Breweries that "Have their shit together".

Stone Brewing Co
Avery
Surly
Modern Times
Brew Dog
Oskar Blues

 

me thinks pipeworks and stone and my Wisconsin neighbor new glarus and iowa neighbor toppling goliath

 

Of course you said Smutty, just finished the last finest kind yesterday. Havent had it in a year. Was born in Berlin, my brother still lives their on Cedar Pond.

 

Founders. The Brewery runs like a well-oiled machine, they make great beers across all tastes, and there are readily available most places. I know there are some haters, but I love them. (Warning: I'm from GR originally and a homer.)

 

Cycle Brewing.

Everything that they produce is incredibly solid. They have some of the best barrel aged stouts that I've ever had, yet Crank is one of the most consistent East Coast IPAs I've ever had. Additionally, their bottle releases are extremely seamless and always seems to flow nicely w/o strife.

That's just one man's take on this though.

 

Believe me, Upslope is heard of in Wyoming.

 

Agree with Lagunitas...anyone second La Cumbre?

 

This doesn't really pertain to all the criteria the OP mentioned, but treehouse really has their shit together. They operate very differently than other breweries mentioned in this thread. But there are a few reasons they stand out to me. They are super efficient, i have never seen a brewery fill growlers as fast as they do. They can fill 200-300 growlers in an hour. Plus their growlers are purged with Co2 and aways cleaned after they are filled. They are very good at adjusting limits to make sure wait times are not ridiculously long and everyone has a good shot at getting some of the beer they offer that week. They can handle huge crowds, just recently they served 450-500 people in the growler line in about 5 hours, that same night around 800 people bought cans. They are always updating their website and twitter to give their customers a good idea of wait times and how much beer is available. Their customer service is exceptionally. They have just been killing it the last 6 months or so since their expansion and it is pretty amazing how well they have handled their crazy growth spurt. Not to mention the beer is pretty damn good also, and they are always putting out new stuff.

 

A bit of homer answer, but Beer'd Brewing in Stonington CT definitely have their shit together! Pretty much from day one..

 

Founders
3 Floyds
Firestone Walker

 

Good criteria – brings to mind New Glarus and Central Waters. Both regularly get kudos for friendliness, great beer, and environmental+community support, and are clearly liked and respected in the brewery community.

We're very lucky to have them both here in WI, and as a resident of America's Dairyland, I heartily approve of their mottos...
CW: Ale, Sun, Earth and Sky
NG: Only in Wisconsin!

 

Since no one has mentioned Half Acre (CHI) yet, it's now been mentioned. Agree with 80% of all the other posts above. Can't think of any others... +1 on La Cumbre (ABQ, NM) (only other place I've been where NOTHING on tap sucked).

 

I'm beginning to sound like a shill, but Tree House does everything right. Everything from their beers (obv), to customer service, communication, rotation, well executed expansion, and most recently improvement to their grounds. They can do no wrong IMO.

 

New Glarus, a bit of a homer pick but every R&D release I've been to has been a smooth and enjoyable experience.

 

New Glarus. So sad they only distribute in Wisconsin.

 

Wicked Weed and Ballast Point come to mind

 

Having just spent a week out in the midwest, I'd say New Glarus. Delicious, approachable lagers are becoming rarer and rarer and NG kills it with those. I brought a few bottles of Wisconsin Belgian Red and Raspberry Tart home too.

 

For quality and price point,
Lagunitas
Deschutes
Sierra Nevada
Founders


Other things factored in,
Firestone Walker
Boneyard(even though they don't bottle or can)
Bells

 

Firestone and Sierra Nevada

 

Ninety percent of the breweries that I've visited have their act together, but for the lack of capital to be able to expand (and maybe in some cases, the lack of desire to grow any larger), not many people have heard of most of them. A lot of great beers are being made in this country.