USA beer consumption plummets

[Astra.Xtreme]

Micro/craft beers pretty much everywhere seem to get positive praise. Are there any crap micro/craft beers? Or is this just one of those things were people feel cool and trendy because they drink a craft beer?

Yeah you'll find some crappy ones here and there.  The worst I've had were from Victory Brewing from Pennsylvania I believe. A friend and I split a variety box that had 4 different flavors, and each one was basically undrinkable.  Hop Devil was almost tolerable since I'm a hop head, but the rest we just couldn't do.

 

Also, I do beer "trading" once and a while, where you trade your local brews with somebody in another state since many micro-brews aren't available in certain parts of the country.  Anyway, we made a trade for some Arizona micros (I don't remember the ones off-hand), but they were all very sub-par.

 

Needless to say, I've found that California, Oregon, New England, and the Midwest, have A LOT of insanely good micro-breweries.

[Salutary7]

Yeah you'll find some crappy ones here and there.  The worst I've had were from Victory Brewing from Pennsylvania I believe. A friend and I split a variety box that had 4 different flavors, and each one was basically undrinkable.  Hop Devil was almost tolerable since I'm a hop head, but the rest we just couldn't do.

 

Also, I do beer "trading" once and a while, where you trade your local brews with somebody in another state since many micro-brews aren't available in certain parts of the country.  Anyway, we made a trade for some Arizona micros (I don't remember the ones off-hand), but they were all very sub-par.

 

Needless to say, I've found that California, Oregon, New England, and the Midwest, have A LOT of insanely good micro-breweries.

Strangely enough, Victory is very close to where I am. There are tons of people who just can't get enough of it, which is why it's now being sold even out toward the west coast. Their Golden Monkey is just about the only one I'm ok with. I'm just not a fan of their overly bitter style.

[DocM]

Examples of Michigan craft/micro-brews (there are well over 100)

Bell's Brewery, Kalamazoo MI

http://bellsbeer.com

Founders Brewery, Grand Rapids MI (Dirty B*stard, Double Trouble)

http://foundersbrewing.com/

Ann Arbor Brewing Co, Ann Arbor MI (also their boutique Corner Brewery in the old Depot Town of Ypsilanti, MI)

http://www.arborbrewing.com/

Grizzly Peak Brewery, Ann Arbor MI (Bear Paw Porter)

http://www.grizzlypeak.net/

Atwater Brewery, Rivertown District, Detroit MI (German style & specialty, uses imported German equipment)

http://www.atwaterbeer.com/

Great Bearaboo Brewing, Clinton Township MI (Snake Eye Canyon Red Ale)

http://www.greatbaraboo.com/

Detroit Beer Company, Detroit, MI (across from the Detroit Opera House & near Comerica Park)

http://www.detroitbeerco.com/

[Astra.Xtreme]

Examples of Michigan craft/micro-brews (there are well over 100)

Bell's Brewery, Kalamazoo MI

Founders Brewery, Grand Rapids MI (Dirty B*stard, Double Trouble)

Bell's and Founders both make excellent beer.  I recently got my hands on a 2009 vintage bottle of Bell's Bourbon County Stout in Chicago.  We payed $42 for the 650mL bottle, but it was the most flavorful Stout I've ever had.  Worth every penny.

 

There are too many breweries to count in this area, but some of the better ones are:

 

Milwaukee Brewing Company (Best tour in the country. For $7 they hand you a pint glass and tell you to drink as much as you can.  Needless to say, I don't remember many of those tours.)

Lakefront Brewery (Extremely fun tour, but they don't allow you to binge drink the whole time)

Sprecher

New Glarus (Their raspberry Ales are rated some of the best beers in the country, but I personally think the sweetness level is too extreme)

Leinenkugel's 

Hinterland

Tyranena

Central Waters

Ale Asylum

 

The two that I personally think kind of suck in this area are:

Big Bay Brewing

Horny Goat

 

Any beer lover that comes to the Milwaukee area absolutely needs to take the Milwaukee Brewery tour and/or Lakefront Brewery tour.  I've done tours all over the country and those two are by far the best.

[DocM]

Bell's Black Note (y)

[Azies]

Good, maybe the US can go for being a little less **** faced, and wow, DocM, you know your beer, I may or may not send you a PM asking for advice on a good brew for someone who doesn't usually drink.

[Solid Knight]

US beer sucks.  Taste like crap.  Want something good, you need to buy from a local brewery, import, or from a micro brewery.  Those tend to be more expensive.  I will not drink any domestic US crap.

 

That's cool and all but you can get any kind of beer you could dream of in the US. Bud Light isn't the only beer we have.

[techbeck]

That's cool and all but you can get any kind of beer you could dream of in the US. Bud Light isn't the only beer we have.

 

thankfully, yes.  or else wouldnt know what to do. :)

[Xilo]

 

 

 

I bought 5 of these at $18 a bottle. I have 3 left. This is the best beer I've ever had. This is a very very highly rated beer. It's aged for a year in bourbon barrels and has 13% alcohol.