CNN's Best Beer towns in U.S.

Most likely because Deschutes has a brewery in Portland and two in Bend.

 

I think pricing and culture should have played a role in the analysis. Not sure where Boston would have ended up.

 

San Diego actually has the most breweries at 71. CNN has their facts wrong.. check the Business Section of San Diego Tribune on July 5th.

 

Any Boston list that gives BeerWorks as a "draw" ought to be purged... Now, remember also that they don't say "craft beer towns", so they have an out. Harpoon IPA is the best of pedestrian IPAs at about $25 a case. If you want something better, you have to pay more. Besides, Boston is an expensive bar town. They also list Green Dragon and Warren Tavern, which are decidedly not craft-friendly.

But the whole list is ridiculous. Boulder is far more brewing town than Denver (although county lines would not allow either of them to claim some of the breweries). San Francisco and Philadelphia are spot on, although the ratings leave much to be desired.

There's a reason, however, why Boston ranks a 10 on the history scale and San Diego only a 5. Aside from the craft people, beer is simply not what they drink in San Diego. So, before complaining that San Diego has been slighted, consider that this is not a craft-beer ranking.

 

Within an hour? Jesus, BA people function in a different geography from the rest of the people! If it's within an hour's drive, it's not "in the city", which is what these bozos were trying to describe. Half the San Diego breweries are not just outside the city, but in a different county. So their count is not that far off.

And, again, this is not a list geared toward craft beer drinkers.

 

Rochester NY should have been on the list. For a metro area of only a million there are the following;

Genesee/ JW Dundee Brewing
Rohrbachs
Custom Brewcrafters
3 Heads
Naked Dove
Roc Brewing
Fairport Brewing Co.

on top of that they have lots of good pub choices:

Macgregors-local chain with half a dozen locations; Henrietta location runs ~ 180 different beers on tap
The Old Toad a real British pub, staffed by Brits and serving Cask ale
Victoire- a Belgian gastropub serving only Belgian or Belgian styled beers
Tap & Mallet-neighborhood brewpub with an extensive selection of draft and bottles plus cask ales

plus we have Beers of the World a bottle shop in a 20,000 sq ft retail space featuring 1500 different beers.

to me Rochester NY is a great beer town.

 

I agree. It is 89 miles from Grand Rapids to Marshall, MI. That would require some Autobahn driving.

 

San Diego County is bigger Rhode Island and Delaware combined. People call it "North County", but it is not a different county. Hope this helps.