In the past few decades, there has been a renaissance in beer brewing in the United States. New flavors, new styles, and new breweries are popping up every day. Collaborations are taking place—oftentimes between brewers on opposite sides of the nation or even on different continents. Prospective brewers can attend universities dedicated to teaching the arts of craft brewing, and record numbers of students are graduating from these programs.
Though beer is brewed all over the world, and the origins of this beverage are far from the shores of this country, it is my belief that in no other place can you find such innovation, such craftsmanship, and such a wealth of good beer as is now in America.
As I was researching the history for my book The United States of Craft Beer I found out this wasn’t always the case. In the 1990s, if you traveled to Europe and offered to buy someone in France, Germany, Italy, or Belgium an American beer, you probably would have been laughed at. But that’s only because the beer aficionados in those countries were unaware of the growing wave of craft brewing that had picked up momentum. Most of the rest of the world knew only of the big, commercially produced American beers. But times have changed. Information moves fast, and so do cans and bottles of beer. Though your local bottle shop may not stock all of the beers from all of the breweries listed below, many of them have found dedicated followings far from home. It is now possible to enjoy cold, craft-brewed American beers as far away as Shanghai, China, or even the remote islands of the Maldives. And while the joy of craft beers sometimes comes down to the fact that the beer in your pint glass can only be found at your local brewpub, I find it comforting that the American beer renaissance has spanned the globe and has finally put to rest the question of whether or not Americans can make good beer.
Here are my picks for the best craft brewery in every state along with my pick for each brewery’s best beer:
Alabama
Straight to Ale, Huntsville
Their best beer: Russian Imperial Stout
Alaska
Alaskan Brewing Company, Juneau
Their best beer: Alaskan Smoked Porter
Arizona
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company, Gilbert
Their best beer: Picacho Pecan Pie Brown Ale
Arkansas
Diamond Bear Brewing Company, North Little Rock
Their best beer: Two Term Imperial IPA
California
AleSmith Brewing Company, San Diego
Their best beer: Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout
Colorado
Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont
Their best beer: Dale’s Pale Ale
Connecticut
New England Brewing Company, Woodbridge
Their best beer: Gandhi-Bot (double IPA)
Delaware
Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton
Their best beer: 90 Minute IPA
Florida
Cigar City Brewing, Tampa
Their best beer: Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout
Georgia
Terrapin Beer Company, Athens
Their best beer: Wake’ N’ Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout
Hawaii
Maui Brewing Company, Lahaina
Their best beer: CoCoNut Porter
Idaho
Grand Teton Brewing Company, Victor
Their best beer: Bitch Creek ESB
Illinois
Revolution Brewing, Chicago
Their best beer: Anti-Hero IPA
Indiana
Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster
Their best beer: Zombie Dust Pale Ale
Iowa
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company, Decorah
Their best beer: pseudoSue APA
Kansas
Tallgrass Brewing Company, Manhattan
Their best beer: 8-Bit Pale Ale
Kentucky
Against the Grain Brewery & Smokehouse, Louisville
Their best beer: We Shuck on the First Date stout
Louisiana
NOLA Brewing, New Orleans
Their best beer: NOLA Blonde
Maine
Allagash Brewing Company, Portland
Their best beer: Allagash White
Maryland
Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick
Their best beer: Gonzo Imperial Porter
Massachusetts
Jack’s Abby Brewing, Framingham
Their best beer: Smoke and Dagger Black Lager
Michigan
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter
Their best beer: Bam Biére Farmhouse Ale
Minnesota
Surly Brewing Company, Minneapolis
Their best beer: Wet, Wet-Hopped West Coast India Pale Ale
Mississippi
Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company, Kiln
Their best beer: Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale
Missouri
Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City
Their best beer: Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
Montana
Big Sky Brewing Company, Missoula
Their best beer: Whistle Pig Red Ale
Nebraska
Nebraska Brewing Company, Papillion
Their best beer: Cardinal Pale Ale
Nevada
Tenaya Creek Brewery, Las Vegas
Their best beer: Red Ryder Ale
New Hampshire
Smuttynose Brewing Company, Portsmouth
Their best beer: Big Beer Series (subscription)
New Jersey
River Horse Brewing Company, Ewing
Their best beer: Brewer’s Reserve series
New Mexico
Santa Fe Brewing Company, Santa Fe
Their best beer: Oktoberfest
New York
Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood
Their best beer: Blackwater Series Choklat
North Carolina
Pisgah Brewing Company, Black Mountain
Their best beer: Pale Ale
North Dakota
Laughing Sun Brewing Company, Bismarck
Their best beer: Feast Like a Sultan IPA
Ohio
Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland
Their best beer: Commodore Perry IPA
Oklahoma
Choc Beer Company, Krebs
Their best beer: 1919 Hefewiezen
Oregon
Ninkasi Brewing Company, Eugene
Their best beer: Total Domination IPA and Tricerahops
Pennsylvania
Victory Brewing Company, Downington
Their best beer: Hop Devil IPA and Victory Lager
Rhode Island
Newport Storm Brewery, Newport
Their best beer: Cyclone Series
South Carolina
Thomas Creek Brewery, Greenville
Their best beer: Up The Creek Extreme IPA
South Dakota
Crow Peak Brewing Company, Spearfish
Their best beer: ctrl-ALT-dlt altbier
Tennessee
Yazoo Brewing Company, Nashville
Their best beer: Gerst beer
Texas
Live Oak Brewing Company, Austin
Their best beer: Live Oak Liberation IPA
Utah
Uinta Brewing Company, Salt Lake City
Their best beer: Tilted Smile Imperial Pilsner, and Birthday Suit Sour Brown Ale
Vermont
Magic Hat Brewing Company, South Burlington
Their best beer: #9
Virginia
AleWerks Brewing Company, Williamsburg
Their best beer: Brewmaster Reserve beers
Washington State
Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle
Their best beer: Night Owl Pumpkin Ale
Washington, D.C.
DC Brau Brewing Company, District of Columbia
Their best beer: The Corruption IPA
West Virginia
Mountain State Brewing Company, Thomas
Their best beer: Almost Heaven or Seneca Indian Pale Ale
Wisconsin
New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus
Their best beer: Thumbprint Series
Wyoming
Snake River Brewing, Jackson
Their best beer: certified Organic Beer Number 1
Jess Lebow worked for Budweiser and Redhook selling and distributing beer in the Seattle area during the microbrew boom of the late 1990s. During that time, he tried nearly every craft beer in the Pacific Northwest and any he could lay his hands on from around the nation. He is the author of The United States of Craft Beer and The Beer Devotional (both published by Adams Media).
