What's your favorite Micro brewery.

[Polifemo]

It's hard not to be partial to local: Victory in Downingtown, PA.

 

[chione]

Hales... their Moss Bay Amber, Red Menace, and Pale Ale are all awesome.
http://www.halesales.com:rockin: :rockin: :rockin: :rockin:

Hales is nice for dinner. I would suggest you keep moving down the line to the Jolly Roger Tap room and get some tasty Maritime. Be sure to order the onion rings…. They are the BEST. If you want to drive up north a bit Diamond Knot it tasty, plus their urinal is Budweiser keg!!

 

[EeryBug]

I think Odell Brewing in CO makes some really great beers. I only wish they would sell in TX. If I had to stay in state, I'd say Real Ale. Their Full Moon Pale Rye Ale is fantastic and they just started distributing in the metroplex.

 

[jacobyhale]

Rogue and Deschutes are my favorite. I miss Oregon

 

[Ryanh1801]

Hales is nice for dinner. I would suggest you keep moving down the line to the Jolly Roger Tap room and get some tasty Maritime. Be sure to order the onion rings…. They are the BEST. If you want to drive up north a bit Diamond Knot it tasty, plus their urinal is Budweiser keg!!

Those A-holes stole my last name.

 

[jacobyhale]

Those A-holes stole my last name.

Me too! I think we should be getting royalties....or at least free beer

 

[joshpooh]

My favorite micro is the only good thing to come out of Cleveland (not really I just say that b/c I'm a Steeler fan) obviously I'm talking about Great Lakes Brewing Company. Victory is very good too, I might call it a dead heat between the two of them actually. Nah I'll go with Great Lakes, but wow there are so many good micros its hard to pick one.

This is what makes it tough for good beer to survive. The market for yellow fizz is only split 3 ways, while the market for good beer is split countless ways. Not just micros, but you have imports, Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada etc... Even the brewpubs that only keg or sell their beer at the pub compete in this market., while BMC has the yellow fizz market cornered.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I think Stone has the most consistently good beer I've found. I enjoy a lot of beer from a lot of breweries, but most only produce one or two that I really like. I've yet to find a Stone brew that I dislike.

 

[vav]

Three Floyd's.

 

[korndog]

Stone and Bear Republic, dead tie.

IPA
Ruination
Bastard

Racer 5
Racer X
Hop Rod Rye

6 perfect beers from California. And you thought we only had pretty girls and sunshine.

 

[Pabst Blue Robot]

Hair of the Dog in Portland gets my vote. Every beer I've tried has been top notch. I toured it a few months back and was pretty impressed, it was like one guy on a 4 bbl system and he was very open with info on his recipes and techniques.

Got to try a couple special ones on tap that had been wood aged, one of them was even 4 years old. Would love to go back next time I'm in the area.

 

[Fish]

Stone and Bear Republic, dead tie.

IPA
Ruination
Bastard

Racer 5
Racer X
Hop Rod Rye

6 perfect beers from California. And you thought we only had pretty girls and sunshine.

Sorry I think Bear Republic takes it. I have had some bad brews with Stone and I know people who have gotten really bad individual beers from Stone.

 

[Brewsmith]

Sorry I think Bear Republic takes it. I have had some bad brews with Stone and I know people who have gotten really bad individual beers from Stone.

I've never had a bad beer from Stone. What state are you in? Every time I have heard someone say they had a bad beer from stone they were at least 1500 miles away. I'd blame bad handling and not the brewery.










That or you're not worthy...


For me I'd have to say Stone. It's the closest microbrewery to me and the IPA is the perfect example of the style, IMHO. There are a couple great brewpubs around here, but I'll leave that for another thread.

 

[heinz57]

I'm going Mickey Finn's in Libertyville. Damn fine beers, really nice brewers.

 

[abracadabra]

Due to the very nature of micro's their limited disturbution I've never even heard of the vast majority of beers posted here with the exception of flying dog and Stone.

But the best beers I've had were draught beers and comparing them to bottled beer is a tough comparison.

But if we are chosing bottled beer then I'd have to say that Festive Ale and Sweet Ga. Brown Ale from Sweetwater are some of the best I've had.

On tap Kona brewing and Gordon Biersch really knocked my sock off.

 

[cheezydemon]

Same here, but we can refer to this thread if we are travelling!

BBC in Louisville Ky. Awesome across the board.

 

[Joker]

Hair of the Dog in Portland gets my vote. Every beer I've tried has been top notch. I toured it a few months back and was pretty impressed, it was like one guy on a 4 bbl system and he was very open with info on his recipes and techniques.

Got to try a couple special ones on tap that had been wood aged, one of them was even 4 years old. Would love to go back next time I'm in the area.

I did a tour there as well, great atmosphere he has with the red light. Kinda like walking into some horror flick or something with the layer of steam hanging in the room.

 

[Fish]

I've never had a bad beer from Stone. What state are you in? Every time I have heard someone say they had a bad beer from stone they were at least 1500 miles away. I'd blame bad handling and not the brewery.










That or you're not worthy...


For me I'd have to say Stone. It's the closest microbrewery to me and the IPA is the perfect example of the style, IMHO. There are a couple great brewpubs around here, but I'll leave that for another thread.

I am in CA and I had a horribly skunky metalic beer from them. I couldn't finish it. My friend is in Santa Fe and he said he has had a few really rancid A.B.'s. And he told me of other people who have had bad bastards. Now I am sure there are a lot of beers that go bad from a lot of brewery's but I have heard of more from Stone than any other. This is not to say I don't love a Bastard I really think its a great beer but I am not sure if I have had one since the bad beer I had. I reach for a Bear republic or a Drakes to get my hop on.

 

[RICLARK]

Bells All the way for me.

 

[Madtown Brew]

Only one?!?

New Glarus

 

[rustang64]

Bayern in Missoula... they dont send their brew out very far so its hard to find outside of montana.

 

[GloHoppa]

I just bought some Smuttynose Winter Ale to bring in the new year with and i was really impressed! I cant wait to try their Shoals Pale Ale

 

[CBBaron]

sorry, too much good beer to answer that question.

+1
If I have to buy some beers for a party or something I go with Great Lakes or Bells as I know they are great beer and most people like them. However I love trying different beers from all over the world. Rogue, Avery, New Holland, etc, I have had wonderful beers from all of them. However my favorite so far is BORIS the Crusher from Hoppin Frog brewery in Akron, OH. Talk about a beer that drinks like a meal!!!

Craig

 

[Hopleaf]

Another +1 for Three Floyd's.. I can't get them here but my In-Laws live about 30 min so we swing by whenever wife and I go to visit.

I almost invested in their brewpub year's back, wish I had now.

 

[david_42]

Just had a preview of Black Panther 2008, Golden Valley's Oaked Imperial Stout. 9%, just out of the fermenter and smooth! There is NO alcohol edge. This will be a head knocker after 6 weeks in Pinot barrels.

 

[jvh261]

I'll chime in for Two Brothers Brewing Co. (Warrenville, IL)

Their Cane & Ebel rye remains my all time favorite brew. A hoppy (Simcoe, Summit) Rye with thai sugar added. Like Bear Republic's Hop Rod Rye only more complex and much better (IMO).

Their Domaine Dupage French Country Amber (Bronze at the 2007 GABF), their Heavy Handed IPA, and Bitter End Pale are all top notch brews in my opinion. The IPA even came in multiple hop lots this season. Though I was only able to try 3 of them. Hop Juice IIPA is pretty great as well.

They continuously experiment with their Artisan series brews as well. You never know what they're going to be coming out with next. Some have been great, some not so much, but they always keep it interesting and keep pushing the envelope.

They just expanded and moved their brewery into a new facility, are opening a brewpub there, and also operate a homebrew supply shop and run Windy City Distribution. Not only do they distribute their own brews, but they do a hell of a lot of work to bring great brews into the Chicago area. Not an easy task considering they shady politics and suspect distribution laws in this area.

Class acts all the way.

 

[Zul'jin]

Shiner, Abita, Rahr's.

C'mon, you're asking me to pick a favorite testicle here.

 

[Nyxator]

I have to go local here, too.

Four Peaks in Tempe, AZ is a fine brewpub, not just because of the beer (which is awesome), but also because of the food.

 

[Naidirem]

Love to support the regional stuff and, even though I am an Illinoisan, Schlafly's out of St. Louis gets my vote. I like most of all of the bottled stuff we can get and absolutely love their Pale Ale varieties on tap. However I will vote for Goose Island and Two Brothers as my home state choices.

 

[benxrow2002]

I throw in a vote for Great Lakes too. IMO the best beer they make doesn't even get bottled and distributed. They make a seasonal pilsner named Prohibition Pilsner. I've only had it when I went to their restaurant and ordered it from the bar but it is awesome. They also make a very, very good Octoberfest.