What state is the best for local craft breweries?

Cali is king but as a Bostonian Mass has some really solid offering (and more than just DIPA's)

Pretty Things + Jacks Abby are world class. Berkshire, Clown Shoes, Mayflower, Ipswich, and the big boys (Sam & Harpoon) are all doing some good stuff too.

 

Using arbitrary lines drawn on a map hundreds of years ago is a funny way of dictating "local." By this metric, people living in Crescent City, CA can claim San Diego breweries as local, despite the fact that they are a 14 hour drive from SD. On the other hand, you can drive from Crescent City to Seattle (hitting PDX along the way) in only 9 hours. Ignoring the lines on the map, which is more "local" to a resident of Crescent City, Seattle or San Diego?

Another thing worth consideration is population. California (37m) has roughly the same population as Oregon (3.8m), Washington (6.8m), Colorado (5.1m), Michigan (9.8m), and Pennsylvania (12.7m) combined.

Just a couple things to think about while you're all waving your e-peens around and claiming your state is the best.

 

Sorry, long post.
I am from San Diego and have to admit that if you are an IPA drinker it is paradise. Although, I like variety and more malty brews and lived in Colorado for 6 years before recently moving to Germany. I would say that I really miss the beer I was drinking in Colorado!!! I don't live in Bavaria so I don't have access to many fine German beers I'm in Bitberger country. Pils is all the rage. Didn't think I was going to Germany and get stuck drinking a better version of Budweiser all the time. I actually think that Colorado may have more micro breweries than Germany now has. The tides have changed. My saving grace is that I can buy a few types of Weihenstephan in certain liquor stores, but no others from Bavaria.

 

It sounds like you are in the NW of Germany, which is where the larger Pils brewers have the market.

There are more breweries in Franconia than in Colorado.

 

Sober to start, leading up to drunk or close to it. Oh, you meant U.S. state?

 

*fixed*

 

I'd have to say California and Oregon.

 

I would love to say Michigan,Iam from there,or North Carolina live here now,it's gotta be California.San Diego area and northern areas can't be beat by anybody in my opinion.North Carolina is really making a push to be considered in the top three or four though.I have lived in Denver wich is where I started trying alot of good craft beer,and in Philly where my craft beer love really took off.And when I go back home to Michigan I drink as much local stuff as possible.The one problem with Michigan is that there is not alot of good stuff coming out in Mid Michigan where I go to visit family and friends.After saying all that Oregon would be great to have a beer road trip as well.

 

It can be argued that not much comes out of central CA. Firestone Walker makes up for the lack between SF and SD.

 

Clearly, the best state for local breweries is Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Michigan, and Pennsylvania combined.
Oh, and let's throw in Vermont while we're at it.

 

The state you live in?

Sure, Cali, Oregon, Wash, etc are better for the people who live there. But if I want fresh local beer. I have many tasty options here in MN. If I lived there, maybe it's better. But I live here, and it's pretty damn good.

 

Don't count out South Carolina, especially the greater Charleston area...not the best but to have Coast, Holy City, and Westbrook pop up in a 15 mile radius over the past couple years, there's definitely somethin brewing down here

 

Note to self: Visit the local barber, beards have now become too popular.

 

It's amazing that almost everyone seems to live in the best beer state. What are the odds?

 

Again a flawed question because nobody on this board gets to try every beer in the US. I live in Kansas and get almost all of the major Colorado breweries, but get ZERO beers from Michigan, so how does my opinion even count? Of course I love Colorado beers, and I travel and camp there every year, but does that mean I wouldn't lie Michigan's offerings? I'm not trying to be a delta bravo, but anyway ... Colorado!

 

Oh, I don't. I don't .....

 

You nailed it. I just spent a a week visiting brewpubs in Oregon and California and my favorite was Russian River in Santa Rosa...Pliny the Elder. Portland has a lot of breweries but Deschutes was disappointing. Ninkasi in Eugene had very hoppy beer...Tricerahops Double IPA. Eel River Brewing in Fortuna is a nice stop and the beer is decent. Firestone Walker in Paso Robles is brewing some great beers...Double Jack Imperial IPA and Pivo Pils are excellent.

 

go ahead, put it in there, Kansas

people are actually voting for Pennsylvania, so evidently anything goes

 

State of Intoxication.

 

I think maltmaster420 hit the nail on the head. The question itself doesn't make sense because state boundaries have almost no correlation with locality (unless you live in Rhode Island or something).

If you just care about the number of breweries in a boundary, then of course Cali wins since it's the size of three states.

But if you care about locality (e.g. waking distance) to breweries, then I think the answer is non-obvious. For example, in OR, if you live in Portland, Hood River, or Bend, then you are within walking distance to a large amount of excellent breweries.

I'm sure there are many other cites around the US where this is the case a well. Does that mean that state is the "best" for local breweries? It really just depends on specifically where you live. I can vote for OR, but if I live in Medford or something then I might as well be in Alabama.