Comments on: 100 American Craft Beers Every Beer-Lover Should Drink (Paste Magazine)

100 American Craft Beers Every Beer-Lover Should Drink (Paste Magazine)

joseph conrad is fully awesome — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:48:04 -0800

"Is this a definitive list of beers everyone should try? Dear Lord, no. If you truly love beer, you should try them all. Even the bad ones. At least once. But this list will get you started."

By: joseph conrad is fully awesome

joseph conrad is fully awesome — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:48:59 -0800

It's been linked to in a previous FPP, so I'll drop this related bonus link here: Glassware for beer.

By: thelonius

thelonius — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:55:22 -0800

So, this is a bucket list?

By: the man of twists and turns

the man of twists and turns — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:56:25 -0800

ohhh, and it's not even a slideshow!

By: gorestainedrunes

gorestainedrunes — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:59:43 -0800

pliny the younger is not on the list. that's pretty much a crime.

By: prize bull octorok

prize bull octorok — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:00:45 -0800

I had to count how many IPAs were on the list before I could decide if I would take it seriously. Only 22. Okay. That earns one slow nod from this commenter.

By: joseph conrad is fully awesome

joseph conrad is fully awesome — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:04:28 -0800

(There are many up-in-arms comments in the comment section of the piece, but I don't see why we can't have our own up-in-arms conversation right here.)

By: oceanjesse

oceanjesse — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:04:33 -0800

I don't understand why I only like Brooklyn Brewery's Lager out of their offerings when it doesn't even taste like other lagers I've had.

By: curious nu

curious nu — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:06:12 -0800

Even the bad ones. At least once. The only beer I've never finished was a bacon/maple syrup thing from Rogue, some Voodoo Donuts-branded monstrosity. It was fucking vile.

By: rocket88

rocket88 — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:09:03 -0800

I used to love IPAs, and by that I mean I used to love beers that called themselves IPAs, before American craft brewers totally changed the meaning of those three letters. Nothing against overhopped brews or those who like drinking them, but I'm kind of pissed off that I don't know how to find old-style IPAs any more.

By: naju

naju — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:16:15 -0800

Yeah, I'm so bored to death of IPAs at this point. Why is it that I walk into the craft beer section of a liquor or grocery store and it's fully 70% IPAs every single time? It's gotten particularly noticeable since I moved to the West Coast, not sure if there's something in the water here. Branch out, everyone, please.

By: naju

naju — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:17:03 -0800

The only beer I've never finished was a bacon/maple syrup thing from Rogue, some Voodoo Donuts-branded monstrosity. This is indeed the worst beer I've ever had.

By: prize bull octorok

prize bull octorok — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:19:05 -0800

We grow hops on the west coast, naju! Would you like to try some locally-grown hops in your beer!? HERE DRINK THEM DRINK ALL THE HOPS MORE HOPS YOUR BEER ISN'T HOPPY ENOUGH BLARRGGHHH I too struggle with IPA fatigue

By: A Terrible Llama

A Terrible Llama — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:20:26 -0800

Well, just to get the 'but what about...' ball rolling, I think Bear Republic's Hop Rod Rye is a miss, and I think Dogfish 60 is superior to 90, and SmuttyNose's porter is also MIA but awesome. I was going to crab about stouts in general being underrepresented but had to give up on my opinionated tangent after realizing I was wrong. So other than the usual blather of someone who couldn't herself come up with a list of 100 beers everyone should try, I'll keep my grousing to a minimum and keep an eye out for these.

By: A Terrible Llama

A Terrible Llama — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:22:31 -0800

This is indeed the worst beer I've ever had. Have you tried milk stouts? (There are many up-in-arms comments in the comment section of the piece, but I don't see why we can't have our own up-in-arms conversation right here.) Damn straight.

By: rouftop

rouftop — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:28:13 -0800

I'm currently in love with Mac & Jacks African Amber. Only available in draft, you have to come to the pnw to try it.

By: bfranklin

bfranklin — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:29:52 -0800

I am disappointed in the lack of Victory's Golden Monkey.

By: curious nu

curious nu — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:30:03 -0800

Mac & Jacks African Amber I've had this a couple of times at County Cork (oddly enough) in PDX and liked it. Didn't realize it was so select!

By: curious nu

curious nu — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:30:42 -0800

Victory's Golden Monkey. Just had someone recommend Victory's pils to me the other day, claiming it was The Greatest Beer.

By: Ber

Ber — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:30:44 -0800

Just opened a Bells Two-Hearted Ale before coming to the Blue. And there it is on the list: the best IPA in the country is actually closer to the style's English roots: Bell's Two Hearted ale. It's a beer so atypical among the craft beer landscape that the brewery doesn't even call Two Hearted an IPA, but that doesn't mask the accomplishments of the brewers who've created an ale that is at once rich with malt flavor, pungently hoppy, and eminently drinkable. It's the beer that tastes how you used to imagine beer should taste. Oh hell yes.

By: the painkiller

the painkiller — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:31:37 -0800

Have you tried milk stouts? Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro is number 35 on this list, and a damn fine addition it is. Hitachino Nest makes a tasty milk stout as well. If I cut out the IPAs (sooo weary of burning-tire flavored beer, although they do tend to smell alot better than they taste), I'm surprised by how many of the beers in on this list that I've actually had. I've got a bottle of that Bruery Saison Rue in the fridge right now, I had no idea it was so well regarded. Hill Farmstead beers are legit, BTW. If you have the means, I highly recommend it.

By: A dead Quaker

A dead Quaker — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:31:59 -0800

Beers I enjoy that aren't on the list: Mayflower IPA (Plymouth, MA) Dogfish Head Punkin Ale Jack D'Or by Pretty Things (Somerville, MA but brewed in Westport, MA) Terminal Gravity IPA (Enterprise, OR) But they're right about the Heady Topper, I managed to get some last Thanksgiving and it was tasty. Good to see Dale's Pale Ale and Hill's Farmstead get nods, too.

By: dorque

dorque — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:32:41 -0800

Ok good, the Edmund Fitzgerald makes the list. Also, I realize the 90 Minute IPA is, like, the Dogfish Head beer apparently, but I had their Palo Santo Marron at their brewpub (which is across the street from NIST, which I find hilarious) and I was super impressed.

By: bfranklin

bfranklin — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:34:51 -0800

Ok good, the Edmund Fitzgerald makes the list. Also, I realize the 90 Minute IPA is, like, the Dogfish Head beer apparently, but I had their Palo Santo Marron at their brewpub (which is across the street from NIST, which I find hilarious) and I was super impressed. Edmund Fitzgerald is phenomenal. Burton Baton is my go to from Dogfish Head. Great, great stuff.

By: DigDoug

DigDoug — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:35:00 -0800

Old Rasputin! Oh man. I have such memories of too much of that beer. But not so much too much that I no longer have the memories. And now I'm thirsty

By: the painkiller

the painkiller — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:38:52 -0800

A little surprised not to see Southern Tier on this list. The Crème Brûlée stout is, well, liquid dessert, and so is their Pumking Imperial which is frankly a revelation.

By: no regrets, coyote

no regrets, coyote — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:40:42 -0800

Complaining about over-hopped IPAs is on the tipping point of becoming more insufferable than breweries over-hopping IPAs.

By: spacewaitress

spacewaitress — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:40:43 -0800

Happy to see the Surly brewery mentioned, but they passed over Surly Furious which is just flat-out delicious.

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:42:17 -0800

I had Brooklyn lager when I was in Brooklyn in 89, it tasted like dirt. Has it gotten better or is it a "hip" beer in the same way Pabst Blue Ribbon is?

By: turbid dahlia

turbid dahlia — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:43:38 -0800

Number 1 sounds pretty damn good. I've tried I think four of the rest of that list. Living in Australia, I guess that's not such a bad innings.

By: naju

naju — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:48:00 -0800

#1 is kinda insane. I actually hated it the first time I took a sip - "it's like motor oil" isn't far off the mark, to be honest - but I just wasn't prepared.

By: notsnot

notsnot — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:51:23 -0800

Good to see Schlafly Pumpkin on the list. It really is special. Last weekend we did a vertical - 2010, 2011, 2012 and fresh 2014 Pumpkin. Some of the attendees balked at "aging" beers but everyone agreed the 2010 was fantastic. The 2014 carries some of the same characteristics. (we also did a 2009, 2010, 2012 DFH 90 Minute vertical, but I was...kinda in the cups at that point.)

By: jeff-o-matic

jeff-o-matic — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:53:14 -0800

I only drink beer no one has ever heard of, and that has never been on any list. You GD Phillistines.

By: emptythought

emptythought — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:54:54 -0800

Wow, happy to know i wasn't the only one who thought pliny the elder was an exceptional beer. I was just thinking about that stuff last night.

By: Existential Dread

Existential Dread — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:55:01 -0800

Two-hearted should be number one.

By: jeff-o-matic

jeff-o-matic — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:57:12 -0800

I love beer. I plead for a moratorium on cutesy-poo names and dumb hops puns from this day forward.

By: TwoWordReview

TwoWordReview — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:57:28 -0800

10/100 ain't bad, though I've been drinkin'#20 all afternoon - company picnic and all that!

By: wotsac

wotsac — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:59:29 -0800

If I have one regret about moving to Seattle, it's that I haven't found Edmund Fitzgerald here. There are beers I like better, but Edmund F combines a quaffability, ubiquity, and a very reasonable price.

By: CrowGoat

CrowGoat — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:01:19 -0800

Question: Long ago, I discovered that Heineken and several other continental beers tasted rather good. But when I got back to the states, those same beers tasted horrid. Someone told me that was because beer had to be "pasteurized" (boiled) before it could be sold in the USA. Is that still true? (Or was it even true then?). I noticed last trip that a bottle of (brand whatever) in London was totally different from that same brand/bottle in the US when I got back...why?

By: echocollate

echocollate — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:02:03 -0800

I bought a six pack of Victory Prima Pils and thought it was disgusting. Sweetwater's standard IPA is a pretty good drink.

By: Kwine

Kwine — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:03:39 -0800

I don't know how you make a list of 100 craft beers every beer lover should drink and have zero beers from the state of Washington. I feel like it must have been on purpose.

By: Existential Dread

Existential Dread — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:09:28 -0800

Wow, 22 out of 100. I'm more experienced than I thought! Although, I can't take Old Rasputin any more after drinking 4 in a row and then puking them all back up.

By: pjenks

pjenks — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:13:25 -0800

Fine, hate on IPA, but I've basically only been drinking New Belgiums Ranger IPA for a year. Mmmmm.

By: selfnoise

selfnoise — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:13:45 -0800

It's weird, Smuttynose's IPA is basically the only beer they make that I don't like. The Shoals Pale Ale on tap, though, is one of my favorites. That said I drink a lot of Long Trail who don't have anything on the list, so clearly I have no taste.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:14:03 -0800

What the hell, no Red Oak?? Abita Golden??

By: jonmc

jonmc — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:16:31 -0800

I'm suprised at how many of these I've had.

By: pjenks

pjenks — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:18:29 -0800

Worst beer ever? That was China Lite. I guess it's been out of circulation so long that there are not even internet pictures of it.

By: brent

brent — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:19:00 -0800

27 from the list. Hopefully attending GABF in October to knock a few more off the list. Some local options from the list that I would add to the list:Tommy Knocker, Dry Dock, Living The Dream, Twisted Pine, Sun King, Snake River, Renegade, Ska, Caution, Wits End and Strange. Some obvious reasons to include were World Beer Cup and GABF medals, but many tastings offer a diverse range outside of IPA.

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:35:17 -0800

Not a bad list. I'm not sure what the point of having stuff like Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada listed is though. It's not like anyone who's drinks beer hasn't had them already. Glad to see a couple of Tröegs beers on there though.

By: jeffamaphone

jeffamaphone — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:55:25 -0800

I would need to bump something and add Black Raven Splinters Bourbon Strong Scotch Ale to the list somewhere near the top 10. I got eight bottles on release day and I'm guarding them with a double barreled shot gun. It's the smoothest, most intoxicating beer I've ever had. Their other beers are all pretty good too.

By: Kitteh

Kitteh — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:04:10 -0800

It warms my heart to see at least two Hill Farmstead beers on the list. For fucking reals, get out to the middle of rural Vermont and get your growlers filled. Because unless you live in the Green Mountain State or have a friend in the Northeast who really likes you and is willing to travel, you will never taste some of the best fricking beer in North America.

By: robocop is bleeding

robocop is bleeding — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:10:09 -0800

I'm a straight, white male between the ages of 20-40 who enjoys palate-wrecking IPAs. Even my snobby drinking is on Easy Mode.

By: vverse23

vverse23 — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:10:25 -0800

The only beer I've never finished was a bacon/maple syrup thing from Rogue, some Voodoo Donuts-branded monstrosity. It was fucking vile. And at fourteen something bucks a pop, it's the worst value on the shelf. But hey, Voodoo Donuts! Pink bottle! Portland! Let's take one back to Ohio for Uncle Josh!

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:12:24 -0800

i prefer founder's backwoods bastard to kentucky breakfast stout - also the regular scotch ale, dirty bastard is good - also like their porter there's not enough moderate alcohol beers on this list - bell's amber ale is a great one very pleased to see dark horse's plead the 5th on here - it's very good - their seasonal scotch ale, scotty karate is excellent - double crooked tree ipa is very hoppy and will knock you on your ass if you're not careful i used to really like arcadia's london porter, but it's getting very hard to find and i live in the area saugatuck breweries' esb amber is another winner edmund fiztgerald porter is excellent, but great lakes' conway's irish ale is even better arbor breweries out of ann arbor makes a beer called expresso love that i found to be utterly awful - i had to wait for it to warm up to room temperature before i could even consider finishing it

By: CKmtl

CKmtl — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:12:58 -0800

Bacon-maple sounds delicious compared to the Curry Coconut Porter that I, in a moment of madness, thought might taste okay. It didn't, unless sour armpits and vomit are your idea of what a coconut curry should taste like. Blargh.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:18:11 -0800

Curry Coconut Porter Just say no to stunt beers.

By: lattiboy

lattiboy — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:18:20 -0800

Just to be clear, there isn't a single beer from the Seattle on the list? And only three (questionable) Portland beers? REALLY!?!?!?! This list makes no sense and should be fully ignored.

By: Chocolate Pickle

Chocolate Pickle — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:20:55 -0800

In 1990 the World Science Fiction Convention ("Worldcon") was held in the Hague. Someone decided there should be a beer-tasting. The idea was that anyone who wanted to participate would bring a six-pack of beer from their home country to share around. Now back in this day, American beer had the reputation of being carbonated horse-piss. When people thought of American beer, they thought of Budweiser or Miller. But there were better things around, and I decided to participate by taking six bottles of Anchor Porter. Which was heavy, and a real pain, but anyway. So I showed up and started pouring it in sample cups. A Brit tasted it and asked me what it was, and I responded, "Anchor Porter". He asked where it was from, and I answered, "San Francisco." "What?? Let me see that bottle." He had no idea that there were any commercial beers like that in the US. We eventually made a deal where each of us would ship the other some more beer. I sent him two bottles of Anchor Porter, two bottles of Anchor Steam, and two bottles of Anchor Liberty Ale. (I declared it all as "Root Beer" on the customs form, and I guess they didn't care enough to open the box and check.) Now, of course, no one in Europe thinks that about American Beer, and I'm glad. But it should be remembered that Anchor Brewing was producing quality all-malt beers long before the so-called "craft beer revolution". Anchor Porter became my favorite beer in the late 1970's.

By: robocop is bleeding

robocop is bleeding — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:21:38 -0800

Anybody have any Great South Bay from Long Island? A buddy of mine works there and gave my wife and I a tour when we visited and I was SO HAPPY is was tasty beer so I didn't have to do the Homebrewer's Smile where you have to try all of Jerry's sweet tobacco kegged miller's porter schwarzblondes before you can escape and was your mouth out with Stone or something.

By: dorque

dorque — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:22:25 -0800

Just say no to stunt beers. Hush. I had Positive Contact once and actually liked it. Although come to think of it, that was after a full day locked in a room with 100 other physicists, so it's possible I'd've consumed anything you put in front of me.

By: mediocre

mediocre — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:25:21 -0800

Ctrl + F : "Black Butte Porter" List passes my basic test, in as much that Black Butte Porter is on it at all. I feel like Black Butte Porter is not recognized enough nationally. But I'm sure that everyone here has a beer they think is continually robbed of recognition.

By: emptythought

emptythought — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:29:21 -0800

Just to be clear, there isn't a single beer from the Seattle on the list? And only three (questionable) Portland beers? REALLY!?!?!?! Seattle has good local beer for sure, but can you name one that isn't basically just a good local beer? like, that has any standout qualities that make it specifically memorable? Elysians espresso stout comes to mind as being exceptionally good, and maybe the fremont ales stout as well. But everything from say, georgetown brewery?(which don't get me wrong, i really like... but it's just Good Beer. It's like the much vaunted skillet burger). Two beers day hike? It's not like this city is flush with top 100 in america beers, idk. Unless there's some stuff i've seriously missed out on. The specials at stumbling monk that are basically all imports or from across the country always blow me away compared to 90% of the local stuff. Can't really speak to portland, i always forget what's from there and what isn't >_>

By: scelerat

scelerat — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:33:46 -0800

Thanks for all the beer tips folks, I'm going to go out and try all of them tonight! I'll report back here on this thread and let you know how it goes.

By: maryr

maryr — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:33:46 -0800

I'm happy to see New England (well, VT, MA, and ME, so half of it) fairly well represented here, even if my local favorites (Slumbrew [specifically the Porter Square Porter, but the Happy Sol and Attic & Eaves are also very good] and Jack's Abbey [SMOKE AND DAGGER. THAT IS ALL.*]) aren't - I think they are still too local. Smuttynose is a very solid brand - I've never had a bad one. I'll have to pick up some Farmstead next time I'm at The Beverage Warehouse. I've enjoyed the Bruery beers I've had, though they were very seasonal. I'm very much a winter beer person - porters and stouts and some Christmas spices now and then. The Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro out of Colorado is also one of my favorite beers, so I'm glad that made the list too. * OK, anything smoked from Jack's Abbey, but even Smoke and Dagger, possibly my favorite beer, can't compared to the Smoked Maple Lager they only made for one season. WOW.

By: mediocre

mediocre — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:34:17 -0800

... only three (questionable) Portland beers? REALLY!?!?!?! When it comes down to it, most Portland beers aren't hugely exceptional. Some may be a source of local pride, some may be loved for sentimental reasons, but few are genuinely exceptional. Hell, my favorite beer in all of Oregon is from Bend, even if it is centrally distributed out of Portland these days Deschutes Brewery was founded in and in my book will always be a Bend brand.

By: mediocre

mediocre — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:41:13 -0800

The only beer I've never finished was a bacon/maple syrup thing from Rogue Heh.. I kinda liked that. Yeah, it was.. odd. Like someone put maple syrup in a Porter.. but it was still oddly satisfying.

By: emptythought

emptythought — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:42:41 -0800

The only beer I've never finished was a bacon/maple syrup thing from Rogue, some Voodoo Donuts-branded monstrosity. My friend perfectly isolated what made that suck so much. Liquid smoke. Really, hear me out, anything with that stuff in it sucks. I once ate a few bites of some horrid jerky from grocery outlet that had that stuff as an ingredient rather than being actually smoked. It's probably the grossest artificial flavor on the market. It makes me think of some gross fake-grill-marks meat that would have arrived in a massive box frozen at the fast food shop i worked at in high school. I seriously have no idea what they were smoking at rogue when they came up with that. Dead guy ale is one of the best beers you can pick up at your standard grocery/department store around here, and then they released that skidmark. Has rogue even ever released anything else that sucked? They're usually like your favorite neighborhood restaurant. A couple things are exceptional, and the rest of it is somewhere between solidly serviceable and pretty good. It actually gave me that "tell someone it's orange juice then have it be milk and they'll puke" type reaction. I expected like, a really thick heavy maple-y stout from the flavor description the name outlined. And then i got a face full of that garbage? My reaction was pretty much "where's the face and when can i punch it". At least i bought it on clearance, so it wasn't actually $14. I think i paid maybe $6? I still wanted my money back so i could wash the taste out of my mouth with a bottle of mouthwash, some ginger, and a 24oz of raineer or something. Dog bite and camo ice christmas special taste better than that monstrosity, and those are pretty much the nastiest "hobo rocket fuel" malt liquors out there. That shit was grosser than warm, partially flat earthquake. Which i had previously thought was the apex of nasty beer.

By: usonian

usonian — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:43:49 -0800

Glad to see Founders' Breakfast Stout and Rogue Shakespeare Stout on there. It's been too long since I assembled a random six pack from somewhere with a nice selection of harder-to-find and/or far-away offerings, this gives me ideas.

By: Maecenas

Maecenas — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:44:11 -0800

I will wholeheartedly endorse Westbrook's Gose. It is super weird and salty and sour and low ABV, but incredibly refreshing in a Carolina summer. In general, this list is great, though I, too, wish there were more sessionable beers. One tool I've been using to find new beers is BeerGraphs, which has a really cool style-adjusted goodness metric, so that MegaImperialStouts don't completely overshadow everything else. Plus, it has cool filters you can put on it, too!

By: We had a deal, Kyle

We had a deal, Kyle — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:46:11 -0800

But it should be remembered that Anchor Brewing was producing quality all-malt beers long before the so-called "craft beer revolution". Anchor -- under Fritz Maytag -- is often considered the origin of the craft revolution.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:13:53 -0800

Has rogue even ever released anything else that sucked? i tried their smoked porter once and wasn't real fond of it - i'm sure you know why

By: EinAtlanta

EinAtlanta — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:25:11 -0800

I genuinely can't believe my beloved Southern Pecan nut brown ale by Lazy Magnolia didn't make the list. It's not a stunt beer - we drink it year round down here - and I have been the hero of every party that I brought it to. I have regularly used Southern Pecan to lure big corp beer drinkers into the land of craft beers.

By: the man of twists and turns

the man of twists and turns — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:35:35 -0800

I genuinely can't believe my beloved Southern Pecan nut brown ale by Lazy Magnolia didn't make the list. Take the tour in Kiln, if you get a chance. And try the sampler packs, you can get them at Rouses. The Jefferson Stout is great. So too Indian Summer Ale.

By: BitterOldPunk

BitterOldPunk — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:42:40 -0800

Liquid smoke.... It's probably the grossest artificial flavor on the market. Oddly enough, liquid smoke really is made out of smoke.

By: Windopaene

Windopaene — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:45:32 -0800

Too many stouts on this list, and not enough good reds. G'knight from Oskar Blues is about my favorite beer, though the Ninkasi Double Believer red is my go to beer. Also Laurelwood Free Range Red. Manny's Pale Ale and the Elysian Immortal IPA are pretty big time Seattle beers, good for pitchers after the soccer game, but if I'm in a store, I'm likely going to Oregon with the Ninkasies.

By: the painkiller

the painkiller — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:46:18 -0800

One thought about the plethora of overhopped IPAs out there - even though I'm prone to kvetching about them in a very "your favorite beer sucks" kind of way, it is an amazing time to be a beer lover. I can walk into pretty much any mid-size (or larger) liquor store almost anywhere in the US and know that in spite of how hard I may try, I'll never be able to sample every beer in the store without making like Scrooge McDuck in his vault, and even then, it would take more time than I reasonably have and I probably wouldn't survive intact. I remember a time when that wasn't the case at all, you had the macrobrews, the Euro-swill (and not even the good Euro-swill) and if you got really really lucky you found Sam Adams, maybe Guinness hiding in the corner. And that was it! So here's to LocalWort's Hop Nuke Triple IPA, because you are the harbinger of spoiling me for choice, and I'm really grateful for it, and I hope it lasts a long long time, and that you open up a tap room near me where I can nurse your chardonnay-barrel aged saison or raspberry porter or dog hair tripel or whatever other crazy awesome beer snobby crap you come up with that is funded by hop junkies. Cheers to you!

By: wotsac

wotsac — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 20:03:04 -0800

Just to be clear, there isn't a single beer from the Seattle on the list Such as? I haven't had any beer from Seattle that I would choose over a similar beer from the list, all things being equal. Not that I have tried especially hard, or that there aren't plenty of decent beers here. But nothing that would make me feel that it would be a privilege to spend the next month drinking this beer every day.

By: tonycpsu

tonycpsu — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 20:17:05 -0800

No Victory Storm King, Southern Tier Pumking, or Troeg's Dead Reckoning Porter? BALEETED!

By: Existential Dread

Existential Dread — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 20:25:57 -0800

Just say no to stunt beers. Agreed. I never tried the oyster shell stout 21st Amendment put out because the description put me off. "The two pair beautifully as the rich, creamy mouthfeel of stout complements the creamy texture of the oyster, and the oyster's crisp, briny finish is balanced by the roasted bitterness in the stout." However, I fully endorse the inclusion of the Bitter American here. Excellent flavor, refreshing low ABV for summer sun drinking, and there's a sweet chimp astronaut on the can.

By: rocket88

rocket88 — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 20:33:04 -0800

I'm not complaining about overhopped IPAs, but I just wish they came up with another name for them, instead of appropriating the name of a perfectly good existing beer style. It's like making wine out of plums and deciding to call it Merlot.

By: aydeejones

aydeejones — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 20:36:36 -0800

I'm proud of Colorado and SD for repping so much of the list. But every time I fly out to California I bring back two sixers of sculpin IPA in the can. Glorious. Last time I had Dale's Pale and IPA on hand to compare to. They hold their own but Sculpin dominates without crazy ABV (7%). Got two in the fridge right now in Breckenridge along with some 90 Schilling and Fat Tire for my wife, who sticks with her old reliable. I like it enough too, I just like to always have something else around too and Fat Tire was a go to beer for so long...

By: C.A.S.

C.A.S. — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 20:50:41 -0800

Because unless you live in the Green Mountain State or have a friend in the Northeast who really likes you and is willing to travel, you will never taste some of the best fricking beer in North America. That's the case for a surprising amount of the better, more subtle brews out there. Gimmicky marketing, goofy ingredients, hop abuse, goofy labels/names, and distribution deals with the devil means some more amateur stuff grabs the attention, and there are some real deals hiding where no one is ever going to know. I'm partial to Wisconsin's New Glarus Brewing, but I can't even seem to find that just over the border in Chicago.

By: booksherpa

booksherpa — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 20:54:08 -0800

No Weyerbachers at all? I call shenanigans!

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 20:58:53 -0800

Too many stouts on this list Impossibibble, unless there's a lack of Porters on the list.

By: tempestuoso

tempestuoso — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:02:40 -0800

I'm glad to see several Michigan beers getting some love. I was somewhat (pleasantly) surprised that Jolly Pumpkin was listed and not Short's, the latter of which seems to get all the press here these days, mostly IMO for the already mentioned gimmick beers and über-hopped IPAs. Though Short's does make some yummy stuff. In fact, now that I think of it, it's probably because Short's doesn't distribute outside of Michigan.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:03:39 -0800

Okay, I hate to burn my bridge here, because I'm already finding that my local supply is experiencing shortages, but McAuslins St. Ambroise oatmeal stout(Quebec) is verrry nice indeed. So, like, keep away from it, please.

By: axiom

axiom — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:04:05 -0800

arbor breweries out of ann arbor makes a beer called expresso love that i found to be utterly awful - i had to wait for it to warm up to room temperature before i could even consider finishing it I live in A2, nobody around here thinks that Arbor Brewing Co. makes much of anything good anymore. I remember their Faricy Fest stout being good 8-10 years ago, then being replaced by a ghost of its former self, and I've rarely revisited to see if the quality of their beer had recovered to match its reputation; it never has. Luckily, Michigan has lots of good craft beer. I like Dark Horse's Crooked Tree IPA as much as Two Hearted. I got to try Founder's KBS at Ypsi beer fest this year, it was probably one of the 2-3 best beers I had there, but not hands down the winner. Red's Rye is still my favorite of theirs.

By: onehalfjunco

onehalfjunco — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:16:52 -0800

48/100. I used to hunt down beers, "cellar" them, and trade for more rare, far-flung beers. Nowadays, if I see something special on the shelf at my local store, I'll grab it, but I don't want to dedicate the time and energy to hunt for unicorns anymore. I still have some '13 Goose Island bourbon county stout and barley wine, a couple bottles of 3-floyds baller stout, some various vintage Founders KBS and some Dogfish 120 minute IPA aging in the "cellar," which is 2 wine cases tucked behind clothes in my closet. A big contributing factor to the end of my beer-seeking days is that a very decent brewpub opened in my neighborhood about a year ago. A growler of locally brewed, good quality beer is only a 3 minute walk from my front door, and they rotate through styles frequently enough to keep me interested. This is truly the golden age of beer; when you can find a brewery making something you really like within 20 miles of most any metropolitan area.

By: tempestuoso

tempestuoso — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:17:18 -0800

I live in A2, nobody around here thinks that Arbor Brewing Co. makes much of anything good anymore. It seems like most of ABC's brewing effort has moved to the Corner Brewery in Ypsi, and the recipe changes probably coincide with that. Though their Mackinac Island Fudge Stout was pretty tasty when I last had it. I agree, though, that ABC's original staples (Faricy Fest, Red Snapper, etc.) have made dramatic changes for the worse over the last decade. But it's been a while since they were still brewing much (if anything anymore?) out of the Washington Street location where my taste buds, and presumably yours as well, were first calibrated for their beer.

By: Ber

Ber — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:23:14 -0800

I have three bottles of Surly Darkness from three successive years keeping in a cool dark place. Oh, the sweet insanity...

By: neckro23

neckro23 — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:45:13 -0800

I'm partial to Wisconsin's New Glarus Brewing, but I can't even seem to find that just over the border in Chicago. New Glarus isn't distributed outside of Wisconsin at all. We don't get it here in Minnesota, either. It's a shame, because they really are one of the best breweries I know of. Their "batting average" (chance that I'll love a random beer of theirs) is perfect for me so far. (Other breweries with excellent batting averages: Bell's, Stone, Surly, Victory. Just about everything any of them release is gold.)

By: letitrain

letitrain — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:51:54 -0800

Really nice to see one my favorite local breweries, Firestone Walker, get so much love. Firestone DBA is my everyday beer, and it's just fantastic. They also have a few wild beers that are incredible: Agrestic Ale totally changed my taste in beer.

By: GamblingBlues

GamblingBlues — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 22:06:39 -0800

I'm an ex-pat from Michigan living in Australia, and y'alls conversation is really making me yearn for a Two Hearted. That being said, two weeks from now I'll be walking in the front door of Westpac Stadium in Wellington, NZ for Beervana, where I get to drink some of the best New Zealand has to offer. For the beer nerds out there, New Zealand is doing some of the best work on the planet right now, and sooner or later you'll see more than Yeastie Boys, 8 Wired and Epic hitting US shores. I mean, half of this trip of mine is to visit the good fine gentlemen brewing and serving at Garage Project, and I couldn't be more excited that Yeasties have decided to mellow the Earl Grey IPA Gunnamatta into a tea leaf pale they're calling Minimatta. It's like they've been secretly focus-grouping my brain. Australia's grown up a great deal, too. If you happen to be in London and can get a summertime pour of Stone & Wood's Pacific Ale, it's basically a taste of Byron Bay sunshine in a glass. Lovely, lovely summer pale. Can't say I've seen much travel to the US yet, but if they ever start compromising my supply of the stouts and porters from Mornington Peninsula by shipping to the US market, I will stage a one-man picket line for as long as it takes for them to reconsider their decision. In summary, please send me some Two Hearted and make sure the package is marked "SOCKS" to get through customs unnoticed.

By: nat

nat — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 22:08:20 -0800

I was really hoping this list would have the awesome peppercorn beer I had last spring. I failed to write the name, and when I went back to the restaurant they had no idea what I was talking about. Ah well.

By: nat

nat — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 22:11:55 -0800

GamblingBlues: your socks must be heavy. If I thought it would pass through customs I would in a, uh, heartbeat-- just picked up some Two Hearted (and some Dragon's Milk) as my last MI beer befor I am an expat myself (Denmark, not NZ).

By: jeffamaphone

jeffamaphone — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 22:18:17 -0800

Curry Coconut Porter Just say no to stunt beers. Oh man, I tried that abomination at a bar in SF. I had tried every other beer they had on tap already, so I asked for a taste. Good thing, I couldn't even finish the taster. I spit it out. My god, that was the worst tasting thing I've ever had. Well, okay, there was that shit they made me gargle when I had an upper GI done. But aside from that, worst liquid ever. Just to be clear, there isn't a single beer from the Seattle on the list Such as? Black Raven, for one. Bainbridge Island Brewery. Hale's Ales. And, goddamn it, I like Pyramid Hefe.

By: jeffamaphone

jeffamaphone — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 22:21:56 -0800

I never tried the oyster shell stout 21st Amendment put out Me either. I worked a block from that brewery for two years and I tried just about everything they make (that came in under 50 IBU or so)... but not that one. The Hell or High Watermelon is nice on a hot day when they pour it out of the tap and stick a big chunk of watermelon in it. But my favorite was their MCA Stout.

By: nat

nat — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 22:43:25 -0800

The list also does not include Moonlight's Death and Taxes, which was the first beer I loved. Sadness.

By: MillMan

MillMan — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 00:50:21 -0800

Unsurprised to see Old Rasputin from North Coast Brewery on there - also worth checking out from them is Pranqster (my favorite Belgian style beer) and Scrimshaw Ale (my favorite summer beer).

By: persona au gratin

persona au gratin — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 02:42:38 -0800

As a result of this thread, I'll be sure to try the Edmund Fitzgerald and Two-Hearted when I'm back in Chicago. Thanks!

By: persona au gratin

persona au gratin — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 02:50:57 -0800

And amen to the New Glarus love.

By: wallstreet1929

wallstreet1929 — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 04:45:08 -0800

Sam Adams, Anchor Steam, and Sierra Nevada are fallback positions at a 7-11 when I'm in a hotel in a town that I don't know. I'm agreed on the IPA's (usually accompanied with mega IPA we-are-the-world letters), that they are on the over-hyped and under-liscious side. I'm insulted that Dales Pale Ale occupies the bottom as it is head and shoulders above 20-30 others here... even if Trader Joe's carries it. Still, I am always open to education, cool names, freaky graphics, and entrepreneurs undoing industrial vats of yellow water.

By: jamincan

jamincan — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 04:54:12 -0800

Being Canadian, I haven't tried most of these beers aside from the more well known on the list. I can confirm that the Edmund Fitzgerald is fantastic though and wish I could get it here in Ontario. I don't think it qualifies for this list, since they don't sell bottled beer, but I have to put in a good word for The Vierling in Marquette, MI. It's a fantastic brewpub, good food, but most importantly, every single beer I've ordered from them has been outstanding. Unfortunately, their website doesn't do credit to the selection available.

By: curious nu

curious nu — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 05:19:32 -0800

Hale's Ales Something in Hale's gives me the worst headaches. Like, have a beer, and within about an hour just feel miserable and borderline puke-y.

By: specialagentwebb

specialagentwebb — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 05:35:16 -0800

I can't claim to be anything like an expert on beers (Sam Adams is my fallback "eh whatever, it's a decent drinking beer"), but I am appalled at the lack of Pittsburgh breweries on here. Maybe it doesn't qualify because they only sell locally, but East End Brewing's Gratitude Barleywine is just fantastic. Easily the best barleywine I've ever had. And they recently took their winter ale and added really great coffee to it to make what's now my favorite coffee beer.

By: threeants

threeants — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 06:06:36 -0800

I looooove hops and I can't believe folks get so axegrindy about hoppy beers! Hops tastes like smoking a joint rolled with jasmine tea through a grapefruit, what's not to love?

By: HumanComplex

HumanComplex — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 07:05:24 -0800

Damn, no love for Baltimore. Stillwater, Union Brewing, Public Works, Raven Beer, Brewer's Art...

By: Dip Flash

Dip Flash — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 07:10:27 -0800

Mac & Jacks African Amber I love the taste but it makes my throat scratchy the next day for some reason, so I only rarely order it. I was glad to see that the list had a few of the really nice, drinkable, everyday IPAs that I love, though I'd add others to that list (Full Sail, Terminal Gravity, Bridgeport, Ice Harbor, Double Mountain, Pfriem... I just noticed how many Hood River breweries are on my list, I clearly need to start branching out more). They aren't the super hoppy stunt beers, just pleasant and crisp and with slightly complex flavors. And even when the specific beers they listed weren't to my taste, they were from good breweries like Deschutes. So I'd give the list a thumbs up as an excellent starting point and with a rare focus on beers with decent distribution that you actually have a chance of finding in a store. The standard list always has a bunch of beers that you need to know some guy in a small town in Vermont to even taste, which is maybe anthropologically interesting but isn't very useful.

By: RolandOfEld

RolandOfEld — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 07:10:37 -0800

like smoking a joint rolled with jasmine tea through a grapefruit, what's not to love? You pretty much covered it there, yep, that, blech. Gimme something malty or chocolaty any day of the week. On hindsight, maybe you were being facetious. Oh well... In the homebrew club I apprenticed under, I say that because I don't know if it speaks to the general population of homebrewers, there was a strong subset of folks who loved, loved, loved their hops. If you think you know/like hoppy beers and you haven't had a homebrewed, fresh, dry hopped, triple/quad/whatever IPA then you actually, really don't know hoppy beers like you think you do. Certain parts of the hop profile fades as the beer ages, days can matter. Kinda like how when you age a barleywine a few years and it has a distinctly different taste. Well like that, except days instead of years. Anyway, some of that shit was like... menthol... squared. Horrid, but some folks just plodded along with it, nuking their taste buds and those of anyone else who happened to pick up one of their bottles at a tasting/meeting. I need to get back into homebrewing... mead at least.... *sigh*

By: RolandOfEld

RolandOfEld — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 07:12:32 -0800

Oh and where do I send the kudos letter to the folks who made this link not a slideshow. Jesus, that's refreshing.

By: tommasz

tommasz — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 07:19:28 -0800

For those of us who remember the old days when the only "good" beer you could get were stale bottles of English and German beers, we're living in a beer paradise. It brings tears to my eyes, literally.

By: freecellwizard

freecellwizard — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 07:57:48 -0800

I've only had 14 of these but a lot of the others sound great. Here in NC we have a brewery explosion going on and I try to mostly drink local, so I don't do a lot of beer-hunting. A lot of my friends love the hoppy IPAs but I don't get it ... it's like when I tried chewing grass as a little kid. I'm the minority that likes porters, stouts, wheat beers (like say Harpoon UFO White) and just good old ambers. I am also kind of a wimp about high ABV beers up over about 8% and the alcohol just overwhelms all the other tastes to me. My wife and I got a bottle of Dragon's Milk (11% ABV) and ended up pouring it down the sink, which horrified the people I told. Different strokes I guess ... The main thing is that, yeah, there's never been a better time to be a beer drinker in the US. I still remember when I started seeing Sam Adams in the store and it was like a revelation to have a non-import that wasn't Miller/Coors/Bud.

By: MisantropicPainforest

MisantropicPainforest — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 08:49:27 -0800

Good to know that everyone basically recognizes that Two Hearted is like the best

By: misskaz

misskaz — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 09:01:59 -0800

33 from the list here. Including currently having the Left Hand nitro Milk Stout in my fridge and some Serendipity and Dark Lord among other not on this list in my "cellar" (a cabinet in my dining room). Yay! If you're wondering whether or not we are in beer heaven, let's just say that Bell's Two Hearted is my fallback beer. Like, I go to the store and if nothing else in the cooler seems especially appealing I tend to think "Well, there's always Two Hearted." Seriously, I am so spoiled. Also on the fallback beer list: Daisy Cutter and Anti-Hero.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 09:22:50 -0800

I would like to recommend Atwater's Vanilla Java Porter that didn't make the list. I do like New Holland's Dragon's Milk and they sometimes do it with some chilli which is interesting.

By: lorddimwit

lorddimwit — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 09:57:32 -0800

Glad to see Cigar City's Jai Alai and Hunahpu's Imperial Stout on this list. I was raised on the West Coast among the metropoles of the craft beer scene and moved to the South where the situation was... drastically different. Upon moving to Florida, I saw Cigar City and thought "oh, cute, somebody here is trying to make beer." Working my way through their catalogue of seasonals convinced me otherwise. They're the one brewery in the Southeast that I would put up there with the best ones from the West Coast / PNW. But nobody but beer nerds and Floridians knows about them because their distribution radius is tiny (and unlikely to expand, since they can barely meet demand in their home cities).

By: RolandOfEld

RolandOfEld — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 10:03:44 -0800

I do like New Holland's Dragon's Milk and they sometimes do it with some chilli which is interesting. That sounds delicious. I've got a friend that lives there and we've gotten pizza at their brewery, good stuff but the Dragon's Milk is right up there with Left Hand Milk Stout in my top 5 list.

By: naju

naju — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 10:47:25 -0800

Curry Coconut Porter I recently convinced a first date that we should both try this. There was no second date.

By: joseph conrad is fully awesome

joseph conrad is fully awesome — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 14:35:37 -0800

I had a cherry-flavored beer in Santa Rosa recently, as part of a "tasting flight" - I'm glad it was a tiny sample amount because when I first sipped it, I immediately wanted to spit it out. Only propriety kept me from doing so (we were sitting in a terrace at a restaurant/pub). OTOH I quite like Pyramid's Apricot Ale and Chocolate Stout, so sometimes the weird flavors do go down well.

By: emptythought

emptythought — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 14:41:31 -0800

I recently convinced a first date that we should both try this. There was no second date. And see, the sad thing is coconut porter is not a shitty idea. This stuff is fucking great, for instance. It's the curry, and probably some other sillyness that ruins it. It's a lot like that maple bacon beer. If it had just been like, a maple porter it could have been fine. It's the extra "stunt" ingredient that pushes it into bad eye roll terrritory. Jeeze, this is really making me miss one of my previous houses, which was right next to a small neighborhood grocery store that had an amazing beer selection. They rotated stuff out all the time, and they never carried a single thing that wasn't either good, or if not objectively good, just interesting. I had never even seen maui beer before that store.

By: Errant

Errant — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 15:39:39 -0800

That Curry Coconut Porter is extremely unpleasant. But the worst beer I've ever had is Iron Horse Irish Death, which might be the only beer I've ever actually spit out in horror and later attempted to body-block a friend from ordering, The Bodyguard-style. There was slow motion. I was unsuccessful. I can't think of a Washington beer or indeed brewery that moves the needle above average. I like the Georgetown 9 Lb. Porter, but it's just a good porter, nothing more and without the history of Black Butte to carry it up a notch. Everything that comes out of Pyramid is liquid garbage. Mac and Jack's is a nice standby around here, but it's not spectacular, and I haven't had the Black Cat Porter yet. The Elysian Great Pumpkin is the only really standout beer from that brewery, but this list somewhat understandably discounts seasonals and especially pumpkins, so I'm not surprised; anyway, the quality seems to have varied greatly from year to year for the last little while. What Washington beers would you put on this list, and what would you displace? (all of the preceding is obviously only my opinion, even if it is also obviously completely correct)

By: We had a deal, Kyle

We had a deal, Kyle — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 16:16:14 -0800

I had a cherry-flavored beer in Santa Rosa recently That'd be the Cherry Springer at Third Street Aleworks. (Pretty much "the brewpub you go to when Russian River is full" -- which it always was when we were there.) RateBeer is very mixed on it:

Bright red, Kool Aid colored beer with a small white head. Smells like cherry cough syrup, cheese, plastic, and bile. Lovely. Weird candy sweetness, lemon juice, and metal, too. Flavor is just gross. Tons of sour, acidic, puke. Funky cheese, plastic, and some cherry cough syrup. Cherry candy and some metal. This is ROUGH.

Yelp used to be full of "omg that cherry one tastes like vomit" comments but a lot of them seem to have aged off page 1. I, um, I kinda liked it. Can't imagine drinking a pint of it though; a little went quite a long way.

By: bepe

bepe — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 16:23:50 -0800

What Washington beers would you put on this list, and what would you displace? Hmm, maybe add Manny's Pale Ale to the list? For me it is a very solid, go-to session beer. Maybe not as flashy as the others, but in my mind a very good example of a pale ale.

By: emptythought

emptythought — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 16:24:39 -0800

What Washington beers would you put on this list, and what would you displace I don't know what i'd displace, but i've tried a lot of beer. Good beer, bad beer, etc. These ones are seattle, and memorable to me. * Elysian split shot (The only beer of this "coffee stout lol!" variety that's almost a meme that actually made me stand up and take notice. Also the only "woah" elysian beer i've ever had. I feel like this is almost a fluke, like the reporter who nailed the no-look basketball shot over his shoulder. Because nothing else they've ever made wowed me) * Two beers day hike (markedly superior to dales pale, etc. see also this. they have the session ale thing on lock. I can not think of a better sunny weather summer beer.) * Pike Monks Uncle (there's two other pike ones that were exceptional, and better than this, that i can't remember the name of and aren't on beer advocates list. My friend works there, so i've tried everything they've made for the past few years though. They're at least capable of making really good beer) * Fremont brewery dark star (Ha, see, 88! i knew it wasn't just me. Their "wonderbeers", abominable, and summer ale are also all above-average good IMO. This is probably my favorite seattle brewery. It's funny too, because i don't like their IPA or their "universale"... which annoying are usually what any bar that's not their brewpub has) This is by no means an exhaustive list either. And it's worth noting that even if there isn't tons and tons of above average beer, there's a lot of places where you can go drink above average beer readily, or even "holy shit WOAH" beer like Elizabeth Station in bellingham, stumbling monk, etc.

By: Errant

Errant — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 16:28:45 -0800

And it's worth noting that even if there isn't tons and tons of above average beer, there's a lot of places where you can go drink above average beer readily, or even "holy shit WOAH" beer like Elizabeth Station in bellingham, stumbling monk, etc. Oh, definitely, I am frequently at one or more of them on a given evening. I'm not disputing that Seattle or Washington in general is currently a really great place to be a beer drinker in. I'm just not sure I'd put any of the local brews on a 100 best list. Some of the local watering holes, that's a different story.

By: Dip Flash

Dip Flash — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 16:45:17 -0800

For Washington, I'd nominate Manny's, Ice Harbor, Iron Horse, and Fremont as being at least as good as some of the ones on the list. They may not have the distribution that most in the list have though, and as a general statement I'd rank Oregon beers above Washington. We live in wonderful times if the 100-best list is woefully short. When I was a kid the hipster aficionados could maybe get Heineken, and otherwise it was Bud and Coors.

By: the man of twists and turns

the man of twists and turns — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 20:30:22 -0800

I don't understand the inclusion of Mac and Jacks. It's as good as half of Elysium. meet up at Chucks Hop Shop?

By: Existential Dread

Existential Dread — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 22:32:52 -0800

Well, thanks to this thread I'm drinking Pranqster tonight and damn it's good.

By: superna

superna — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 22:56:38 -0800

No Rhoades Scholar Stout?

By: mmascolino

mmascolino — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 08:18:47 -0800

As someone mentioned upstream, Pranqster would have been a good addition as would North Coast's Brother Thelonious. They don't have much distribution yet but I really like Dubbel and the Saison Noir from Rockmill Brewery.

By: Baby_Balrog

Baby_Balrog — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 09:23:03 -0800

Oh, Bell's Brewery. What a tumultuous relationship we harbor, you and I. Kalamazoo, boasting no shortage of fine and upstanding breweries, must apparently be known interminably for the efforts of Larry Bell and his army of hoppish minions. I remember the first time I confessed publically that Oberon tasted "a little gross, sometimes" and that I secretly suspected it was the same beer as the Winter White. I was branded a heretic and pilloried and I've yet to live it down. The problem with Bell's is that you get a really phenomenal beer (like Two Hearted) for every six or seven barrel-aged misadventures. See, for example, the smoked rye - which, to my amateur pallet, tasted like nothing so much as drinking a can of sardines. I'll tell you a secret, metafilter, and that is this: If you visit Bells, and you want to drink something good but the menu is thoroughly populated by heavily-hopped and smoked and oaked pitfalls, there is always behind the counter a split of L. Mawby Blanc de Blanc, which is the finest and most refreshing sparkling chardonnay in the world. The will open it for you and pour it into a beer glass and nobody will be the wiser.

By: Baby_Balrog

Baby_Balrog — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 09:25:07 -0800

Also, Dark Horse is the best damned brewery on the planet and I'm excited about the show.

By: jeffamaphone

jeffamaphone — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 11:54:00 -0800

Oh yeah, emptythought. I totally forgot about Pike Brewing. I love me some Kilt Lifter at Seahawks games.

By: Chrysostom

Chrysostom — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 10:26:36 -0800

A Terrible Llama: "This is indeed the worst beer I've ever had. Have you tried milk stouts? " I like milk stouts. Lancaster Brewing makes an excellent one.