Favorite "Next-Door" Brew State

I live in Illinois. Gonna give Missouri a little love. Schlafly's, 4 Hands, Perennial, Mother's, 2nd Shift ... Okay. So that's a lotta love ...

 

I suppose you can count Michigan if you count the border Illinois shares in Lake Michigan. If so then I agree they're the obvious choice. Once you get past Michigan the choice gets much harder. I've never had anything from Toppling Goliath, but the few other selections I've had from Iowa have just been ok, so Iowa is out for me.

Wisconsin would be a great choice except I think most of their breweries, including New Glarus, are pretty overrated. I get stuff from Lakefront and Capital occasionally. They make some nice stuff, but nothing extraordinary. I've enjoyed some Ale Asylum recently since they just started distributing here. Wisconsin gets a lot of credit for sheer numbers and variety though.

Missouri is a solid contender too, with Boulevard, Schlafly, Four Hands, and Perennial. I'm pretty sure I have to go with Indiana though, just because of Three Floyds. Add in 18th Street, Sun King, People's, Upland and some other quality breweries and I think I have my choice. Maybe.

 

Apparently a couple of people her are under the assumption California and Colorado are bordering states? And I thought I was planning on starting early today

 

Live in MA, VT has to be my #1 choice due to variety, not just the Alchemist/Lawson/HF stuff, but even some of the less sough after stuff is great, Fiddlehead, Switchback, Foley Bros, Otter Creek, and heaven forbid even Long Trail and Magic Hat.

I have been smitten by NEBco in CT as of late so more of my $ has been going there but they are the only real standout in CT to me.

 

Georgia (for lots of good regular offerings such as Terrapin and Sweetwater)
Florida (Cigar City)

 

I don't make it to Vermont much, so I guess I have to go with New Hampshire and Maine.

 

Oregon. And i know they're not next door but they are a close, Colorado.

 

North Carolina also borders GA. How could you forget all those tasty beers? Plus, once you check off Cigar City, there's---there's----

 

Pennsylvania.

 

Gotta go with VT. Hill Farmstead, Lawson's, Alchemist, Fiddlehead, American Flatbread, all the other great brew bars, Burlington and all the great bottleshops.

I'd have to say Massachusetts and Maine are great border states too.

 

North Carolina. Wicked Weed, Greenman, Pisgah, Burial, Noda, Olde Mecklenberg, Duck Rabbit, . . .

 

PA is in the running, but c'mon man, it's the state up north. Founder's, Bell's, the not yet mentioned, for some reason, Dark Horse. Also hear a lot of love for Short's stuff, but have not had anything yet.

 

On which maps is Colorado close to California? The ones that don't include the entire states of Nevada and Utah?

 

And living here in WI, I am so glad to be boarding MN...

Surly (obvious)
Indeed
Fulton
Town Hall
Lucid
steel Toe
Lift Bridge

Way too many to remember off hand!

 

I was wondering if anyone was going to give New Mexico some love. You haven't tried Duel yet, I imagine. That will reaffirm your choice.

 

Wisconsin. New Glarus, CW, Potosi, the Madison and Milwaukee area, etc..

 

I would say Vermont, but to get the supposed "good stuff," I'd have to drive 7 hours, so it hardly feels like a neighboring state. I'm gonna have to say Pennsylvania then. I can get top notch, incredible beer from Victory, Troegs and Sly Fox very easily. I want to check out Voodoo, Pizza Boy and Tired Hands at some point as well, seems like they're putting out some cool stuff, but I'd have to drive in PA for those. There are breweries I still really want to try and visit in New York itself before PA though. (Rushing Duck, Crossroads, Barrier, Singlecut, Great South Bay, The North Brewery, Newburgh, Port Jeff, etc, etc,)

 

Nope, never tried Duel. I'll put them on my radar.

 

Really tough to choose between MN, IL or WI, but I gotta go with IL here.

• Half Acre
• Pipeworks
• Revolution
• Spiteful
• Solemn Oath
• Destihl
  
• Off Color
• Penrose
  
• Goose Island
• Lagunitas
• FFF (IN, but it serves IL).

 

Agreed on New Glarus and most other WI breweries being overrated (although NG is the American king of fruit beers, the rest of their lineup fails to impress me). There are a few smaller WI breweries that I'd recommend, though. Tyranena, Ale Asylum, Lucette, and O'so in particular stand out. Tyranena and Ale Asylum are a little bigger, but I have no idea how close those others distribute to IL.