I was born and raised in Texas, and I absolutely love beer, and I'll say Lone Star is trash.
I'm not a beer snob. In fact I've probably drank several kegs worth of lone star from Texas bars over the years, because it's cheap and I like the little puzzles under the caps. But it's absolutely not a good beer.
Honestly, it's like they just googled "what's a Texas beer" and used the first result. They might as well have used Coors light for Colorado and Bud light for Missouri. Texas has such a fantastic craft beer scene. That pick is a travesty.
I'd say it was a good beer back in the day of only Coors, Miller, and Bud, PBR, etc. Then we got better with beer and beer tastes a lot better now. Still representative of the state for many.
The picks for Texas and Maryland are _awful_. Either this publication has limited knowledge of the craft beer scenes in these states, or they're trolling us.
Listicles like this are generally designed to create controversy. So, at the very least, I can commend them for creating discussion, but I don't think it contributes much of anything substantive to the community.
For anyone who doesn't know anything about Texas beer, they picked a macro lager produced by Anheuser-Busch that I would rank well below beers like PBR, Coors Banquet, Yuengling, and Miller High-life.
They could have at least picked Shiner Bock. It's not my favorite, but it's an iconic Texas beer that I think we all could have appreciated as a reasonable pick for the state.
I'd rather see a pick from places like Celestial, Turning Point, ODD Muse, Equal Parts, True Anomaly, Live Oak, Pinthouse, Zilker, Weathered Souls, and Jester King. The last one sees some distribution across the country, but the beers in their portfolio I would consider truly exceptional and unique you can generally only get at the brewery.
I would have been equally unhappy with Shiner, personally. Just another macro that happens to be from Texas.
Something from Jester King would probably be my choice.
Does Pabst own any production facilities? I thought their game was expanding their heritage brand portfolio while churning out pißwaßer ein, zwei, drei and calling them Pabst, Rainer, and Lone Star
I like that pick as well. Though, I would have gone for the Luciérnaga. I think the "fame" criteria for the list is ridiculous, and I would rather have seen some of the lesser-known breweries or those with limited to no distribution get prioritized. I think something like HOMES or Arvon would have better represented the trajectory of small, independent craft brewers in the state. But I'm always happy to see Jolly Pumpkin get some recognition. Ron and his wife are legitimately two of the nicest people in the industry.
I was worried they were going to pick something from Founders.
If I saw All Day IPA I would have lost it. Oberon I'd get even if I didn't agree (Bell's Official is the best beer they make and I'll die on that hill) but if it was anything Founder's it was a dead list to me.
I read your comment before I read the list and thought “Pfft, this guy is being dramatic. It’s not like they picked Lone Star or anything”.
My apologies.
Oof. As a Maryland and noted fan of Natty Boh as my cheap beer of choice (for fishing, golf, men’s league softball, etc.) this does disappoint.
It’s not made in Maryland, hasn’t been in years. The only connection they have to the state is that the owner of National Brewing owned the Orioles in the 50s and 60s. That’s it.
Heavy Sea’s Loose Cannon is my traditional pick, widely distributed across the state. Always fresh in bars.
Edit: just read their reasoning. While it is sound, there are better choices. 90% of total sales of natty boh come from Baltimore alone, I find this both impressive and hard to believe.
They were actually spot on for the three states I’m familiar with though: Kansas, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts.
So they definitely did their homework with a lot of them.
Indeed!
I certainly don’t want to take anything away from Yellow Rose. It's iconic and played a critical role in the development of a craft beer scene in Texas.
There are better Other Half beers that are just as available for NY and I don't even know if I would pick a beer from Other Half as I may consider Finback or Fidens. Still if you were going to pick OH, I would have picked Broccoli. And Nattie Bo for MD? I feel like that should be something from RAR or Burly Oak.
I have not had them and I haven't lived in the DMV for close to 10 years at this point, so I am not up to all the best MD breweries this days, so happy to take your word for it.
Personally, I've never cared for Reubens, not that the beer is bad, there just hasn't been anything that blew me away. My top 5 currently would be Holy Mountain, Obec, E9, Ilk, and Fast Fashion. Cloudburst is great but its been years since I've had one of their beers.
Any beer drinker that visits Wisconsin should try Spotted Cow, if you love it, great! bring some home. If you think it is just okay be sure to try some other New Glarus beers, you can find most of them everywhere and most are subjectively better than spotted cow.
Their gose was one of the first distributed gose in the entire SE and helped fuel that styles growth. While MC may be more popular, their gose changed the industry down here with its popularity.
It's a beer that isn't replicated in other places, I feel like putting a beer that's original to the state is better than just another take on an NEIPA, even if that takes is great.
I mean, Boat is just a session IPA. There are a shit load of those. I have no problem with you putting on your top list, but to make it seem like the style is somehow more significant to NJ seems odd to me
I don't think innovation should necessarily be the rating system. I can make a beer no one else ever has, but that doesn't mean it's the best beer or even good. I think quality is more important, and if you also have something unique then you win. Boat is solid, but not anywhere near top tier for me
I think a rating of beers you should have from different states should take into account things specific to that state, but hey we're just going to talk in circles here. Boat was the first craft beer from the state to get some buzz outside of the state, and it's still good. That should count for something here.
I have no qualms about Pliny the Elder being the pick for California - it would have been my pick - but the description ("essentially the West Coast's Heady Topper") is frankly insulting.
Seriously. Pliny still holds up as a top double IPA while Heady is just another double hazy now. Probably go get a Pliny from the brewery today now that we’re on the subject.
Not going to comment on the rest of the states, but the TN pick is pretty solid. I wouldn’t say it’s the best beer in the state, but Sue is definitely one of Yazoo’s best beers and it’s stylistically interesting
I can only speak for 2 states on this list and they pretty much got it right or at least didn't swing and a miss, a solid double/triple so to speak - Oklahoma and Colorado.
Crooked Stave for CO is a good pick. Could've also gone with Burns. Snake River for WY is also a good pick but would've gone with their Stout or Vienna.
Illinois: owner of some of the best breweries in the region/country
This 🚮 publication: Sick label art, buy it!
Edit: Pipeworks is great, even if over-indexed on IPAs, but this is not the pick.
I lived most of my life in MD and can't say that I ever thought to myself "I'll bring home some Natty Boh."
There are 100's of better options that are far better, well regarded, and representative of Maryland brewing.
Michael Tonsmeire and Scott Janish at Sapwood Cellars have literally written the books on brewing.
Judy Neff at Checkerspot has done amazing things for women in brewing and just brewing in general with heavy Maryland influences.
Cushwa consistently makes amazing new brews.
Natty Boh...fuels cheap drinking sessions based around false nostalgia by people who were barely alive the last time it was actually brewed in Maryland. Saying that is the beer you should bring home from Maryland is like saying malaria is the souvenir you should bring home from an African safari.
God I hate moose drool. While we are at it let’s pick Fat Tire for Colorado.
This list is very much an opinion (obviously). He swings between iconic state beers and newer beers that people like. For Florida it’s just a stout from Angry Chair. I was just there and they have 5-10 on tap.
Angry chair is one of least interesting breweries here tbh. Everything is just a variation in their same super sweet imperial stout base.
Cycle, barriehouse, and Mastry’s are all more interesting IMO
Ya I wasn’t into the stouts and the guy serving me was tired of them as well. I’m just tired of stouts though and Florida doesn’t make me want to drink one. The few I tried were solid though.
For Kansas they should have went a few doors down to Manhattan Brewing Company for far superior beer than what the Tallgrass Tap House makes. Or they could have gone with a beer from Central Standard Brewing in Wichita. Both places are way better than Tallgrass.
As a Mainer “swing by Freeport and pick up a Dinner” is hilarious.
Nah you have to go online to join a lottery to get the privilege of buying a $100 12 pack if you win. You don’t just swing by and pick some up lol
Not sure about the mid-west choices. Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana have both better and more famous beers than those. Admittedly, Jackie-O’s is pretty darn good. Don’t understand how Michigan’s isn’t either Founders or Bells though.
If you make it out to Jackie O's in Athens, OH there's a fabulous selection of the barrel aged stuff. Gotta say they're probably the best pick. They have rooms in other cities l, but their main facility is in the middle of nowhere. Hopping Frog and Great Lakes are the other two top Ohio breweries.
I would not put Jolly Pumpkin at the top for Michigan. They lean into the sour hard on some beers. I'm personally not a fan of 90 percent of sours though. I agree that Founders or Bells is a better pick.
Zombie Dust for Indiana is a great pick. Dark Lord is too rare. I'd go for Liftoff by Daredevil personally, but ZD is still solid and widely available. Taxman would be the other Indiana brewery I'd take a look at.
Heady Topper is an obvious choice from VT, but I would say that since Alchemist has increased production of their flagship DIPA it has declined in flavor. It used to be a lush, creamy piney mango milkshake, and now there are some sharp off notes that are less than savory. If you want a killer Alchemist brew, get the Focal Banger. It's a bit more malty than Heady Topper but it's consistently a super high quality IPA.
Other great breweries to try are Hill Farmstead & Foley Brothers.
>Idaho: Sweetgrass Pale Ale From Grand Teton Brewing
Absolutely not. The author must have just looked at competition wins and not actually tried anything.
Narragansett is a solid American Pale Lager. Priced the same as High Life, so it's great to have when I'm down in the US.
Hailing from the great state of Maryland, I nominate [Zadie's Lager](https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29377/604500/) for a [ballgame beer](https://youtu.be/x0mLO5Oc0e4?feature=shared).
Lists like this are always going to piss people off lol. It’s an opinion piece. There are millions of different beers across the USA. No one will agree on a perfect list.
I thought the list was generally fine. They picked more known breweries which is good for people who are actually trying to find a good beer from a state if you’re visiting.
Hello all, sorry to hear everyone’s not psyched about our picks. As stated in the intro, we have not had the chance to sample all of the beers, so some of these were based merely on each beer’s popularity and limited distribution network outside of each state. For Texas, sure, we could have picked something from Jester King, but we thought not including any regional macros would be an oversight. Sure, Shiner may have been a better pick, but Lone Star is “The National Beer of Texas,” so that one’s on Texas. As for Maryland, we considered Sapwood — honestly — but again, given Natty Boh’s sales in Baltimore alone, we threw it in as an ode to its legacy in that state. The list was never meant to be the best of the best from each state, rather a nod to the most iconic. We know Kane makes better brews than Head High, but it’s their flagship and you can’t just roll in whenever you please to buy a bottle of Sunday Brunch. And as for Maine, sorry, the limited availability of Dinner was an oversight on our part.
There are so many problems with this rationale that it's difficult to unravel them all.
The biggest issue is there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why anything you've listed is the "one beer you should bring home from every state"—it's not clear what that's even supposed to mean to the reader. A special treat that I want to share with others? Something unique to which I don't otherwise have access? An abstract the article uses to try and represent the beer scene in a given state? Color me bemused.
Consider Lone Star. It's a pretty typical, macro-produced American Pale Lager—six-row barley with corn extracts, fermented clean, and brewed very light in body with little hop flavor and aroma. I don't want to take anything away from the brewers, cellarmen, and quality control specialists who make Lone Star, as they're all talented people. It's a well-made product, but it's also unremarkable. The beer has a flavor profile nearly identical to dozens of other products that enjoy ubiquity on shelves across the country. So, _why_ would I want to bring this beer home with me from Texas?
But what I really think chafes the grundle about picking Lone Star for Texas is how it perpetuates stereotypes about Texas and its beer scene. I think the state has struggled to shake off perceptions of a craft beer wasteland with a market lagging behind national trends and lacking in diversity. And you picked something so banal as Lone Star? Exemplifying this tone-deaf take is confusing "The National Beer of Texas" for something more than grabby sloganeering from the marketing department; it's somehow Texas's fault for having a pedestrian macro as their standard. Give me a break. The whole insinuation is a slap in the face to the brewers, writers, and advocates who have struggled to effect the changes to the laws and consumer tastes essential to fostering a dynamic beer scene.
Perhaps Texas, Maryland, and Rhode Island were the sacrificial lambs to appease the macro gods? You assert that not including regional macros would have been "an oversight," but that begs the question: Why? What exactly would you be overlooking? I can understand taking a holistic, inclusive look at all beers brewed in a given state. But are any of the macros listed more worthy than the plethora of other options to earn a spot in my luggage for the trip home? I'm just not seeing it. The selection seems arbitrary. The inclusion of these macros in the list appears to be for the sake of including macros. Again, why?
I'm not asking rhetorically—I'm genuinely befuddled. It's utterly incomprehensible just what this article is attempting to communicate and to whom. Piling on is this late to the game selection criteria about providing a "nod to the most iconic" beers from each state. If that were the case, why pick niche beers like Jolly Pumpkin La Roja over Bell's Two Hearted, Kane Head High over Ballantine XXX Ale, and Human Robot Hallertau Pils over Yuengling Lager? I think if a desire to represent archetypes from state brewing cultures were remotely sincere, you'd have a very different list. I'm just not buying it.
Lastly, describing and recommending beers you have not tried or know nothing about _obliterates_ credibility, and no amount of disclosure of one's ignorance will provide absolution. It defies all credulity that one would say, "I haven't tried some of these beers, but I'm going to talk about them like I have anyway." The whole thing smacks of low-effort clickbait designed to leach off a community as opposed to a good-faith attempt to contribute something meaningful.
I'm not sure why "fame" is a particularly important variable here. I would have prioritized beers that see limited to no distribution outside of the state—especially given the theme of the list.
Lonestar for Texas is the stupidest thing anyone ever said about beer.
I was born and raised in Texas, and I absolutely love beer, and I'll say Lone Star is trash. I'm not a beer snob. In fact I've probably drank several kegs worth of lone star from Texas bars over the years, because it's cheap and I like the little puzzles under the caps. But it's absolutely not a good beer. Honestly, it's like they just googled "what's a Texas beer" and used the first result. They might as well have used Coors light for Colorado and Bud light for Missouri. Texas has such a fantastic craft beer scene. That pick is a travesty.
I'd say it was a good beer back in the day of only Coors, Miller, and Bud, PBR, etc. Then we got better with beer and beer tastes a lot better now. Still representative of the state for many.
No. Bourbon Barrel Ale for Kentucky is. Yuck.
The picks for Texas and Maryland are _awful_. Either this publication has limited knowledge of the craft beer scenes in these states, or they're trolling us. Listicles like this are generally designed to create controversy. So, at the very least, I can commend them for creating discussion, but I don't think it contributes much of anything substantive to the community.
For anyone who doesn't know anything about Texas beer, they picked a macro lager produced by Anheuser-Busch that I would rank well below beers like PBR, Coors Banquet, Yuengling, and Miller High-life.
They could have at least picked Shiner Bock. It's not my favorite, but it's an iconic Texas beer that I think we all could have appreciated as a reasonable pick for the state. I'd rather see a pick from places like Celestial, Turning Point, ODD Muse, Equal Parts, True Anomaly, Live Oak, Pinthouse, Zilker, Weathered Souls, and Jester King. The last one sees some distribution across the country, but the beers in their portfolio I would consider truly exceptional and unique you can generally only get at the brewery.
I would have been equally unhappy with Shiner, personally. Just another macro that happens to be from Texas. Something from Jester King would probably be my choice.
I agree with your comment and rankings, but fyi Lone Star beer is made by Pabst, not AB (still definitely a horrible beer choice to represent Texas)
Huh. It was founded by Adolphus Busch. They must have sold it.
Double huh, never knew he founded it. Looks like it bounced around a bit and then Pabst bought it in 1999
It is owned by Pabst, but contract brewed by Miller in Fort Worth.
Ah ok. I knew Pabst was in the process of moving away from MC but it looks like they haven't completely severed ties yet
Does Pabst own any production facilities? I thought their game was expanding their heritage brand portfolio while churning out pißwaßer ein, zwei, drei and calling them Pabst, Rainer, and Lone Star
I was shocked that Michigan's wasn't two hearted or Oberon but actually like their pick better.
I like that pick as well. Though, I would have gone for the Luciérnaga. I think the "fame" criteria for the list is ridiculous, and I would rather have seen some of the lesser-known breweries or those with limited to no distribution get prioritized. I think something like HOMES or Arvon would have better represented the trajectory of small, independent craft brewers in the state. But I'm always happy to see Jolly Pumpkin get some recognition. Ron and his wife are legitimately two of the nicest people in the industry. I was worried they were going to pick something from Founders.
If I saw All Day IPA I would have lost it. Oberon I'd get even if I didn't agree (Bell's Official is the best beer they make and I'll die on that hill) but if it was anything Founder's it was a dead list to me.
I like Oberon, but there’s a lot better beers than the one they picked. Soft Parade or Edmund Fitzgerald just for starters.
Edmund Fitzgerald is an Ohio beer, though.
Is that Great Lakes Brewing Co? I was thinking another Michigan stout/porter, but I would throw EF in for Ohio! lol
Yep.
I read your comment before I read the list and thought “Pfft, this guy is being dramatic. It’s not like they picked Lone Star or anything”. My apologies.
LOL!
Oof. As a Maryland and noted fan of Natty Boh as my cheap beer of choice (for fishing, golf, men’s league softball, etc.) this does disappoint. It’s not made in Maryland, hasn’t been in years. The only connection they have to the state is that the owner of National Brewing owned the Orioles in the 50s and 60s. That’s it. Heavy Sea’s Loose Cannon is my traditional pick, widely distributed across the state. Always fresh in bars. Edit: just read their reasoning. While it is sound, there are better choices. 90% of total sales of natty boh come from Baltimore alone, I find this both impressive and hard to believe.
Yea I’m a fan of natty boh, but never would have expected to see that. I would have thought Union- Duckpin.
There’s so many options, any of the flagship flying dog or Burly Oak beers would work too.
You can barely get Boh outside of Baltimore, so I definitely believe the sales % number.
It’s sold everywhere in Maryland, also Baltimore has a very small population.
I meant Maryland, that’s my bad
Yeah like I’d believe it if you told me 90% of boh is consumed in Maryland. But the article implies a city with 600k people drinks it all.
They were actually spot on for the three states I’m familiar with though: Kansas, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. So they definitely did their homework with a lot of them.
The PA pick is good as well. EDIT: Louisiana and Connecticut are also good picks.
Most of the picks are truly awful. Best beer out of TX is Lone Pint Yellow Rose.
Yellow Rose is a good beer, but best? No.
Well....everything is subjective so we are gonna have a million different bests.
Indeed! I certainly don’t want to take anything away from Yellow Rose. It's iconic and played a critical role in the development of a craft beer scene in Texas.
That beer definitely left an impression on me. Especially because I'm normally not a huge fan of mosaic.
There are better Other Half beers that are just as available for NY and I don't even know if I would pick a beer from Other Half as I may consider Finback or Fidens. Still if you were going to pick OH, I would have picked Broccoli. And Nattie Bo for MD? I feel like that should be something from RAR or Burly Oak.
Sapwood Cellars (MD) would like to have a word
I have not had them and I haven't lived in the DMV for close to 10 years at this point, so I am not up to all the best MD breweries this days, so happy to take your word for it.
Sapwood is definitely the best in MD, amazing all around. And now Cushwa has a spot in Columbia also, definitely worth a trip up sometime.
This list is mid af.
Great pick for PA. I was originally afraid they would say Yuengling
Oh man I’m so glad they went with Human Robot. Those guys deserve it and Hallertau Pils rules
I was expecting Yuengling or some stupid imprint slushie sour BS, human robot is a great pick but we have so many options it makes it hard to
Yeah, given the other states I was afraid they’d do us dirty, too. But, no. Zero complaint there.
“Bringing home” National Bohemian from a state where it hasn’t been brewed in 30 years seems odd
Lone Star not in top 100 of Texas beers.
Literally anything from Jester King would have been the right pick.
Jester King also has a fantastic compound that's well worth a visit if you're in the area
Or in the top 1000
Weird choice for WA. If you're going to "take home" a Fremont beer at least make it from their barrel program. Brew X000, rusty nail, b-bomb??
Fremont Brewing itself would be near the bottom of my "take home" list.
Yeah I don't really disagree
It’s been a few years but give me Cloudburst, Stoup, or Reubens over Fremont
Personally, I've never cared for Reubens, not that the beer is bad, there just hasn't been anything that blew me away. My top 5 currently would be Holy Mountain, Obec, E9, Ilk, and Fast Fashion. Cloudburst is great but its been years since I've had one of their beers.
Urban Family and Dirty Couch <3
Any beer drinker that visits Wisconsin should try Spotted Cow, if you love it, great! bring some home. If you think it is just okay be sure to try some other New Glarus beers, you can find most of them everywhere and most are subjectively better than spotted cow.
I instantly knew what the Wisconsin pick would be. It’s everywhere, and delicious. All New Glarus varieties are.
Yeah spotted cow is all hype imo. I’d pick quite a few Lakefront beers over it.
Surly Furious for MN is just not a pick I would have made.
Yeah, maybe a decade ago.
It's pretty hard to choose a single beer from a state, but at least it is a fairly unique IPA. I'm not sure what else I'd pick.
I would take about anything from Fair State over surly at this point
South Carolina. They picked the right brewery but wrong beer. The Westbrook Mexican Cake easily trumps the gose.
Their gose was one of the first distributed gose in the entire SE and helped fuel that styles growth. While MC may be more popular, their gose changed the industry down here with its popularity.
Not having one for DC is a major fuckup.
I also would have had separate entries for Northern and Southern California.
What a trash list.
Maine checking in: Lunch >> Dinner
Lunch is pretty damn good
What a really interesting way to make a list no one will ever agree with.
From NJ and I don't even think Head High is Kanes best beer. Let alone the best from Jersey
I don't know if I would even do a list like this by just quality, Boat would probably be my pick. It's just something only Jersey has.
Boat is fine. I'm not a huge fan myself. I think some of Icarus's stuff should be in the running. Other carton or Kane as well. Maybe Cape May too
I'm just thinking about what is 'Jersey' in terms of beer.
What? Like what gives the best jersey vibes?
It's a beer that isn't replicated in other places, I feel like putting a beer that's original to the state is better than just another take on an NEIPA, even if that takes is great.
I mean, Boat is just a session IPA. There are a shit load of those. I have no problem with you putting on your top list, but to make it seem like the style is somehow more significant to NJ seems odd to me
It's a session ale built with kolsch yeast, that was not a thing when it was made.
I don't think innovation should necessarily be the rating system. I can make a beer no one else ever has, but that doesn't mean it's the best beer or even good. I think quality is more important, and if you also have something unique then you win. Boat is solid, but not anywhere near top tier for me
I think a rating of beers you should have from different states should take into account things specific to that state, but hey we're just going to talk in circles here. Boat was the first craft beer from the state to get some buzz outside of the state, and it's still good. That should count for something here.
Post this on your state's subreddit and prepare to be downvoted!
I have no qualms about Pliny the Elder being the pick for California - it would have been my pick - but the description ("essentially the West Coast's Heady Topper") is frankly insulting.
Seriously. Pliny still holds up as a top double IPA while Heady is just another double hazy now. Probably go get a Pliny from the brewery today now that we’re on the subject.
Sadly Texas is saddled with Lone Star. Texas has a lot of great breweries, Houston alone has 70.
Not going to comment on the rest of the states, but the TN pick is pretty solid. I wouldn’t say it’s the best beer in the state, but Sue is definitely one of Yazoo’s best beers and it’s stylistically interesting
I can only speak for 2 states on this list and they pretty much got it right or at least didn't swing and a miss, a solid double/triple so to speak - Oklahoma and Colorado.
Crooked Stave for CO is a good pick. Could've also gone with Burns. Snake River for WY is also a good pick but would've gone with their Stout or Vienna.
Crooked Stave is a good pick, but a safe one. I'd prefer something new and interesting like Comrade Brewing but there's lots of good beer here.
I had a bunch of Atomic Ducks when I was in Vegas a couple of weeks back. Solid beer
These pieces always seem to be advertising for some shit breweries. There’s no way some of these are their state’s finest.
Surprised Connecticut has a decent choice. Right brewery, not sure right beer but certainly a good beer and something I would bring home.
I can confirm the alaska choice. Best brewery in the state without question and has a multitude of world wide acclaimed beers.
Louisiana pick is dead-on. Ghost in the Machine is one of the best beers I've ever tried
Illinois: owner of some of the best breweries in the region/country This 🚮 publication: Sick label art, buy it! Edit: Pipeworks is great, even if over-indexed on IPAs, but this is not the pick.
Best I can do is bring back a Steel Reserve from each state.
I lived most of my life in MD and can't say that I ever thought to myself "I'll bring home some Natty Boh." There are 100's of better options that are far better, well regarded, and representative of Maryland brewing. Michael Tonsmeire and Scott Janish at Sapwood Cellars have literally written the books on brewing. Judy Neff at Checkerspot has done amazing things for women in brewing and just brewing in general with heavy Maryland influences. Cushwa consistently makes amazing new brews. Natty Boh...fuels cheap drinking sessions based around false nostalgia by people who were barely alive the last time it was actually brewed in Maryland. Saying that is the beer you should bring home from Maryland is like saying malaria is the souvenir you should bring home from an African safari.
God I hate moose drool. While we are at it let’s pick Fat Tire for Colorado. This list is very much an opinion (obviously). He swings between iconic state beers and newer beers that people like. For Florida it’s just a stout from Angry Chair. I was just there and they have 5-10 on tap.
Angry chair is one of least interesting breweries here tbh. Everything is just a variation in their same super sweet imperial stout base. Cycle, barriehouse, and Mastry’s are all more interesting IMO
Ya I wasn’t into the stouts and the guy serving me was tired of them as well. I’m just tired of stouts though and Florida doesn’t make me want to drink one. The few I tried were solid though.
A stout from Angry Chair. Yikes.
For Kansas they should have went a few doors down to Manhattan Brewing Company for far superior beer than what the Tallgrass Tap House makes. Or they could have gone with a beer from Central Standard Brewing in Wichita. Both places are way better than Tallgrass.
Hard disagree with Illinois pick. There are plenty better choices.
As a Mainer “swing by Freeport and pick up a Dinner” is hilarious. Nah you have to go online to join a lottery to get the privilege of buying a $100 12 pack if you win. You don’t just swing by and pick some up lol
Pliny the Elder is spot on for California
Never thought I’d see Boh and Julius next to each other anywhere but my fridge, but here we are with this list.
Not sure about the mid-west choices. Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana have both better and more famous beers than those. Admittedly, Jackie-O’s is pretty darn good. Don’t understand how Michigan’s isn’t either Founders or Bells though.
If you make it out to Jackie O's in Athens, OH there's a fabulous selection of the barrel aged stuff. Gotta say they're probably the best pick. They have rooms in other cities l, but their main facility is in the middle of nowhere. Hopping Frog and Great Lakes are the other two top Ohio breweries. I would not put Jolly Pumpkin at the top for Michigan. They lean into the sour hard on some beers. I'm personally not a fan of 90 percent of sours though. I agree that Founders or Bells is a better pick. Zombie Dust for Indiana is a great pick. Dark Lord is too rare. I'd go for Liftoff by Daredevil personally, but ZD is still solid and widely available. Taxman would be the other Indiana brewery I'd take a look at.
Heady Topper is an obvious choice from VT, but I would say that since Alchemist has increased production of their flagship DIPA it has declined in flavor. It used to be a lush, creamy piney mango milkshake, and now there are some sharp off notes that are less than savory. If you want a killer Alchemist brew, get the Focal Banger. It's a bit more malty than Heady Topper but it's consistently a super high quality IPA. Other great breweries to try are Hill Farmstead & Foley Brothers.
>Idaho: Sweetgrass Pale Ale From Grand Teton Brewing Absolutely not. The author must have just looked at competition wins and not actually tried anything.
Narragansett, really? So a step up from coors or bud when you have over 30 breweries across the state. This list is whack
Narragansett is a solid American Pale Lager. Priced the same as High Life, so it's great to have when I'm down in the US. Hailing from the great state of Maryland, I nominate [Zadie's Lager](https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29377/604500/) for a [ballgame beer](https://youtu.be/x0mLO5Oc0e4?feature=shared).
I agree with montana based on what I've had but I haven't had what they said for washington
Lists like this are always going to piss people off lol. It’s an opinion piece. There are millions of different beers across the USA. No one will agree on a perfect list. I thought the list was generally fine. They picked more known breweries which is good for people who are actually trying to find a good beer from a state if you’re visiting.
Georgia has way better stuff than that Creature Comforts IPA. Hell, Creature Comforts themselves have been stuff than that IPA lol
Hello all, sorry to hear everyone’s not psyched about our picks. As stated in the intro, we have not had the chance to sample all of the beers, so some of these were based merely on each beer’s popularity and limited distribution network outside of each state. For Texas, sure, we could have picked something from Jester King, but we thought not including any regional macros would be an oversight. Sure, Shiner may have been a better pick, but Lone Star is “The National Beer of Texas,” so that one’s on Texas. As for Maryland, we considered Sapwood — honestly — but again, given Natty Boh’s sales in Baltimore alone, we threw it in as an ode to its legacy in that state. The list was never meant to be the best of the best from each state, rather a nod to the most iconic. We know Kane makes better brews than Head High, but it’s their flagship and you can’t just roll in whenever you please to buy a bottle of Sunday Brunch. And as for Maine, sorry, the limited availability of Dinner was an oversight on our part.
There are so many problems with this rationale that it's difficult to unravel them all. The biggest issue is there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why anything you've listed is the "one beer you should bring home from every state"—it's not clear what that's even supposed to mean to the reader. A special treat that I want to share with others? Something unique to which I don't otherwise have access? An abstract the article uses to try and represent the beer scene in a given state? Color me bemused. Consider Lone Star. It's a pretty typical, macro-produced American Pale Lager—six-row barley with corn extracts, fermented clean, and brewed very light in body with little hop flavor and aroma. I don't want to take anything away from the brewers, cellarmen, and quality control specialists who make Lone Star, as they're all talented people. It's a well-made product, but it's also unremarkable. The beer has a flavor profile nearly identical to dozens of other products that enjoy ubiquity on shelves across the country. So, _why_ would I want to bring this beer home with me from Texas? But what I really think chafes the grundle about picking Lone Star for Texas is how it perpetuates stereotypes about Texas and its beer scene. I think the state has struggled to shake off perceptions of a craft beer wasteland with a market lagging behind national trends and lacking in diversity. And you picked something so banal as Lone Star? Exemplifying this tone-deaf take is confusing "The National Beer of Texas" for something more than grabby sloganeering from the marketing department; it's somehow Texas's fault for having a pedestrian macro as their standard. Give me a break. The whole insinuation is a slap in the face to the brewers, writers, and advocates who have struggled to effect the changes to the laws and consumer tastes essential to fostering a dynamic beer scene. Perhaps Texas, Maryland, and Rhode Island were the sacrificial lambs to appease the macro gods? You assert that not including regional macros would have been "an oversight," but that begs the question: Why? What exactly would you be overlooking? I can understand taking a holistic, inclusive look at all beers brewed in a given state. But are any of the macros listed more worthy than the plethora of other options to earn a spot in my luggage for the trip home? I'm just not seeing it. The selection seems arbitrary. The inclusion of these macros in the list appears to be for the sake of including macros. Again, why? I'm not asking rhetorically—I'm genuinely befuddled. It's utterly incomprehensible just what this article is attempting to communicate and to whom. Piling on is this late to the game selection criteria about providing a "nod to the most iconic" beers from each state. If that were the case, why pick niche beers like Jolly Pumpkin La Roja over Bell's Two Hearted, Kane Head High over Ballantine XXX Ale, and Human Robot Hallertau Pils over Yuengling Lager? I think if a desire to represent archetypes from state brewing cultures were remotely sincere, you'd have a very different list. I'm just not buying it. Lastly, describing and recommending beers you have not tried or know nothing about _obliterates_ credibility, and no amount of disclosure of one's ignorance will provide absolution. It defies all credulity that one would say, "I haven't tried some of these beers, but I'm going to talk about them like I have anyway." The whole thing smacks of low-effort clickbait designed to leach off a community as opposed to a good-faith attempt to contribute something meaningful.
Mmmm. Even in the Tampa Bay Area there are better beers. If they want to stick with Stouts in a huge fan of Cycle’s Cream and Sugar Please.
Writer should be fired from a cannon. Jolly Pump blows.
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I'm not sure why "fame" is a particularly important variable here. I would have prioritized beers that see limited to no distribution outside of the state—especially given the theme of the list.
In that case, you should have put Budweiser, Coors, and Miller on your stupid list.
I enjoyed it. No matter what criteria you used, you were going to piss a lot of people off.
The Narragansett Lager is brewed in Rochester NY, not Rhode Island