5 Best/Favorite Breweries

Always prefer "favorite" topics to the inevitable "overrated" threads. Here's my list and justification.

1. Founders - KBS is my favorite beer ever, and pretty much every seasonal they put out I love. As for the Backstage Beers I've enjoyed them all so far (Blushing Monk was amazing).
2. Three Floyds - Haven't had enough of their barrel aged offerings but Zombie Dust and Dreadnaught would both be in my top ten, and I might even start praising Permanent Funeral. Oh and I also think Dark Lord is amazing, if slightly overhyped.
3. Pipeworks - Sure not every beer is a home run, but Citra Ninja, NvU Pajama Party, Unicorn Galaxy, Game of Jones, Imperial Hyper Dog are all amazing. I also love the fact that every week I'll get something new from them.
4. Firestone Walker - Parabola is enough to put it on this list, but the rest of their aged beers are stellar.
5. Russian River - This is the only brewery I don't have regular access to so I hesitated putting it on my list, but good heaven their sours are phenomenal and it's hard not to love Pliny.

 

Right now I'd have to say:

Founders
Troegs
Goose Island (mainly because of BCBS variants)
Ommegang
Allagash

Haven't had a chance to have anything from Firestone Walker, The Bruery, or Three Floyds yet

 

1. Cigar City
2. Funky Buddha
3. Maine Beer Co.
4. Ballast Point
5. Russian River

 

My Personal Favorites:

Founders
Bells
New Holland
Shorts
Sam Adams

Honorable Mention:

Dark Horse and Fenton Winery & Brewery (since they are 2 minutes from house)

 

If I could drink beers from these 5 for the rest of my life I wouldn't be bummed.

Cantillon
3 Fonteinen
Hill Farmstead
Firestone Walker
Three Floyds

 

1. Goose Island
2. Fuller's
3. Naragansett
4. Anchor
5. Founders

 

Founders
Sierra Nevada
Bell's
Deschutes
Toppling Goliath

 

My favorite (best is, of course, amazingly subjective and contentious)
1. Sierra Nevada
2. Deschutes
3. Lagunitas
4. Full Sail
5. Boston Beer Company

Obviously these are west coast centric, mostly due to limited distribution. Makes me kinda sad I miss out on so much east coast goodness.

 

Not much good stuff out here.

I had yuengling once though and thought that was pretty good so ill go with that.

 

Founders
Victory
Sierra Nevada
Green Flash
Allagash

 

The East coast made me.

Maine Beer Co.
Victory.
Oxbow.
Marshall Wharf.
New England Brewing Co.

 

Russian River
Ballast Point
Alpine
Bruery
Goose Island

 

As far as entire production/line-up, what are your top five breweries?

For me, in no particular order:

Founders
Stone
Allagash
Boulevard
Lagunitas

 

Hill Farmstead
Cantillon
Russian River
Founders
Firestone Walker

Honorable mentions to New Glarus and Jackie Os!

 

Firestone Walker
Bells
Founders
Sierra
All the trappists

 

Odell
Firestone Walker
Funkwerks
Crooked Stave
Grimm Brothers

 

Founders
Lagunitas
Stone
Dogfish
Anderson Valley

 

Small oversight last night. Fixed.

Odell
Firestone Walker
Marble
Funkwerks
Crooked Stave

Breweries like Cigar City and Founders would probably be on the list if I lived in their distribution market and had access to their beers. Also, only focused on breweries that bottle their stuff.

 

Sierra Nevada
Deschutes
Blackfoot river (Montana's finest)
Bear republic
New Belgium

 

Pipeworks
Firestone Walker
Goose Island
Stone
St. Bernardus