How's your local beer culture?

I'm in Charlotte, N.C. and I would say it is strong, but with some negatives. Lots of good local beer, but it's a pretty saturated market, so you have a tendency to find the same stuff everywhere you go. Also, lots of 'beer people' so any kind of release gets snatched up real quick. Also, some places/people have a tendency to be 'clique-y' and borderline on douchebag because of it.

Overall it's a ton of fun though if you don't let the other stuff get to you.

 

I would say its just OK in NJ. I live minutes from a Carton and Kane but certainly there is not much in the way of nationally recognized breweries. But then again Philly and NY are both an hour's drive so there are plenty of semi-local options.

NJ has a limited number of liquor licenses and there is no such thing as a beer and wine license, so restaurants either have a full bar or are BYO, and beer is only sold in liquor stores.

As far as bars go, there are definitely a decent number around take craft seriously, but less than you would think for an area with highly educated people and plenty of disposable income. In particular, the town of Red Bank, which is really a hub of nightlife for my immediate area is completely lacking as far as "beer bars" go.

 

I am too much of a newb to really judge the beers, and I know nothing about the hunt for rare beers. It does seem to my like craft beer is thriving in the parts of greater DC that matter to me, both in the District and in NoVa. I live within walking distance of brew pub (Capitol City) pretty close to a small brewery I like a lot (Port City) and a nanobrewery many people seem to like (Mad Fox) There are also several other small breweries in NoVa. I can easily get a pretty wide range of craft beers (from distant places like Great Lakes, Bell, Stone, Lagunitas, etc as well as a wide range of local and regional) in local supermarkets - Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Harris Teeter, and even Safeway. Also there is a Total Wine not far away. We also have pubs run by outside/regional brewers - Dogfish Head, Heavy Seas, and Sweetwater.

The District itself has many noted local breweries and brewpubs - including BlueJacket, DCBrau, Right Proper, and Atlas. In terms of craft beer bars I am told Meridian Pint stands out. IIUC DC's distro laws are among the least restrictive in the USA and this has led to wide selections at retail.

While AFAIK we do not have any local breweries that stand out in the national scene, in all other respects I guess there is little to complain about. I certainly have a lot of local beer scene left to explore.

 

Southern NH...10 minutes from Brattleboro, VT...I call it lower at 4 of 10...

 

Nebraska in itself is growing, but I'm in a community of about 20,000, 90 miles west of Omaha that is decent as far as availability. We have a brewpub that has been open for years, but they have had brew-master after brew-master turn over. The beer is splendidly awful. It's terrible for the growth of craft beer

 

Ever heard of 4 Hands?

 

Yup. Good Not Great IMO of course.

 

jersey shore area... not really much. i guess it still growing. places like asbury are starting to get more into it though

 

Options are plentiful in the Boston area. Prices at many bars are rising to the point of absurdity though. And the local beer geek scene is kinda lame.

 

A half hour north of me in southern Delaware, the Micro brew scene
is pretty good. I believe some of the heavy hitters like Dogfish put this area on the map. Its also great as a beer nut. When the winter sucks, we can take a tour at some breweries or check out some new gold in taprooms.

Having some nice local breweries is also a plus when eating out. Just grabbing a steak at Texas Roadhouse is twice as good when you have a nice selection of local brew on tap.

 

Love their beer, it would be one of the top thirty breweries here for sure

 

In my local area (NW Philly/ Montgomery County) we have 6 breweries (soon to be 7) in a 5 mile radius. There are numerous bars/restaurants w/ great tap lists, and 2 of the better known beer bars in the Delaware valley (McMenamin's Tavern [Mt Airy] and Capone's [East Norriton]).
Our bottle shops are few and far between (primarily due to PA case law) and it's not so pervasive that we see it in barbershops or bookstore (yet);]

 

I would agree that some of the offerings in general are just solid everyday beers but they put out a lot that was good this year through limited release. The Pipeworks collaborations (Black Tuna and Square Grouper) were awesome and Ca$h Mony and Snake Oil were both great.

 

What is the sound of one hand clapping?
If a tree falls in a forest does anybody hear it?
My beer culture is 99% virtual.

 

I'm really a bit baffled by the good beer explosion across North Carolina. We do have a great mix of culture, history, people from everywhere finding they love it here, old British, Scottish, and German genes, and uncommonly friendly people. There are some real pioneers here like Highland, Red Oak, later Natty Greene and Foothills, and the rest is history. It's a blast and it keeps coming!

 

+1 on this. Charlotte doesn't quite have the 'mystique' (read : hype) that Asheville has, but we have some damn fine local breweries and brews here,too. Just step lively, and watch out for hipsters. Cheers !

 

From my years in the business, I well recall many German and British firms complaining about uniform labeling needed for export. One great German friend said dealing with the USA was like dealing with 50 countries! Much of the mess goes back to the days of the repeal of Prohibition.

 

PDX, nothing more needs sayin, beer here is like oxygen.

 

I'm in West Virginia-what is this "beer culture" you speak of?

We're lucky we have indoor plumbing and 'lectricity

 

I really liked Fayetteville and Lewisburg. Seems like they are a bit ahead of the rest of W.V.