Most Underrated Beer State

Gotta give Illinois some love!! Half-acre, revolution, tighthead, pipeworks, haymarket. Plus with lagunitas coming here as well as FFF opening a brewpub in Chicago(fingers-crossed), Illinois needs more love.

 

This would've been a far more interesting and useful thread if it was Most Underrated Beer State That is Not Your Own State... That being said, I've been impressed with what's coming out of Oklahoma (especially Coop and Redbud). Talk about under the radar!

 

Minnesota for sure! The list of reasons is long:

Ambleside Brewing Company

Aspen Meadow Beer Company

Augsburger Brewing Company

August Schell Brewing Company

Bank Beer Company

Barkley Sound Brewing Company

Barley John’s Brew-Pub

Beartooth Brewing Company

Billy Goat Brewing Company

Black Widow Brewing Company

BrainBiter Brewery

Brau Brothers 3 Brewing Company

Cervaza Caliente Incorporated

Cold Spring Brewing Company

Colonial Brewing Company

Dakota Brewing Company

Eureka Brewing Company

Fat Weasel Brewing Company

Fitger Brewery

Flat Earth Brewing Company

Frugal Joe’s Brewing Company

Frugatti’s Voluptuous Brewing Company

Fulton Brewery

Georg Felte Limited

Gila Monster Brewing Company

Glacial Lakes Brewing Company

Gluek Brewing Company Cold Spring

Gluek Brewing Company Minneapolis

Grain Belt Brewing Company

Grand Banks Traders Limited

Gray’s Bay Brewing Company

Hard E Beverage Company

Hauenstein Brewing Company

Humpback Premium Ale

Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company

James Page Brewing Company

Joseph Wolf Brewing Company

Lake Superior Brewing Company

Lawson Creek Brewery

Leech Lake Brewing Company

Lift Bridge Beer Company

Lincoln Brewing Company

Minnesota Brewing Company

Mrs Pucker’s

Naked Aspen Brewing Company

New Ulm Brewing & Beverage

90s Choice Company

Northern Plains Brewing Company

Old European Brewery

Old Fort Brewing Company

Olvalde Farm & Brewing Company

Pacific Brewing Company

Panther Brewing Company

Pigs Eye Brewing Company

Ranger Beer

Red River Valley Brewing Company

Roadrunner Brewing Company

Saloon Brewing Company

Shams Beer Company

612 Brew

Sport Legends Group Incorporated

St Croix Brewing Company

Steinhaus Brewing Company

Stoney Creek Brewing Company

Stroh Brewery Company

Summit Brewing Company

Surly Brewing Company

Ulmer Brewing Company

Virgin Islands Brewing Company

Wetbeer Brewery

 

Definitely agree. I love Two Brothers and Metropolitan. 5 Rabbit is also great, and has a variety of unique brews if you're looking for something different. And although I personally don't like Goose Island, their success in the market should definitely put Illinois on the map.

 

Indiana is on it!

FFF
Sun King
Shoreline
Flat12
Upland
Crown
Figure8
New Albanian
Others....

 

Rush River must included. A new brewery, American Sky Beer/Hudson Brewery is right up there. There are many brew pubs that are awesome and can only get in growlers or drink in the pub, in WI. I.E. Thirsty Pagon, Das Bierhaus..

 

Okay, Illinois isn't quite there yet. But with Two Brothers, Goose Island, Finch's, Metropolitan, Revolution, Half Acre, Flossmoor Station, et alia, (and 3 Floyds and New Glarus being a mere stone's throw from our borders), there's a ton of great beer here...and so many craft breweries on their way to opening.

A year from now--at tops two--this thread will be all about Illinois.

 

With John J. Hall leaving goose island and joining 5 rabbit, their beer will only get better.

 

La Cumbre Elevated IPA is awesome, and the Marble Double White I had was very nice to even though not a style I usually enjoy. Scored those in a trade and plan on getting more of that IPA for sure.

 

Mystic has promise as well, especially now that they are also using small cork and caged bottles no need to drop $12 on a beer you aren't sure of.

 

White Birch isn't helping rep wise though...

 

Texas. No one outside of the Southwest board really talks about our local beer (well, except Jester King). We've got a lot more than Shiner!

We've got some fine, quality breweries down here... the majority don't ship outside the state though, so it'll be our little secret. Particularly St. Arnold's (DR series, Endeavour [now year-round], and Pumpkinator are all world-class), (512) (IPA, Pecan Porter [& Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter]), Deep Ellum (who I think is think is the most underrated in the state right now), Real Ale (Mysterium Verum series), and Austin Beerworks (masters of everything lager). I believe, out of those, only St. Arnold makes it outside the borders, and even then only to surrounding states.

 

I agree with this for NY, all of the breweries complement eachother well.

Ommengang: Belgians
Brooklyn: Lagers, session beers and BCS
Souther Tier: Sweet Beers (Pumking, Creme Brulee)
Ithaca: Hops (cascazilla+flowerpower)
Sixpoint: Ive only had their IPA and like it.

 

Colorado used to be a much more hyped state and they don't get the attention that they used to. But a world class OG beer state.

 

Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York are top tier but overlooked.

Also:
Washington
Minnesota
Illinois
Massachusetts
Maine
Wisconsin

Lots of potential:
Iowa
Utah

 

Everett?

 

Of the 57 states that I have visited (not including Alaska and Hawaii), all are great. None are better than the other.

 

Texas is pretty underrated overall, though, to be fair, it still has a ways to go to catch up with many other states.

So many beer people tend to pay attention to the West Coast that I feel New York is often overlooked. Not only can you get nearly any beer imaginable in New York City (from excellent bars and shops), but New York state also hosts some excellent breweries:

Brooklyn, Sixpoint, Ommegang, Captain Lawrence, Ithaca, Sixpoint and Shmaltz come to mind and I'm sure that I am missing some. These breweries all can fulfill their own niche very well- and I hate to say it, but, while they make excellent brews, West Coast breweries mostly seem to be doing the same/very similar things (mostly tons of hops and/or alcohol).

 

California is pretty awesome!!! From the San Diego breweries (Alpine, Stone, Ballast Point Lost Abbey, Port), to the Bruery in Orange County, to a variety in the Central part (Kern, FW, Sierra Nevada, Anchor, FiftyFifty, Moylan's, etc...) to up north Lost Coast, North Coast, and others. CA is bigger, so we should have more, but their is soo much variety and much in high quality offerings.

 

Oh, just remembered that NY also has the Brooklyn brew shop, who make small one-gallon kits which are ideal for small NYC apartments as well as packing their kits with pre-made ingredients, which makes homebrewing accessible to beginners. I'm sure they aren't the only company out there that does it, but starting up brewing with their kits is quite easy and low-cost.