USA's Best Local Breweries

Below is a clip from an article written by Sarah Chandler, author of Lonely Planet.  She and some of her other writing fellows voted on the best local breweries from their travels.  Thankfully, I agree with some of these!  To see this page in its true form, click here.  

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Guidebook research may sound like a dream job, but mostly it’s grueling hard work pounding the pavement. So who can blame a road-weary travel writer for doing a fair amount of extra in-depth research at local brewpubs? After all, brewpubs – breweries with an onsite pub – are a window into a local culture and often have links to a town’s past – and, by the way, they also serve beer.

For Lonely Planet’s latest USA guidebook, we had 26 authors crawling across the country looking for the best travel experiences the country has to offer, which translates to a fair number of beers sampled at some of the country’s finest local craft beer makers. It’s thankless toil, but it’s our duty to readers to be thorough.

In the course of research, the following breweries bubbled to the surface as the authors’ personal top picks across the country (listed geographically east to west):

Gritty McDuff’s – Portland, ME. This Old Port brewpub has it all: harbor views, high energy, good pub grub and award-winning ales. Order up a robust pint of Black Fly stout and join the crowd.

Magic Hat Brewery – Burlington, VT. This insanely popular brewery, off US 7, offers free tours of its brew operation – and of course they’ll tip the tap to let you sample the art. Perhaps the coolest brewery you’ll ever see.

Nodding Head Brewery – Philadelphia, PA. Home of hearty brews and many, many bobble heads lining the walls. After a few of the house beers, you might find yourself nodding as well…in agreement that this is a brewpub worth seeking out.

Church Brew Works – Pittsburgh, PA. Serves handcrafted beers and cuisine that goes well beyond your typical pub grub in a massive former church space; a standout in Lawrenceville.

Bell’s Brewing – Kalamazoo, MI. Michigan’s first brewery with a pub, Bell’s beers are now found in bottles throughout the region but the beers taste best on tap at the Kalamazoo original. Undergoing renovations in early 2011 to expand the restaurant and open a new venue for live acts.

New Holland Brewing Company – Holland, MI. A big player in the American craft beer movement, the home base of New Holland has 12 rotating beers on tap, plus a range of bottled beers and harder stuff, if you’re so inclined. Pub food and a variety of specialty pizzas are there to help you sample the wares.

Goose Island Brewery – Chicago, IL. Goose Island’s pub pours the flagship Honker’s Ale and 14 or so other potent brews. If you’re lucky, the 10% Extra Naughty Goose or Maple Bacon Stout, served with a meaty slice, will be on tap. Tours take place on Sundays and must be reserved in advance. Fine grub complements the brews; special kudos to the Stilton burger and chips.

Great Lakes Brewing Company – Cleveland, OH. Great Lakes wins numerous prizes for its brewed-on-the-premises beers. Added historical bonus: Eliott Ness got into a shootout with criminals here; ask the bartender to show you the bullet holes.

Summit Brewing Company – St Paul, MN. No restaurant, but offers free brewery tours three days a week that will give you a chance to see the process and sample the results (book in advance, especially for the popular weekend tours).

3 Floyds – Munster, IN. Not far down the road from Chicago, 3 Floyds is devoted to small-batch craft beers, serving fresh foods supported by their own organic herb and vegetable garden, and naming their beers quirky things like ‘Apocalypse Cow’.

Free State Brewing – Lawrence, KS. One of many good places on Mass downtown, this is the first brewery in Kansas since Carrie Nation got one closed in 1880. A cut above brew-pub standards, the beers are excellent. The food is much-loved as well, leaning towards cheesy thirst-inducing classics.

Schlafly Brewery – St. Louis, MO. This sign in the window speaks well of the bar; the oldest and largest locally-owned St Louis brewery produces over 40 superb styles of beer through the year including an excellent dry-hopped APA (American pale ale).

Live Oak Brewery – Austin, TX. Available on tap around Texas, take a free and lively tour at the brewery followed up with samples of the six house-crafted beers.

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium – Fort Worth, TX. You definitely won’t go thirsty: the bar inside this old brick building is made for craft-beer-lovers (80 brews on tap). How can you not love a bar whose jam-packed patio is called ‘Half-Acre Hell?’

Beaver Street Brewery – Flagstaff, AZ. Beaver Street Brewery is a bustling place to go for a bite to eat with a pint of local microbrew. It usually has five handmade beers on tap and some seasonal brews. The menu is typical brewpub fare, with delicious pizzas, burgers and salads. Surprisingly, it’s very family friendly.

Sierra Nevada Brewery – Chico, CA. At the Sierra Nevada Brewery, this place is a genuine Chico destination. It has better than average pub food; fresh, superb ales; and lagers on tap, some not available anywhere else. The apple-malt pork loin is a standout.

North Coast Brewing Company – Fort Bragg, CA. If you’re driving through Mendocino’s scrappy sister city, Fort Bragg, the elegant and well-balanced brews at North Coast Brewing Co are reason enough to pull over.

Auburn Alehouse – Auburn, CA. You’ll find eight beers plus some guests at this atmospheric Gold Country brewpub in Auburn’s historic Old Town, ranging from some easy-drinking session beers to an Imperial IPA for hop lovers.

Bridgeport Brewpub – Portland, OR. This huge, relaxing unpretentious bar (which also sells great food) hides a small piece of history. This is where the micro-brewing industry in the US was kick-started in 1984. And yes, it’s still here working the magic.

Pike Pub & Brewery – Seattle, WA. Leading the way in the microbrewery revolution, this brewpub opened in 1989 underneath Pike Place Market. Today it still serves great burgers and brews in a neo-industrial multilevel space that is a beer nerd’s heaven.

Haines Brewing Company – Haines, AK. It’s well worth the walk to the delightful one-room brewery serving up seven house beers in Haines, home of Great Alaska Craft Beer Festival.

Sunday Sips: America's Original Pumpkin Ale

Beer Name:  America's Original Pumpkin Ale

Brewed By/In:  Buffalo Bill's Brewery / Hayward, CA

ABV:  5.2%

Best Served In:  Pint Glass (from the bottle)

Characteristics:  Audible effervescence, fun to pour.  Incredibly fragrant - could smell the pumpkin as I poured into the glass.  Using baked and roasted pumpkins, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon, it is pumpkin pie in a bottle and pleasing to the olfactory bulb.  Copper colored.  Head fades quickly to nothing.  More clove-forward to the tongue than the other pumpkin ales rated previously.  Boggling combination of being too pumpkin-y but also too watered down, lacking the balance of spices beyond the initial taste.  Not enjoying the continued aftertaste a few minutes after sipping.

Food-pairing:  Toasted almonds or walnuts, preferably with maple flavors

Overall:  6.5 - although the 1980s brought us amazing rock anthems to play in our dorms, it did not bring the best Autumn libation.  Unfortunately not high on my list of recommendations for Fall seasonals.  I could not quite recover the "Mmm" feeling in my mouth after the first sip.  It was a little like when pumpkin guts get old in your trash.  Even worse, the flavors are not matching the amazing aroma that continues to fly from the glass.  As you can see, I do not have much to say.

Let's raise a glass to watching the colors change, to filling our homes with the scents of baking, and to smelling crisp air.  Slainte!

(Image provided by brewskirereport.com)

Barack & Beer - Part 2

Thanks to Jen Talarico and CBS News, I finally found the brand of beer that Barack and the Medal of Honor recipient were drinking.

Ready?

Really ready?

The White House home brews!  Back in late 2010/early 2011, the Obama family dipped into their personal bank accounts to purchase the equipment back for their Super Bowl party.  According to the commenting historians, never has a President performed such an act.  Since then, remanants of this brew has only been served at Saint Patrick's Day, an event in June, and then with Sargent Meyer.  They called the first batch White House Honey Ale.

Barack - you're my kind of my guy.

Sunday Sips: Wolaver's Pumpkin Ale

Beer Name:  Wolaver's Pumpkin Ale

Brewed By/In:  Otter's Creek Brewing / Middlebury, VT

ABV:  5.35%

Best Served In:  Pint Glass (fresh from tap)

Characteristics:   Amazing hazy orange color from the bottle.  Builds with a little head that dissipates after not too long to a nice ring.  Smell is incredibly reminiscent of Fall - especially with pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg flavors.  Pumpkin flavors very pleasing to the palate as soon as it hits.  Medium body gives this ale a little weight to it but still easy to drink.  

Food Pairing:  Panini stuffed with carmelized onions, arugula, apples, and brie.  (I definitely did not make that up, thank you Village Cup Bistro in Jericho, VT) 

Overall:  9.0 - Honestly purchased this beer because my brother attends the University of Vermont so I felt like I had a slight connection to the brand but was VERY happy with the outcome.  Wolaver's Pumpkin Ale easily surpassed my former love, Post Road.  Wolaver's is stamped with two refreshing images:  USDA certified organic and "Brewed with Vermont pumpkins."  Not that I am dying to support the organic movement, but the locally grown?  Absolutely.  Better yet, comes at a great price!  Happy (official start to) Autumn! 

Let's raise a glass to finding our Northface jackets again, retiring our boat shoes (okay, maybe just me), and enjoying the outdoors for just a little longer.  Slainte!

Hip Hops Hooray!

Farmers markets.  Road-side produce stands.  The "local section" of our grocery stores.  We continue to search for the most economically and environmentally friendly way to provide for our local growers and farmers.  Beer is not any different but is much harder to find.  If you are quaffing locally brewed craft beer, why not ensure that they have included locally grown ingredients?  Brewing companies throughout the Northeast, especially in central New York, continue to add locally grown hops to their batches.  Using "more natural" methods for growing their 20-foot bines, the farmers outside of the Syracuse area proudly boast high quality hops due to the ideal climate.  I found this great video through YouTube based on a story on CNN (sorry, it would not embed) explaining how Empire Brewing Company has embraced this trend and spearheaded the movement.  These New York farmers admit they are revitalizing a process that ceased nearly a generation ago...thanks, disease and Prohibition.  More importantly, they understand that beer is comprised of four basic ingredients:  water, barley, yeast, and hops; they are not using anything that ends in carboxymythyl or gum aramyth.  As with any sector of the locally grown movement, farmers must limit their supply so as not to put out shoddy ingredients.  Although this may result in fewer batches or barrels, brewers feel confident in the product they serve.

(Image provided by Syracuse.com)

So who is using local hops for their beers?  Below you will find a small list of the craft brewing companies taking part of the local ingredients movement and bolstering the local economies.  Additionally, organizations like Atlantic Hops and the Northeast Hop Alliance are supporting the movement for growers, brewers, and consumers.  Visit their websites to see all of the incredible work they do to support sustainable beer culture.  

• Empire Brewing Company - Syracuse, NY
• Brown's Brewing Company - Troy, NY
• Flying Dog Brewery - Frederick, MD
• Ithaca Beer Company - Ithaca, NY
• Portsmouth Brewery - Portsmouth, NH
• Sierra Nevada Brewing Company - Chico, CA
• Barrington Brewery - Great Barrington, MA 

Let's raise a glass for growing green while drinking the amber, supporting local growers, and offsetting the greenhouse effect.  Slainte!

Sunday Sips: Post Road Pumpkin Ale

In the joy of themes, here is my first in a series proudly named Sunday Sips!  Featuring beers of the season, of the area, or simply of a moment.  Without further ado, here is what I sipped this week!

Fall is definitely a prime time for imbibing as we prepare for the monster known as the holiday season.  The smoothness of earthy notes and the warmness of spices yield both a refreshing and comforting flavor.  Pumpkin ales tend to hold these very qualities.  Early American Colonists added pumpkin to the early brewing of ales as they were nutritious, plentiful, and easy to mash up.  I don't mind that rationale!  Centuries later, every August through November, and with literally hundreds of varieties, pumpkin ales are picked from their shelves as quickly as they are brought in.  Since my wallet and liver would not allow me try them all, I plan to purchase a few choices samples based on friends' recommendations.

Beer Name:  Post Road Pumpkin Ale

Brewed By/In:  Brooklyn Brewery / New York, NY

ABV:  5%

Best Served In:  Pint Glass

Characteristics:  Orange-amber color.  Bready with slight pumpkin pie undertones.  Pumpkin flavor is not too intense but still enjoyable.  Finishes slightly bitter but light without making you feel too full.  Not too heavy for an ale, especially one with Fall flavors.  Easily thinning foam makes you feel like you get more beer for your buck.  

Food Pairing:  Post Road goes well with a meal with squash or other roots ingredients.  

Overall Rating:  7.5 - great start to welcome the cooler days of September.  A great way to heighten the pumpkin flavor is to take agave syrup (found in most organic/natural foods departments and grocers), cinnamon, and sugar.  In the style of margarita making, dip the rim of the glass into the agave, and then rub the glass into the sweet powder.  If you do not have agave, plain ol' H2O will do!

Until next Sunday...so let's a raise a glass to wearing cardigans, to sporting hoodies (finally), and to shaving less because you "need the extra layers."  Slainte!

Barack & Beer

Found this great article on CNN today – wonder what they drank!?

President pauses for beer with future Medal of Honor recipient

By: CNN Political Unit

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama enjoyed a beer with Dakota Meyer on the patio outside the Oval Office Wednesday. The president will present Meyer with the Medal of Honor Thursday during a ceremony at the White House.

According to a series of tweets by White House spokesman Jay Carney, when a member of the president's staff called Meyer over the weekend to prepare, Meyer made a special request.

"On 9/8/09, Meyer, then a 21-year-old Marine corporal, repeatedly risked his own life to save the lives of 36 U.S. and Afghan troops," Carney tweeted. "Over the weekend, the president's staff called Meyer in preparation for Thursday's Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House."

"Meyer asked the staffer if he could have a beer with the President," Carney said.

"POTUS invited Dakota to come by the White House this afternoon."