I think that we Americans make some pretty great beer. There are some people who see "Import" and immediately assume that it is of a higher quality of anything homegrown, no matter what. That isn't always the case in my humble opinion. The American beer culture is thriving right now, it is full of a creative energy and covers such a wide variety of styles and flavors that no other country seems to rival. I'm not saying I don't love my Belgian beer, just that people should be giving credit where credit is due.
With that thought in mind I started checklist on 1/1/11 and when I've completed it I will have had a beer from every state in the union. I won't be counting beers that I've had before the new year simply because I'm sure I would forget some beers that I've enjoyed over the years. I'm going to be able to blow through a good chunk of states with ease but there are some that are going to take some work to find a beer from. I won't be setting a deadline or anything but I just thought it would be a fun goal to have in mind. Eventually I suppose I will need to get in on the beer trading game but for now I'm going to just get my hands on whatever I can around here.
So far I've had a beer from 14 states so clearly I've got a lot of "work" ahead of me. At the very least this will making some drinking make me feel productive...or something. I'll be keeping track on the Red, White, and Brew tab but here is the list as it stands on 1/31/11:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California: Ballast Point - Sculpin
- Colorado: Oskar Blues - Dale's Pale Ale
- Connecticut
- Delaware: Dogfish Head - Squall IPA
- District of Columbia
- Florida: Cigar City - Maduro Brown Ale
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana: Abita - Jockamo IPA
- Maine
- Maryland: Flying Dog - Wild Dog Barrel Aged Gonzo
- Massachusetts: Samuel Adams/Weihenstephan - Infinium
- Michigan: Bell's - Oarsman Ale
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey: Flying Fish - Exit 13
- New Mexico
- New York: Southern Tier - Creme Brulee
- North Carolina: Duck Rabbit - Duck Rabbator
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon: Rogue - Brutal Bitter
- Pennsylvania: Yuengling - Traditional Lager
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin: Central Waters - Satin Solstice Imperial Stout
- Wyoming
Cheers!
A few of these might be pretty tough.
ReplyDeleteUtah for one? Interested to see these results.
According to BeerAdvocate there are 5 breweries in Utah and I've seen one (Uinta) around here so I may actually be ok with that one.
ReplyDeleteJust had some Pig's Ear Brown Ale from Woodstock Inn in New Hampshire
ReplyDeletehttp://www.woodstockinnbrewery.com/
Not sure where you can find it (I got it through a beer of the month thing) but it's a pretty good one for NH.