5 Best/Favorite Breweries

Established:

Stone
Founders
Three Floyds
Firestone Walker
Dogfish Head

(and it is tough to leave cigar city, goose island, russian river or bruery off of this list. all so good)

New, upcoming:

Trillium
Jester King
Surly
Maine
Hardywood

(but there are so many new ones out there i haven't tried)

 

Sierra Nevada
Victory
Real Ale
New Belgium
Odells

 

Thanks crew, the team appreciates all of the support. Hit me up with a PM if you want to do a tasting of some of our pilot stuff, we're going to be releasing a wave of new formulations in the next 18 months.

cheers

 

I'll weigh in again, it being about a year and a half since my original post...

The first three are easy because they have line-ups I could live off of...
Bell's
Stone
Founders

After that? Too hard to say...
Evil Twin's awesome, but I have no go-to's there - probably because of price
Crooked Stave - same thing
Firestone doesn't make the cut because I don't drink their standard offerings often and their big beers get dogshit representation out here - haven't seen Parabola in two years; last Sucaba I had was good, but I've had better
Great Divide's a brewer along the lines of my first three, but other than Yeti and Old Ruffian bombers, I don't buy too much of their other stuff - Titan and Hercules never seem as fresh as I'd like to get me to buy 'em
SingleCut's been great but I've only had 4 beers and they've all been pales
Knee Deep's been a lotta fun, too, but I've only had pales from them as well

 

For me I think it comes down to what breweries make the beers I can't live without. They are:

Kane
Carton
Tired Hands
Stone
Lagunitas

 

No order as well: Sixpoint, Ballast Point, Bells, Lagunitas and Fairhope

 

Top 5 (right now):
Firestone
Russian River
Stone
Lagunitas
and....21st amendment (its a 10 min walk for me to their brewpub)

I imagine Hill Farmstead will come into this list soon after I head back to my home state of VT

 

1.) Maine Beer Company
2.) Cantillon
3.) Russian River
4.) Hill Farmstead
5.) The Bruery

That was tough.

 

In no particular order:

Stone
Evil Twin
Great Lakes
Surly
Toppling Goliath

I haven't had anything from any of these guys that I wouldn't buy again, assuming money was no object.

 

My top five right now:
Pipeworks
Founders
Surly
Ballast Point
Great Divide

 

Trillium
Tree House
Ballast Point
Alchemist
Lawson's

Honorable mention: Founders

 

TOP 5 AS OF RIGHT NOW

IN NO ORDER

The Bruery
Weyerbacher
Firestone Walker
Founders
tie Russian River / North Coast

just off this list Dog Fish Head, Thirsty Dog, Bell's

 

In no real order:
Lagunitas
Deschutes
Firestone Walker
Sierra Nevada
Oskar Blues

Local:
Austin Beerworks
Real Ale Brewing Company
(512) Brewing Company
Live Oak
Karbach

Just cuz' it's Tejas:
Spoetzl Brewery a.k.a. Shiner

 

I have no idea how many times I have posted on this thread, but I'll update:

1) Breckenridge - They got me into craft and I love ALL their beers
2) Tallgrass - Kansas proud, package all their brews in 16 oz cans, all tasty
3) Free State - Kansas proud, solid lineup, good seasonals
4) Lagunitas - Great beers and even better customer service. Really impressed just ordering a glass from them, hand-written notes, extra stickers, magnets, coasters .... little things mean a lot to me. Love this brewery.
5) Ommegang - New entry, I'm becoming a fan lately

 

For the ones I've tried I'd go:

New Belgium
Reubens
Triplehorn
Elysian
Sound

All but the first are from WA state. All have a good variety and good flagships.

 

Treehouse
NEBCO
Beer'd
Steady Habit
MBC

 

Kane (NJ)
Ballast Point
Troegs
Breckinridge
Firestone Walker

Other Favorites:
Stone
Lagunitas
Great Lakes
Bear Republic
Southern Tier
Sierra Nevada

 

The Bruery
Firestone Walker
The Lost Abbey
Founders
Lastly probably either Cantillon or Mikkeller.

 

Founders
Bell's
Cantillon
Terrapin
Spaten

 

Southampton Publick House
Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
Hill Farmstead Brewery
Upright Brewing Co.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.