What US state has the best breweries?

I concur with the previous: Wisconsin.
It's got the tradition, but still keeps up with the crowd.

New Glarus (they do no wrong)
Ale Asylum (Hoppy without overpowering bitterness)
Lakefront (The Malt Kings)
Capital (Beat the Germans at their own game)
Sprecher (Okay, so their Root beer is actually their best, hahah)
Central Waters (Stunning stouts)
Lake Louie (So small, but so good!)
Gray's (I'm impressed more and more!)
Point (The MOST underrated brewery in the U.S.)
Black Husky (I'll put this guy against DFH for "interesting" ideas, hahaha)

Wisconsin blows my mind. Not to mention, I can get wicked good cheese and pies when I'm there!

I think the comment about distribution is dead-on. People seem to be going for the widely distributed stuff.
No one has ever heard of half of these breweries, but I loved bringing Wisconsin stuff out to Arizona.
The biggest hop heads would fall to their knees, tears in their eyes at the balanced wonder that is Wisconsin brews.
I still love my home state Two Brothers, but I can't find fault with Wisconsin.

 

Ohio...?
Great Lakes
Fatheads
Columbus

 

Wisconsin makes other states look like a dishevled bunch of homebrewers

 

Do you people from Wisconsin and the midwest really think Wisconsin holds a candle to the likes of California, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan? Honestly?

 

Being from ohio I was raised to hate Michigan. That being said its Michigan.

 

Being from Michigan, I was raised to hate Ohio. That being said, Ohio sucks and Michigan takes it.

 

Stone is average at best. Lost Abbey/Port can't even bottle properly. Bruery has been a huge expensive letdown every time I've tried one of their beers. Lagunitas is a bit of a one-trick pony. Bear Republic is OK.

A lot of what comes out of California is overrated because there are so many Californians. I think Vermont wins because Alchemist makes a product that blows anything made in California, supposedly the source of the best IPAs, completely out of the water. On top of that, Hill Farmstead makes an awful lot of beers that are truly world-class. Quality over quantity always wins in my book - who cares that Cali has dozens of breweries that can make a good IPA? None of them make the best one, and that counts for a lot more in my book. Which is why I'd also put Michigan and Oregon ahead of California.

 

Just kidding, they're both great.

 

Looks like there is a strong market for t-shirts that say: "My regional brewery is better than your regional brewery"

 

San Diego alone has quite a few of the top breweries, and as a state california takes the cake. Colorado and Oregon are also right up there

 

California
Colorado
Oregon

 

Are we doing this again? Groundhog Day was last week.

 

1. California: The Bruery, Russian River, Ballast Point, Firestone Walker, Green Flash..
2. Colorado: Odell, New Belgium, Great Divide, Funkwerks, Equinox, Oskar Blues, Trinity, Left Hand..
3. Florida: Cigar City, Intuition, Bold City, Swamp Head, Saint Somewhere, Pinglehead, (Aardwolf in the future)..

 

You lost me on Florida.

 

Because you don't like them, or you haven't been there? Or just simply like other states more?

 

Have to go Vermont on HF alone.
Also:
CA
IL
MI

 

PA - Victory, Yards, Voodoo, Troegs, Eerie, Weyerbacher.

 

I think your 3 IL breweries would be towards my bottom of the list. FS has BA HiFi Rye and who knows if that will be made again. I live very close to two brothers but the majority of their beers are average with very few being very good. half Acre pretty solid.
IL: Pipeworks, Revolution, Gqoose Island

 

Vermont, California, Michigan, Pennsylvania...Florida? I dunno, I guess CA "wins" but there's so many good ones all over.