Is your town a beer town?

[carnevoodoo]

I was thinking about all the places in the country I've been and how hard it must be for some of you in the midwest and south where there never seemed to be an abundance of great beer flowing.

We've got Ballast Point, Stone, Alesmith, Port Brewing, Lost Abbey, Left Coast, Coronado, and many more. Plus we have a few bars with 24+ taps with an amazing selection. I like walking into the place down the street and being able to get the Petrus Monk's Cafe flemish brown sour.

I consider myself very lucky to live in San Diego right now.

Where are you from and how do you get your hands on the beer you like that you don't make yourself?

 

[ColoradoXJ13]

Boulder is a beer town, Colorado is a beer state....LOVE IT!

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

The okanagan has like 6 breweries yet the locals tend to drink BMC and Labbatts/Molson.

Victoria and Vancover on the other hand are definatley beer towns.

 

[david_42]

No beer near here. I've got zero breweries within 30 miles and over 60 between 30 & 50 miles!

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Central, PA isn't too terrible. It's getting much better.

I can think of a bunch of micros/brewpubs within 1-2 hour drive of Harrisburg:

1) Appalachian Brewing Co.
2) Troegs
3) Weyerbacher
4) Victory
5) Rock Bottom
6) Selins Grove Brewing Co.
7) Bullfrog Brewing Co.
8) Barley Creek Brewing Co.
9) Ottos Pub and Brewery
10) Bube's (if they got a new headbrewer? - at the Catacombs - Mt. Joy)
11) Sligh Fox
12) Market Cross Pub (brews 2-3 house beers in addition to a great selection of others)
13) Lancaster Brewing Co.
I'm probably forgetting a few...

There is also a few pubs nearby with a good selection (20+ Taps, 75-100-150+ Bottles). Zeno's in State College. Brewhouse Grille in Camp Hill. Market Cross in Carlisle.

Etc.

Unfortunately a lot of those mentioned above are brew-pubs only (some smaller scale than others) or don't distribute with a very long arm (ex// Appalachian distributes but probably only the nearby tri-state type area)...

 

[olllllo]

Arizona is not a beer state.

Like most things culturally or man-made;
Imported CA, NY, Midwest, Canada
Transient
Short-lived
Seasonal
Hated by Natives

 

[EdWort]

Texas is a beer state with loads of breweries. Here in Austin, we have Live Oak, Independance, The Bitter End, The Draught House, and North by Northwest to name a few. Not too far off, we have St. Arnolds, the Fredericksburg Brewing Co., Spoetzel (home of Shiner Bock) and Real Ale Brewing.

 

[Cheesefood]

Nestled between Milwaukee and St. Louis, Chicago is a town for BM drinkers. We have Goose Island, Three Floyds (nearby) Two Brothers, and that's about it for the ones you've heard of. We also import Corona. We also have Pabst and Old Style.

 

[FlyingHorse]

Chicago is a town for BM drinkers.

Yeah, I never noticed what a poor beer town it was until I moved away...some good beer bars (Map Room, Hopleaf, Edgewater Tavern -- a dive, but they have Rogue selections on tap, the Charlie's Ale Houses aren't too bad for their micro selection, the old Ranalli's on Lincoln) but not much that's truly local. Hell, I couldn't even find an LHBS anywhere on the north side.

On the plus side, I think Goose has one of the strongest across-the-board lineups you'll find.

Pittsburgh's much the same, and what few small brewers we have are so-so...Church Brew Works (just what the name says, a brewery in a big ol' church, with the fermenters right up on the altar), FOundry Ale Works (though I think they may have gone under), Penn Brewing, and the best of the bunch is tiny little East End Brewing. Some good beer bars, particularly if you like Belgians, and a couple of great sixpack shops. If I go to the Beer Cave, it seems like I can find damn near any beer someone mentions on this board (mild exagerration), and they'll let you mix and match to make 6ers.

 

[rmullins]

I go to school 15 minutes from FX Matt Brewery (One of my favorite places to) and when I am home I am 45 minutes from Blue Point Brewery and Brooklyn Brewery

 

[FlyingHorse]

Central, PA isn't too terrible. It's getting much better.

I can think of a bunch of micros/brewpubs within 1-2 hour drive of Harrisburg:

1) Appalachian Brewing Co.
2) Troegs
3) Weyerbacher
4) Victory
5) Rock Bottom
6) Selins Grove Brewing Co.
7) Bullfrog Brewing Co.
8) Barley Creek Brewing Co.
9) Ottos Pub and Brewery
10) Bube's (if they got a new headbrewer? - at the Catacombs - Mt. Joy)
11) Sligh Fox
12) Market Cross Pub (brews 2-3 house beers in addition to a great selection of others)
13) Lancaster Brewing Co.
I'm probably forgetting a few...

14) Stoudt's

 

[Pumbaa]

<~~ says Milwaukee

'Nuff Said

 

[BierMuncher]

<~~ says Milwaukee

'Nuff Said

Mmmm.

Milwaukee's Best Light....Says it all.

St. Louis is no better:

Tender - "What do you want...Bud or Bud Light?"

Me - "How about a Dog Fish Head 60...?"

Tender - "Bud Light it is"

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

So does asking for a DFH 120 get you a bud?

Like I mentioned once before. In a certain small town in Saskatchewan, I asked if they had "Pale ale" and the response was, "Pale ale? (pause) Never heard of that brand".

 

[Brewtopia]

I also happen to live in a great beertown...that happens to be in a great beer state...located in a great beer region, the Pacific Northwest! I can walk to 8 breweries from my house. The closest being a block and a half away and the furthest being a 20 minute walk.

Edit: 9 breweries, I forgot Stix! and I work there on occasion.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Nice!

I worked for tree in kelowna for a bit. I've been trying to move back to Victoria but job offers etc keep throwing back my move date. Good beer there. several brewpubs and breweries. And cute chicks that drink stout.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

New Mexico has $hit for beer...

None in my town, one brewpub within 60 miles (High Desert in Las Cruces...not bad), and Sierra Blanca Brewing in Moriarty - whose beer I haven't really enjoyed. Albuquerque might have some good local breweries, but that's quite a drive for me.

Now, if BP wanted to go commercial again, I'd change my mind in a heartbeat, I'm sure!

 

[RoaringBrewer]

14) Stoudt's

Oh yeah. My GF lives 15 mins from there, so its second nature to "forget it". But, now that we mention it.

15) Union Barrel Works (it's also in adamstown/rheemstown - new and direct competition with the more established stoudts)

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Oh yeah. My GF lives 15 mins from there, so its second nature to "forget it". But, now that we mention it.

15) Union Barrel Works (it's also in adamstown/reamstown (sp corrected) - new and direct competition with the more established stoudts)

You're talkin' 'bout my hometown now! I was just there two weeks ago and tried some of Stoudt's newer offerings. Wish I'd have known about UBW!

16) Yuengling - a little further away, but VERY established
17) Iron City - wrong side of the state, but their Light kicks BMC's ass

 

[RichBrewer]

I'd say yes.
We have the Great American beer festival, this year's National Homwbrewers Conference, the only major league ball park with a brew pub in it, and lots of micro breweries and brew pubs.

 

[brewt00l]

Central, PA isn't too terrible. It's getting much better.

I can think of a bunch of micros/brewpubs within 1-2 hour drive of Harrisburg:

1) Appalachian Brewing Co.
2) Troegs
3) Weyerbacher
4) Victory
5) Rock Bottom
6) Selins Grove Brewing Co.
7) Bullfrog Brewing Co.
8) Barley Creek Brewing Co.
9) Ottos Pub and Brewery
10) Bube's (if they got a new headbrewer? - at the Catacombs - Mt. Joy)
11) Sligh Fox
12) Market Cross Pub (brews 2-3 house beers in addition to a great selection of others)
13) Lancaster Brewing Co.
I'm probably forgetting a few...

There is also a few pubs nearby with a good selection (20+ Taps, 75-100-150+ Bottles). Zeno's in State College. Brewhouse Grille in Camp Hill. Market Cross in Carlisle.

Etc.

Unfortunately a lot of those mentioned above are brew-pubs only (some smaller scale than others) or don't distribute with a very long arm (ex// Appalachian distributes but probably only the nearby tri-state type area)...

That's accessibility to east and west is prb one of the nice things about you being in the central part of the state. Selingsgrove is quite a hike for me.

 

[eriktlupus]

sw michigan
im sure ill forget some so help me out here

1 bells
2. arcadia
3. dark horse
4. grand rapids brewery

 

[RoaringBrewer]

That's accessibility to east and west is prb one of the nice things about you being in the central part of the state. Selingsgrove is quite a hike for me.

That's unfortunate... the Selins Grove brewpub is one of a few of its kind. None of the other 15-16 we've named off in PA are the same as the small, little, dimly-lit pub, colonial feel pub in Selinsgrove. They make some great brew though!!

 

[brewt00l]

That's unfortunate... the Selins Grove brewpub is one of a few of its kind. None of the other 15-16 we've named off in PA are the same as the small, little, dimly-lit pub, colonial feel pub in Selinsgrove. They make some great brew though!!

3+ hours....some time I'll get out there. Course, we have plenty of distractions around here as is.

 

[crisis]

Portland, OR.

Don't think there is a bigger beer town than Portland. Last I heard we had maybe 50-60 breweries total.

 

[carnevoodoo]

Portland, OR.

Don't think there is a bigger beer town than Portland. Last I heard we had maybe 50-60 breweries total.

Portland is amazing for beer. It is the only town that tempts me to move from San Diego.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

I was thinking about all the places in the country I've been and how hard it must be for some of you in the midwest and south where there never seemed to be an abundance of great beer flowing.

Apparently you weren't looking very hard when you were in the Midwest. In WI we have:

New Glarus,

Point Brewing Co.,

Sprecher,

Lakefront,

Huber,

Tyrannea,

Capital,

a bunch if brewpubs,
and a host of others I can't think of right now

 

[Proofman]

Little Rock is not a Beer town and Arkansas is not a beer state. We have a handful of brewpubs and one micro (that I don't care for). It's the Bible belt. Although, we are better than some other sin the belt.

BTW I live in a dry county. The closest town is dry. But my zip code is for a small town just across the county line with all the liquer stores we run to.

 

[Alamo_Beer]

Corpus is deffinatly NOT a beer town...

It's barely even a college town!

The only HBS we have here is a tiny sh ithole liquor store.

There is B&J's Pizza though that is pretty well stocked, besides that nearly everyone drinks Budlight or Corona...MAYBE Dos Equis

 

[Pabst Blue Robot]

There are two brewpubs within walking distance, the Powerhouse and the Ram (Bighorn brewery), and then Seattle is 40 miles to the North. Issaquah and Bellingham have some fantastic breweries too, and the allmighty mecca of Portland, OR is only a 3 hour drive.

EDIT: Almost forgot Redmond! The Puget Sound is great beer territory.