List your top 10 breweries

Thanks, yes I specified that location since it's the only one I've been fortunate enough to visit. I do really hope to visit their primary brewery in Paso Robles. That said, I've enjoyed all of my visits to the Propagator. The food is good and the beer typically solid to great. Staff great as well. I always stop in before hitting LAX when flying out of the area.

And for full disclosure, I haven't yet been to the Beachwood Huntington Beach location. My ranking is based on their OG Long Beach location, which I visited more times than any other non Chicago or Vegas brewery. I just haven't returned to Long Beach since they closed their LB Brewery on October 29, 2023. I will hit their Huntington Beach and or Long Beach Blendery location(s) next visit to the area (and ISM Brewery which now occupies the OG space). Central Waters location may also shift to Milwaukee in the future, as that location is much more closer to me.

 

Damn, I forgot about Summit ! Such a long standing MN stalwart!!

 

Right?! I actually feel guilty not adding Schell's. They tend to impress me on different levels. Cheers brother!

 

Top ten in no particular order:

Maine Beer Company
New England Brewing Company
Schlenkerla
Counterweight
Oxbow
Jack's Abbey
Fox Farm
Von Trapp
Ordnem Ecentrici Coctores
Schilling

Honorable mentions:

Lawson's Liquids
Treehouse
Augustiner
Grimm
Bissell Bros.
Singlecut
Wihenstephaner
Hill Farmstead
Alchemist
Einbecker
Sierra Nevada
Allagash
Boulevard

 

Here's an added sub-game:

Going forward, if you could only drink beers from someone else's top 10 list, whose would you pick?

I'd go with @cavedave 's... but @Providence 's is tempting.

 

Another option that's not as far from LA is their Barrel House in Buellton. It's a very cool space but definitely focuses on their barrel aged beers, both big and dark and the sour variety

 

Nice list. Good to see KC Bier on someone's faves.

 

That's a damn fine list right there.

 

Glad to see Schneider & Sohn on someone else's list too!

 

Historical Aspect:
I had favorite beers over time, so I'll mention beer and brewery and time span (approx)
1969-72: Ritter Dortmund: Ritterbrau Lt. and Dk. draft at bar, occasional bottles at home
1971: Ballantine Newark, Ballantine Ale (only had one 16 oz king size can)
1972: Steam Beer Brewing: Anchor SF (new and exciting)
1972-5: Falstaff (San Jose/San Francisco), Ballantine Ale (regular drink at home)
1975-77: Huber Monroe, WI: Augsburger Lt. and Dk., Hi Brau Bock
1973-80: Pabst LA, Milwaukee: Andeker, Pabst Dark, Pabst Bock
1977-1982: Ortlieb Phila.: McSorleys, Sean O'shaunesey's Boar Head Stout
1985-98: visits to fam. in Portland: Widmer, Bridgeport, Hart. Brg. . . .
1999-2015: Blue Point, River Av. Patchogue: ESB, Rasta Rye, Pale Ale
2015-today: Montauk, (contract brewed, at least until recently): Driftwood Ale

 

Definitely going to be some regional and style bias on all of these rankings because some of the far east and west coast offerings aren't available to me. Also might be better to categorize it further as top ten within a certain style would be more interesting. Ranking top breweries in general may be too broad.
Anyway, this may be more along the rankings from a midwesterner, but here are mine:

1) Hop Butcher
2) Toppling Goliath
3) Phase Three
4) Other Half
5) Equilibrium
6) Stone
7) Sierra Nevada
8) Fair State
9) BlackStack
10) Drekker

 

In college we converted a pop machine into a beer vendor, and Ortlieb's (Try Joe's Beer!) was usually in there, along with Weideman's and Schaefer's, because they were cheap.

 

No particular order, simply the breweries that I end up purchasing most often:

• Sierra Nevada
• North Coast
• Stone
• Firestone Walker
• Russian River
• Sante Adairius
• Moonlight
• Pizza Port
• Trumer
• Deschutes

Dream additions to market? Enegren & Pfriem

 

In no order except #1
1 Sierra Nevada
Brooklyn Brewery
Victory Brewing
Bell's
Twin Elephant (local NJ)
Trap Rock (local brew pub NJ)
Magnify (local NJ)
Other Half
Chimay
Alchemist

 

Haha, there was no ill intent listing St Bernardus further down the list. I failed to acknowledge that there was no order to my selection!

I had the great pleasure of visiting St Bernardus twice, (the most recent with my son, a very memorable trip). A wonderful place, just imagine....all those great beers on draft at the source, yes, paradise!

 

Budweiser
Weihenstephaner
Schlenkerla
Bass
Timothy Taylor
Sierra Nevada
Goose island
3f
Cantillon
Orval
DuPont

My own list of best breweries
Sierra Nevada
Bells
DuPont
Au baron
Thiriez
Glazen toren
Blaugies
De la senne
3f
Cantillon

 

Can you explain why you have two lists?
Is the first one supposed to be your idea of important breweries through a more objective and less personal lens?

 

Yes

 

Treehouse
Notch
Hillfarmstead
Jack’s Abby
Amory’s Tomb
Sierra Nevada
Allagash
Sam Adams
Fox Farm
Schilling

 

This is based off of the beer I drink not breweries I’ve visited

1- three Floyd’s
2- Sierra Nevada
3- st bernardus
4- Alchemist (only had heady but it’s enough to get it this high)
5- founders
6- triple crossing
7-blue mountain
8- Chimay
9- paulaner
10- Russian river (been 10 years since I’ve had anything from then but they sure left a mark)

I used to really like a lot of smuttynose offerings but I don’t see them around my area any more