I'm sitting here at zero. New Glarus is about the only one on my radar these days, since it isn't terribly far from here. If it means anything, I have been to a few that have only one review.
A couple of friends and I went out there for my birthday one year. It was a loooong day with more driving than beer drinking. Worth it, and I’d go again if I had the chance. But close and convenient it is not.
That OG Hopcat felt like something special, for the time and place. Even I, worldly (ha!) and jaded (and living in the Bay at the time?) marveled at it. And then the server poured us a selection of infected beers they brewed and I felt like I had flown too close to the sun and learned a valuable lesson.
The crack fries that they serve(d) got more attention in these forums than their beer did, unless it was an infection complaint. But they always had a great taplist of beers from other breweries.
I think they still serve them (been a long time since I went to any of them), they just don't call them crack fries anymore. I remember them making an apology for offending anyone who had suffered from the crack epidemic or something along those lines.
When they first opened, it was a special time in Michigan brewing. There were a lot of breweries putting out quality stuff, some of it pretty unique and inventive, and GR wasn't really on the national beer radar yet. To have a beer bar that specialized in MI beer was a pretty big pride booster there. That being said, a lot of MI brewers were still figuring things out, and a lot of the beers that HopCat had on tap had failed in execution.
That spot is on my radar for my trip through there mid next year. The only reason I've been there is when I was on the way to Washington. It's a bit off the beaten path. Churchkey is a good one, definitely deserves more love one of the best spots I've been to. I assume Firestone isn't on there for the same reason as Sierra Nevada. The closest major cities are San Jose that's 2.5 hours north and Fresno that's 2ish hours (I think).
I'm assuming you don't drink wine. Paso Robles has become a destination wine area, with high prices and traffic to go with it. Plus the brewery is right off of 101. But I think that's part of the problem. While the area sees an influx of tourists, most of them are there for wine, not beer. It's too bad, because they have a nice facility with decent food and an interesting beer selection. They had quite a few ba beers on tap when I visited, along with several sours (and of course plenty of ipa's). Oh well...
If you're in DC and looking for a beer spot, Churchkey is the place to go. NRG does a great job with sourcing across all their restaurants, and while I liked the vibe and food at the Red Aprons before they mostly closed up better than their other places, Churchkey is the one to go to if it's strictly a beer visit. If you're in DC anyhow, make a trip up to Silver Branch in Silver Spring. It's only a block away from the metro station, and the probably make they best lagers in the immediate area, and do some great non-funky saisons. Right Proper in Shaw is also fun. They've backed off a bit on the mixed ferm stuff, the food isn't as good as it was when it opened, but still better than what you'd get at 95% of tasting rooms, and the cheese selection has become a bit more pedestrian, but they still have a lot of interesting beers. Fun fact: located in the former pool hall Duke Ellington got his start in.
One thing to consider about the list (and any place that's been around a while and has a lot of ratings) is the sheer amount of historical ratings, which were all posted in basically another lifetime.
Troeg's once and Treehouse a bunch of times. Both make great beer, but the Troeg's experience was superior because they serve their beer in glasses, not plastic cups, like Treehouse. For whatever reason, that's a big deal to me.
Of all the spots on the list I’ve visited - Toronado SF circa 2007 gave me the biggest beer-culture shock. Multiple RR beers on tap, 2 or 3 cask ales on hand pull, Anchor Old Foghorn on tap. I got there at opening and there were just a few regulars at the bar including a well behaved dog. The bartender was a buxom/tattoo’d woman in her 50’s - funny/sarcastic and liked to tease traveling beer geeks. Within 10 minutes of being there I felt like I had arrived in the Bay Area and gone to beer heaven.
Other favorite memories from visits to the list. In 2014 - at HF’s opening of their expanded taproom - I muled my grandmother to get max growlers. Actually, Grammy was a big fan of Edward and she ended up bogarting her share of the haul. also around the same time - I had a pallet of PtE bottles secretly shipped from Santa Rosa to MA to distribute to friends.
Yeah, when I did that search request I was surprised to see Dark Horse come in at the 33rd position. The physical place hasn't changed much over the years, nor have the beers, but the culture has for some reason (new ownership?) so it's not the weekend hotbed of activity it once was.
A geeky thing I like to do is look up a place here on BA (like 3 Floyds), click on the Map link, click on the location and then check out the photos submitted for the establishment. You can get a general idea of the vibe and even the food if it's available. And the map is also a great place to find other attractions close by.
Great thread idea, thanks for creating. How many have you been to? I’ve been to seven of the twenty open or closed on the list provided by @Todd : #1 3 Floyds, #2 Founders, #5 Bell’s, #9 Monk’s Cafe, #13 Revolution Brewpub, #17 New Glarus & #19 Goose Island Clyboyrn. I’ve also been to secondary taprooms for Stone (Near The Padres Stadium) and Lagunitas (Chicago). Any on your beer bucket list? I’d like to visit all 20 plus others not listed eventually, with Russian River, Hill Farmstead and Toronado the top three. Any surprises? I’m most surprised at the trashing of the former Three Floyds Brewpub. Never had an issue, loved their beer, food and staff, and would be buying a lot more 3 Floyds beer these days if I could still enjoy a visit and bring back home a few cases. Founders and New Glarus are the two I don’t need to return beyond special taps or releases. I’m also assuming the Map Room discussed above was elsewhere, as the Chicago Map Room is alive and worth visiting. Any place you're surprised isn't visited more? Not really, as places are more subject to people’s plans, proximity to a large city, and other factors. My favorite breweries, beer bars and dive bars are listed in my Beer Advocate profile information tab. https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/members/chicagoj.938016/
Been to Stone, Monk’s, Victory, Troegs, Wicked Weed, and an alternate location of Cigar City. I need to get out more.
I've been to over 200 brewerys and I personally put Mills River as the top facility. Best beer, best time, best selection go to other places, but Mills River is no slouch in those categories.
