While Deschutes is a fine NW brewery, I would not even put it into the top 10.
Posted on 10/23/2009 9:10:52 PM PDT by pissant
In the surprisingly small world of big-league craft brewing, there are some names - young as the community is - that carry a little magic in them: Port Brewing of San Marcos, CA...Three Floyds Brewing of Munster, Indiana...Victory Brewing of Downington, PA...Stone Brewing of Escondido, California...Russian River...North Coast...Dogfish Head...Founder's...Surly... Firestone-Walker...Goose Island...and the list goes on and on. They're everywhere - literally. Allagash, in Maine, is perhaps America's best brewer of Belgian-style ales. Ommegang, in Cooperstown, New York, is the leading innovator of Belgian ales given a left-handed American spin. Great Divide, in downtown Denver, is world-famous for it's high-octane, hop-crazy style. AleSmith, in San Diego, scores consistent 90-point+ ratings on practically all it's beers. Even in my own home state of North Carolina - which had TWO craft breweries when I left in 1992 - there's Duck Rabbit Brewing, which is quickly building a national-grade reputation.
Over the past ten+ years, I've made an effort to taste as many beers from as many of these brewers as I possibly could; sometimes going to great lengths to get to places where those not distributed in Seattle could be found. On a trip back to Washington, DC/Virginia/North Carolina, I finally got to taste the Three Floyds ales, which more than lived up to the hype. Some have come to me: Russian River, Bear Republic, Port Brewing, and Firestone-Walker have all recently signed on with Seattle distributors. And my last trip to Denver was nothing less than revelatory: Breckenridge, Great Divide, Boulder Brewing, Left Hand, Avery, Del Norte, Twisted Pine, Oskar Blues and Wynkoop all got me for a short while. California brewers you can't find here, like Green Flash, were on tap in Denver's pubs.
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While Deschutes is a fine NW brewery, I would not even put it into the top 10.
Stone is one of my favorites. Another good brewery is St. Stan’s in Modesto, Calif. When I’m in Pittsburgh, I enjoy drinking Iron City.
Lost Coast from my home town of Eureka Ca has my fav beers. besides supporting the locals, even after i moved. They have a Raspberry brown that will knock your socks off.
Tied House - Mt View Calif
Gordon Biersch - Palo Alto Calif
Flat Branch Brewery, Columbia, Missouri has an “Oil Can Stout” that is as good as any ale i have sampled.
Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City is still good, but has become more commercial the past couple of years.
One don’t have to go to the left coast to find excellent micro breweries.
I hit the Stone brewery last this past summer. Not bad.
There is a pretty good triple hop yeasting in the closet under my stairway right now...could be one of my best breweries this year (but then again, I thought the last brew was the best as well).
I brewed for several years. Until I found it wasn’t saving me much money and I wasn’t competing in quality with the best of the best.
Kept it going for a year and a half. Best beer ever.
everybody in Texas knows this one..... as far as the others.... knock yourselves out. I'm staying at home cause if it's any better than Shiner Bock, Blonde, Hefenweizen or Black Lager.... I'd have a problem.... walking.
I used to agree. Hales was one of my first loves. Their original Bitter was outstanding back in the 80s. HTey went downhill for a little while, but have bounced back nicely in the last couple years.
I’m going to tour that place one of these days.
Was just in Eureka in August...walked past the brewery and watched. Downtown Brown is a consistent resident of my refrigerator shelf.
I'll drink to that!
I have to be true to Texas and go with the Spoetzl Brewery.
Cheers!
Yeah, everytime I combine them, I get a bunch of scolds that get the thread pulled.
I'm sipping on Deschutes' Hop Trip right now. It's disappointing.
North Coast Red Seal FTW.
lol.....I used to live on E street....right by the Eureka Inn.
The best brewery in America is the home brewery.
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