and breweries around here. Trillium and Hill Farmstead both take up a lot of room near the top of Beer Advocate's top 250: http://www.beeradvocate.com/lists/top/
While Heady-Topper is great, I don't think you can rely on one beer or even one style (IPA) to claim your region is the best. You can go on beer advocate and find scores of of 95-100 in just about any style from the Great Lakes region. Like I've said before, the Great Lakes have high quality in a variety of beer styles, and don't fall back on a signature style. That's why they get my vote. Heady Topper is fantastic, though, don't get me wrong!
I agree. You really can't go by just 1 beer. I just love this one so much, I get carried away with myself.
My family spends much of the winter in Vermont every year, and they have so many great beers. There are probably 15 or more from Vermont with 100 ratings in BA. Sip of Sunshine, Triple Sunshine, Society & Solitude #5, Birth of Tragedy, are all phenomenal beers, as well as many others.
While the whole state of Colorado really holds it's weight, I think CA narrowly beats it out when you merge the craft offerings of The Bay Area, Northern CA, & San Diego County. Heck, even Orange County and LA hold their weight these days with Smog City, The Dudes, Golden Road, El Segundo, Eagle Rock, Santa Monica Brew Co, Craftsman etc. LA for a while was weaker compared to SD. Finally it's catching up.
Besides CA and CO, you really can't go wrong with the offerings of PA, NY, Pacific Northwest, New England etc.
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E, MD, NJ, NY, PA, D.C.
