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Ahh, beer, our national pastime. Thanks to the rise in microbreweries and craft breweries across every state in our great nation, it’s a truly great time to be a beer drinker. They’re popping up like pimples on a 15-year-old’s face and are actually booming and thriving, in large part due to the desire of millennials like us to try new, local beers and then lord them over our peers when it comes to the diversity of our beer palates.
However, not all states are created equal. Far from it, in fact. The best state in America, in terms of beer, might actually shock you. Thrillist ranked the 50 US States by quality of beer, so without further ado, I bring you the 10 best beer-drinking states in the US of A.
10. Massachusetts
Tip of the hat to Samuel Adams for “ushering in the era of SO MUCH GOOD BEER in America”.
9. New York
Bigger local breweries like Ommegang, Brooklyn, and my hometown favorite Blue Point (Strong Island proud) have become hits on a national and international level, but the heart and soul of NY brewing is the smaller local guys, like Saranac and Captain Lawrence.
8. Pennsylvania
Fun fact: William Penn, the guy who owns Pennsylvania or something, put in his “Great Treaty” with the Native Americans a barrel of beer (among other things) for property rights. Not only do they boast the country’s oldest beer in Yuengling, but great craft beers like Stoudt’s, Voodoo, Sly Fox, Weyerbacher, Victory, and Yards.
7. Wisconsin
OF COURSE Wisconsin is on here; it’s probably the beeriest state in the union per square foot. There’s apparently an urban legend that the taps at Miller Park are connected, by pipeline, to the Miller Brewing Company. Probably grossly untrue, but WHO CARES.
6. Vermont
I went to the Berkshires in Vermont last summer and asked for a good local beer. I left with about 12 different beers. Then I got kicked out of a lakehouse for having sex. Shit happens. VT has the most breweries per capita in the USA, including Magic Hat, Heady Topper, and Harpoon.
5. Washington
Great beer AND legal pot? Those Washingtonians really know how to live. They have over 200 breweries, including Elysian and Pike, Walking Man, and Harmon.
4. Michigan
What Michigan lacks in the number of breweries they actually have, they make up for in the quality of beer they boast. Two-Hearted Ale, made by Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, is considered one of the Top IPAs in the world.
3. Colorado
What is it about the weed states that causes them to make great beer? According to friends who live there, great beer is EVERYWHERE in the state. Oskar Blues “started the craft can revolution”.
2. California
There’s a city in California named Weed and they have one of the best breweries in the world: Mount Shasta Brewing Company, which runs a restaurant called “Weed Ale House and Bistro”. And that’s just northern Cali. I rest my case.
1. Oregon
From the state that brought you Nike, here’s beer! There are 70 breweries in the Portland metro area alone and apparently, they’re all amazing. “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.”
Check out where your state falls on the rest of the list HERE.
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@JayTasShow
@FireJayTas
No Texas. Doooonnnn’t caaaarree
Texas’ laws aren’t conducive to the craft brewing scene. It’s illegal to brew and distribute from the same building. Also, St. Arnold’s sucks.