What Beer Represents Your State?

I'm going with this as well. The beer scene in Denver is very mature as a whole, and there isn't much that we don't do well at. Once you add in how much craft beer influence is around here it's hard to just define what happens here by a beer. If I had to pick, I may just say fat tire.
From a contemporary perspective, I am going with the original wild wild Brett series from crooked stave. At the time Chad was really pushing the boundaries of Brett, and it has snowballed into a brewery that does every style they try well, and a distribution company that really has changed the game in Colorado.

 

I'll second Surly Furious: It's a modern classic, an influential beer in the Midwestern IPA substyle, and the flagship beer of the brewery that ushered in the explosion of craft beer in the state, both by being the first distributing brewery in Minnesota to push palates and style boundaries in a modern way and by leading the effort to legalize taprooms. Prior to Surly's 2006 debut, the obvious answer would've been Summit Extra Pale Ale, a ubiquitous beverage that, though it always has been a decent beer, illustrated the fact that the Minnesota craft beer scene was stuck in the 1980s.

 

OP--representing the character of North Carolina is a tough one because our state currently have a crisis of such.

Highland Gaelic would have to represent the tradition of brewing. A solid beer ahead of its time 20 years ago and remains a solid brew today.

As a representative of great brewing would have to say Burial. Sure they known for their IPAs and stouts but had an award winning saison that was a delicate as a feather.

 

I'm going to go with one widely popular one and one heavy hitter.

Oberon and CBS. Cheers to both!

 

Though Ten Sleep Speed Goat sells like crazy in Wyoming, I'd go with Snake River Zonker Stout and Melvin IPA.

 

From Texas originally, I'd say shiner bock. It's made by small town folks for all the big city folks. Or maybe Lone Star, even though it isn't made in Texas. Here in idaho, even though it isn't ours, Melvin is in every store, and out sells the local guys by a mile, and for good reason.

 

Spotted Cow by New Glarus for Wisconsin.

 

Don't forget CHOC (supposedly an old Choctaw Indian recipe, but basically an American Wheat) which is the original Oklahoma Craft beer. It had to be sold under the table for decades due to home brewing laws. This beer was brewed and sold at Pete's place in Krebs, which is now of course one of the homes of Prairie (via CHOC brewing). Full circle right!

 

In Arkansas, I guess I'll say Ozark BDCS or Lost 40 Nighty Nite. Both are barrel aged stouts and are very good. BDCS has just hit the stores here. There are many others that are very good but will never be recognized nationally.

 

I always forget about CHOC. I haven't seen any of their beers in any of the liquor stores I've been in in the last 6-8 months, but I might just be looking in the wrong section. You are right though since they've been around Oklahoma the longest by a large margin.

 

We have so many good breweries, I don't think I could designate one beer as representative of our State of Arkansas.

 

I'm going to say Old Hickorys Event Horizon, they just make great beers with little fanfare.

 

Nope. The question was which beers reflect your state. Most of Minnesota is composed of blue collar, rural territory -- people who aren't wasting their time chasing over-priced craft beer (and good for them).

Darkness is a niche beer. I'd bet most people in Minnesota have never heard of it.

Regardless of it's merit as a beer, Grain Belt is a Minnesota legend. My guess is that it's probably the beer produced in the highest volume in the state.

 

Most of Minnesota, by population, is in the Twin Cities metro area. It's actually the most urban state in the Midwest aside from Illinois. There isn't any state where AALs don't constitute the majority of sales. Grain Belt Premium has a following, but, if it's the beer produced in the highest volume in the state, it's not by much. I'd bet the majority of people in Minnesota have never heard of it. I know people in "blue collar, rural territory" who consider it over-priced, froufrou / excessively flavorful, and reject it as a Minneapolis city brand (even though it's now made in New Ulm). By your logic, it might be more accurate to say that Michelob Golden Light best reflects Minnesota.

 

Well I will throw it out there, for Texas it is Yellow Rose. I know at least in Houston it has caused a lot of breweries to step up their IPA game. Even people who don't like IPAs drink it.

 

I was waiting for your post and those are my exact picks.

 

I see your point about most people or even most beer drinkers. In that case, in all states it would be a macro beer brewed there (if any), and any craft would be tough to nominate since a large majority of folks are oblivious of craft. But this is generally considered a craft site, so we tend to talk craft.

 

"Saranac" is just a brand and a 'dba' name of F. X. Matt - the first beer they released under that brand was Saranac 1888 Lager, in 1985 - so, several years before the creation of the Brooklyn Brewery company, and the release of the Brooklyn Lager (contract brewed by Matt) in 1988. I've always assumed that the original "1888" evolved into the current Saranac Adirondack Lager, with some major recipe tweaks along the way.

Prior to the creation of the Saranac brand, in the early 1980s Matt had contract-brewed New Amsterdam Amber Beer and also released similar seasonal amber beers under the name "F X Matt Traditional Holiday Beer".

Boston Beer Co. opened their actual brewery in Jamaica Plain in part of the old Haffenreffer plant in 1988-1989 (their Annual Reports claim 1988 as when "Sam Adams begins brewing at the Boston brewery" while national wire service stories in June 1989 announced the "grand opening".

Harpoon claims they first brewed in Boston a year earlier:

 

Sure it is - while the brand is now owned by Pabst, it's contract-brewed by MillerCoors at their Ft. Worth brewery (as is the other classic Texas brand, Pearl). Unlike many other contract brewers, MillerCoors website even admits to it:

 

I disagree. I spend about a month in MI each year and I think Two Hearted (and Bell's brews in general) totally represent MI - flat and watery.