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The Best Brewery In America?
Seattle PI ^ | 10/21/09 | Steve Body

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.

(Excerpt) Read more at blog.seattlepi.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: beer
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To: This_far

The Carling Brewery building is still there! Not sure if the waterfall is still working though.

So why did you leave MA for Montana?


61 posted on 10/24/2009 6:43:22 PM PDT by ladyjane
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To: pissant

Best brewery in america is hands down the boston beer company...makers of sam adams beer.

I’ve tried all kinds of beers from all over the world. There are better beers out there but not from america. No matter what I try, as far as american beers go, I keep coming back to sam adams summer ale. That’s a dam fine beer at a good price. However, I have to admit I don’t much care for any of their other beers...I only like the summer ale.

second place, imo, would go to one of the older american made beers that mostly only old men drink nowdays. They are surprisingly good beers!

schlitz
falstaff
strohs
PBR
Lowenbrau
etc

Honorable mention to a beer I recently found called “hopaluia” made by spiker ales. It’s pretty good. Maybe a little too “hoppy” for me though.


62 posted on 10/24/2009 6:51:58 PM PDT by mamelukesabre (Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum (If you want peace prepare for war))
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To: pissant

Hales was a great supporter of our local Spokane brewclub (River City Brewers), until they hit it big on the west side and moved the operation over there. Always willing pull a bit of yeast for us to use in our home brews.

The Moss Bay stout was my introduction to Stout Floats - especially dangerous with Costcos’ Double-Death-by-Chocolate Brownies and Dreyer’s French Vanilla ice cream....that stuff just gets right in your mouth.


63 posted on 10/25/2009 9:40:38 AM PDT by castlebrew (Gun control means hitting where you're aiming!)
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To: knews_hound

As I am to the Red Castle Brewery (mine, as well).

The wife has taken my label logo and ported it over to various merchandise items. Great conversation starter - high “cool” factor....


64 posted on 10/25/2009 9:44:08 AM PDT by castlebrew (Gun control means hitting where you're aiming!)
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To: Brugmansian

Can be made at home - many brew stores have (know where to obtain) the the vinegar “mother”.

or you can just leave the top off a fermenting batch and see what happens...


65 posted on 10/25/2009 9:45:55 AM PDT by castlebrew (Gun control means hitting where you're aiming!)
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To: pissant

Rogue Brewery’s Dead Guy Ale I’ll drink anytime, any place. Heck, just about anything they brew is a winner. Also love Stone Brwery, Full Sail, and Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine is the gold standard in American style barleywines. It is hands down my favorite American made barleywine. I have a vertical collection of these going back to 2003 for aging. Every year I get a 6 pack just for storage.


66 posted on 10/27/2009 12:51:51 PM PDT by FreedomFerret
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To: ladyjane
The Carling Brewery building is still there! Not sure if the waterfall is still working though. So why did you leave MA for Montana?

Yup, last I knew the waterfall was shut down due to cost/maintenance. Building at that point was owned by Boston Scientific and had installed a Helo pad (much to the dismay of the locals -- who were glad to see the smelly brewery go... snobs).

When the place was built, the waterfall was part of the deal with the town/state/State Park... to aerate the small pond between the middle and south lakes. It was the site of WBZ remote trailer each spring on the opening day of fishing.

There were a few additions of soaps and colorings until the state said to know it off or close the waterfall (polluted the lake). It stopped with the ability to change the colored lenses on the floodlights (and adding of inflatable animals, mannequins, etc).

Left due to the change in politics, cost of living, property taxes and the majority of the people. When I grew up there, Route 9 had one traffic light in Brookline and another in Shrewsbury. Reveille and Retreat were played at the Quartermaster Labs and we knew when to come home.

With the influx of whiners, gimme-gimmes and the reduction of open land, I moved to NH for awhile. Figured I hadn't seen enough of the country so I traveled the country and settled here for awhile.

Might be getting to move again too!

67 posted on 10/30/2009 5:20:40 PM PDT by This_far (Mandatory insurance! I thought it was about health care?)
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