I don't have a favorite "local" near me that I can speak of, so need to expand this definition a bit. I will say it's Tree House for me. Charlton is about a 40-45 minute drive for me, worth the drive for me than the dozen or so breweries that are closer. I also am a fan of Timberyard, nearby in East Brookfield. My son lives nearby both (drives by both going to and from work each woorkday), hope that counts.
Thank you for stating the glaringly obvious but rarely ever communicated. Green Flash IPA was the first IPA I truly adored since moving away from Seattle after learning the magical powers of circa 1995 IPAs from the likes of John Meyer at Rogue (dry hopped Brutal Bitter), Paradise Brewing IPA, Big Time Brewing Co, and other awesome local IPAs sourced by Latina Pub, Fiddler’s Inn, Etc. When in the SD area I do still really enjoy Karl Strauss and of course the guys from Pizza Port are just the best. It’s truly difficult to express the negative impact of the departure of Chuck Silva from the San Diego beer scene. To be frank, it’s really difficult to beat the original recipe Union Jack IPA (7.5% ABV) that took so many Gold medals at GABF and World Beer Cup. Unfortunately Firestone Walker no longer makes the original UJ, but I digress. I live in Scottsdale, AZ these days and there is one beer that I always look for when it comes to a grass roots IPA…Mother Road “Tower Station” IPA. A big unapologetic west coast style IPA that is a touch beer to keep fresh in the relenting heat and sun of AZ. It’s unpasteurized, the only way a IPA should be, and is beautifully hopped with notes at the right points of the palate, and balanced with just enough malt to make it all come together. Truly an amazing beer, from dare I say one of the best craft breweries anywhere. Yep, Flagstaff AZ. When you see people drinking a big IPA in the relentless heat of Arizona summer, you know that’s one heck of an IPA. IMO the brewers at Mother Road truly understand a word people throw around but eventually it rarely is something they which they make their foundational beers, and the word is: balance. Mother Road and Firestone Walker (for example) know there are degrees of balance, and like a true chef, it’s a tough hit the strike zone on a consistent basis. Bravo to Mother Road Brewing Co. Brilliant!
My favorite go to hyper local beer is Halleck Pale Ale from Chestnut Brew Works. Morgantown, West Virginia. A nicely balanced hoppy, nutty, malty brew.
In general, Sunriver Brewing is the local that gets most of my love, they’re great across the board. But they’re reasonably well known with their GABF, WBC, Alpha King, etc. awards. The hidden gem is Funky Fauna, conjuring mixed-culture saison magic with local fruit/spice/tea combinations in ~4% beers with lots of flavor and complexity. They may not take the world by storm, but killing it in this little corner of Oregon is fine by me.
When I lived in Austin it was Pinthouse Pizza's Electric Jellyfish IPA. Now that I'm in Dallas, it would have to be Pericola's Velvet Hammer.
I'll amend my post... I will have to say Haze is my favorite. I love the peach notes leading the other fruit flavors in this beer, and find it has more of a hop bite that puts it over the edge compared to other Hazy IPAs. A close second (or first, depending on the day) is Very Hazy, same aroma/flavor profile but more intense.
Olde Mecklenburg Brewing - Bock Party (formerly Früh Bock) Definitely my favorite local beer, a shame it's not available year round!
While in VT (spend ~8 mos/yr there) my favorite local-ish is Riser from Good Measure Brewing out of Northfield. Nice cream ale that is refreshing & pleasing to the palate. Readily available & reasonably priced (~$8/4pk).
Living in DFW, my 2 locals are Manhattan Project Half Life and Peticolas Velvet Hammer. The first for "drinking", the second for "sipping". And, not-so-local-but-still-local is just about anything from Altstadt down in Fredericksburg.
You're the reason I tried this beer a few years ago on our yearly trip. I didn't see it around last year but hopefully this summer I will. Good to know it is still being made.
Sante Adairius Anaïs Saison. I will dabble with some other offerings, SA does IPAs and lagers really well too, but I often find myself choosing an old favorite, Sante Adairius Anaïs, when I stop in. It's a regular on tap and such an easy, flavorful sipper.
This depends on the definition of "local". 0.5 miles- Little House Brewing's Rare Candy, a sweet, tropical NEIPA. 0.6 miles- High Nine's Viva Pils, an Italian Pilsner- hoppy and dry. 10 miles - Myrcene Ale's Hunter's Brew, a coffee stout ~20 miles- Foxfarm- about 4-5 excellent beers, but some of you already knew that
I think most of the US defines "local" as within 100 miles aka "about 2 hours". You're lucky to have things you love that close.
