Every state in the USA, ranked by its beer

[MohRokTah]

So is it really surprising that even in beer, Mississippi is number 50 with West Virginia number 49?

I'm not surprised by this list at all.

Every state in the USA, ranked by its beer

t's a great time to be drinking beer in America. Not that it was ever, you know, a BAD time to be doing that necessarily, but with craft breweries multiplying like rabbits who've been drinking beer, you can literally find some serviceable (if not downright tasty) local brews in all 50 states. Which made the process of ranking them all the more difficult, but we were up to the challenge, especially since it meant drinking and thinking about beer for weeks straight.

Here they are, all 50 states in the Union, ranked according to their beer. A couple notes about our criteria. Quantity and quality are both important, but quality's a bit MORE important. If you're a small state turning out a disproportionate amount of great beer, it did not go unrecognized. We also gave a boost to states who played a historical role in American beer as we know it today. We also argued a lot, so if you want to do that as well, please join us in the comments!

50. Mississippi

There’s a reason that Mississippi’s the home of the blues. It has a lot to do with the fact that the state’s got fewer breweries than Blind Willie Nine Fingers has digits.

49. West Virginia

Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye. Note: the teardrop is because there isn’t enough good beer to drink here.

...

Link

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Great List. We're number 15 and rising!

Lots to like for NC beer lovers - but generally agree with the list - Michigan really has two gems - Founders and Bells, that are among my very favorites.

[DreamGypsy]

2. YES! They nailed it for Number 1...

...and I raise my bottle of Ninkasi Total Domination ...



...in a salute to

1. Oregon

California and Washington might have more brewers, but dammit, they’ve also got more people. More importantly, they don’t have the density of Oregon’s offerings. Or the quality. Oregon’s long been at the forefront of the craft industry, with brewers like Widmer Brothers, Rogue, Full Sail, and Deschutes leading the national charge as gateway beers for people who want something more out of their pints. But they’re just the OGs of what might be the epicenter of the craft beer movement.

Much ballyhoo has been made of the sheer number of breweries in the Portland metro area, which tops out at more than 70 and counting... but this isn’t a case of quantity over quality. It’s a case of quantity meeting quality head on. Portland houses an insurmountable number of great breweries -- not good, pretty good, or wonderful, but effin’ great breweries -- that are changing the landscape of modern brewing. Hair of the Dog, Breakside, Cascade, Upright, Ecliptic, the Commons, Burnside, Lompoc... it just keeps going. Even the “crappy” breweries by Portland standards would bury most of their peers based on pure deliciousness.

But that’s just one city in a state full of amazing brewers dotting the state, from the coastal Pelican to the high desert’s 10 Barrel, mid-state’s Ninkasi, Southern Oregon’s uncleverly named Southern Oregon Brewing, Mt. Hood’s Double Mountain... basically, if you enter a city or town in Oregon without a solid brewery, you’ve probably crossed into Washington or Idaho. Or maybe the capital of Salem... which sucks. But you’ll still find a great brewpub serving some of the best beer in America, made in Oregon, with Oregon hops, by a bearded Oregonian who’s probably in a band that sucks... that’s the Oregon way. Oregon beer, more than any, has helped introduce the masses to the potential of drinking great brews, and, with new breweries seemingly opening on a weekly basis, it’s the best damn place to be a beer lover in the US.

Ok,iIn the spirit of full disclosure, I have to acknowledge that I have a tiny patch of skin in the game: for the last four years I have supplied Cascade Brewing with the blueberries for their blueberry project:

This NW style sour ale blends wheat and blond ales that were oak aged in barrels for six months, then additionally aged four months on fresh blueberries. Huge herbal notes of dense blueberries in the nose give way to hints of oak and a dusty floral note. Rich earthy notes of dark fruit on the palate lead to a tart finish that dries out to a base note of blueberry skins.

Land of the rose and sunshine
Land of the summer's breeze;
Laden with health and vigor,
Fresh from the Western seas.
Blest by beer from craft brewers,
Land of the setting sun;
Hail to thee, Land of Promise,
My Oregon.

[Initech]

3. How could they mention California without mentioning Stone?

Stone is a staple of west coast beers, especially if you're like me and love the strong hop variety.



Where I live I can count about 10 breweries off the top of my head:

- Anaheim Brewing Company
- Taps Fish House
- Bootleggers Brewery
- The Bruery
- Noble Ale Works
- Bottle Logic
- Tustin Brewing Company
- Oggis Pizza
- Karl Strauss Brewing Company
- Rock Bottom Brewing Company

All good!

[kentauros]

4. Well, it's obviously a subjective list.

[font size="3"]20. Texas[/font]
The only state to declare its own separate national beer and the home to venerable Shiner, craft beer has truly been exploding in Texas in recent years. Well, that’s been happening basically everywhere, but it’s Texas, so the explosion FEELS bigger. The Sours and Saisons coming out of Jester King are no joke. Wordplay! But for serious, they’re legit. Houston’s Saint Arnold, one of the OG’s of the Texas craft scene, continually turns heads with its special releases. Deep Ellum has been steadily making waves in DFW. Whether or not you’re drinking a Lone Star, it’s a good time to be drinking in the Lone Star State.

I'm not disappointed at the ranking of my fair state. But I am perplexed at how anyone can say anything good about Lone Star. It's well-known here because it's cheap, not good. At least they did like Shiner, though I was disappointed at no mention of Real Ale in Blanco.

[bhikkhu]

5. Happy to be #1 here in Oregon

though I don't really drink beer - more of a hard cider fan (Hornsby's Crisp at the moment). There is a little community grocery store a block from me, like there used to be in neighborhoods all over. I think one reason they're thriving is a nice deli and a great brew selection - literally hundreds of varieties.

[eridani]

11. Have to agree, but i think WA should be #2 and not #5 n/t

[zappaman]

6. #2!!!

Woot woot!

[amandabeech]

7. My home state of Michigan came in #4!

It sounds goofy to go around saying, "We're #4," but with the Michigan economy, a top five finish in anything is as good as the Gold Medal.

It's interesting to note that Grand Rapids, MI, usually referred to as the Salt Lake City of the Midwest, has oodles of microbrews as well as Founders. It has become a major beer tourist destination.

When I was there last year, the local ABC affiliate had some sort of a beer story. At one of the local brew pubs, they found two only slightly inebriated Brits who had traveled to Grand Rapids for the beer. They were in the opening innings of a major pub crawl, and they were enjoying themselves immensely. Thank heaven that there are cabs in Grand Rapids!

[longship]

8. And Founders is awesome!!

They have so damned many wonderful brews on tap, and the place is always a bustling crowd.

I love Founders.

[amandabeech]

9. It's still hard to find at my local watering holes up north,

but I'm determined to find some during my next trip!

[Recursion]

10. Mississippi has some decent craft brewers now

Shockingly, my little town now has a beer garden, which was unthinkable 20 years ago...

[cali]

12. Vermont is #6. More breweries per capita than any other state. Home to Heady Topper

(rated best beer in the world by beer advocate) and Hill Farm (rated the best brewery in the world in 2013, and number 2 in 2014 by Ratebeer.com)