Favorite Local Beers and Breweries

My favorite by far in the Los Angeles area is Beachwood in Long Beach (also in Seal Beach). They do many styles well. Not sure why they don't get the recognition that others do, but they put out IPA's that are on par with Kern River, Russian River, Alpine, etc. in California. They won the midsize brewpub of the year award at GABF this year, so that should help them become more known outside of California.

 

Santa Clara Valley Brewing Company, San Jose, Ca. The Peralta Porter is excellent and the Electric Tower IPA is exceptional! I haven't tried the Saison yet (tap only), but I hear it is great as well. No pub yet, but hopefully next year!

 

My favorite in the Rochester, NY/Finger Lakes Area is Naked Dove Brewing. Their porter, 45 Fathoms, is one of the best porters I've ever had. I had a great Munich Helles Lager from them last time I was there.

I also really dig Three Heads, they have one of my favorite hoppy reds, Loopy, and a great, insanely drinkable IPA called The Kind. Their black IPA, Skunk Black, and their Belgian IPA, Ontario Coast, are also quite delicious. These guys do hops well.

Horseheads Brewing, down near Corning, is also a pretty solid brewery. Their pumpkin beer is third for me behind Pumpking and Schlafy, and their IPA and Barleywine are world class as well. They do have god-awful labels, though.

It's a bit outside of the scope of "local" for me, given that they're from Buffalo, not Rochester, but Community Beer Works is awesome. "The IPA" might be the best IPA made in the state not named Flower Power or Higher Standard.

 

My favorite local brewery by FAR is Burnt Hickory Brewing. They are a nanobrewery now but you will all know that name someday. They are doing outstanding work. While I've loved almost everything I've had, here are a few noteables:
Old Wooden Head - an incredible double IPA
Big Shanty Graham Cracker Stout - thats right, an imperial stout made with graham crackers!
Killdozer - bourbon barrel aged barleywine.
Charred Walls of the Damned - a huge double barrel aged quad.
Noggin Knocker - imperial eggnog milk stout aged in rum barrels.

And a few other favorite local brews:
Terrapin Wake n Bake (coffee oatmeal stout)
Terrapin Hopzilla (DIPA)
Sweetwater IPA
Wild Heaven Eschaton (quad aged on pinot noir oak)
Red Brick 20th Anniversary (RIS aged in Buffalo Trace barrels)
Jailhouse Breakout Stout (straight up roasty delicious stout)

Georgia breweries are getting better and better!

 

They bottled and released Udder Lover (milk stout-won silver medal) recently, if your brother can find some that'll be a good one. Also, I thought I saw Thrillseeker IPA being sold in bottles which is good. I would recommend your brother to visit the brewery for bottles/growlers and great food. They're not pouring now but Mocha Machine, Hop Ninja, System of a Stout are their more famous highly-rated beers.

http://beachwoodbbq.com/brewery.html

 

I love Kane Head High and Overhead, IPA and DIPA, respectively. Also love Carton Boat Beer, which is now canned and is a hoppy session ale. These two are great newish breweries so they're mostly available only here in NJ. Both of these also have other beers I dig but I thought I'd leave at my faves.

 

What he said

 

East End brewing in pittsburgh. Almost all keg volume with some special bottles now and then. Big Hop IPA, Big Hop harvest Ale and Blackstrap Stout are exceptional.

 

Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. Texas has no shortage craft beer, but if you can, you MUST try:

* Revolver Blood & Honey: It's like unfiltered Blue Moon that someone dissolved crack cocaine into. Effing GREAT.
* Anything by Lakewood Brewing. These guys are solid all around. Their seasonals/limiteds are truly SPECIAL.
* Rahr & Sons bombers. Regular offerings are so-so, but they damn well know how to barrel age a winter stout.
* Jester King Black Metal from Austin. Imperial Stout, but with farmhouse yeast. I like it as much if not more than Ten Fidy.
* Seasonals or limited releases from Saint Arnold in Houston. They have some interesting ones. Their Pumpkinator was the best pumpkin brew I had this year, and I had a few.

 

if you havent tried these already i recommend you try them...they might distribute to you im not sure

resin-sixpoint
sweet action-sixpoint
bengali tiger-sixpoint
witte-ommegang
three philosophers-ommegang
abbey ale-ommegang
flower power- ithaca
toasted lager-blue point (on tap only)-tastes like burnt mashmallows

 

Two Brothers Brewing

Sidekick- pale ale
Revelry - Amber
North Winds- imp stout
Resistance IPA - ipa aged in fouders
Tangent - wild ale
Ebel's Weiss Beer- Hef

 

Back in my college town of La Crosse, WI= Pearl Street Brewery. They are the reason I got into craft beer in the first place so it will always be a favorite. I'll be honest, a lot of beers I enjoy on tap are awful bottled, ex Dankenstein, but their Brown Ale...Downtown Brown is solid bottled and on tap.

Back in Green Bay = Titletown Brewery. Love their Green 19 IPA! Hinterland Brewery is another favorite hometown brewery. Their Luna Coffee stout and Bourbon Barrel Doppelbock are fantastic.

In my new hometown of Baltimore I'm still exploring but Heavy Seas' Loose Cannon IPA and Evolution Lot No3 IPA have been great intros!

 

Blue Point bottles Toasted Lager, I've bought it a few times.

 

yea i know i meant only on tap as far as that roasted marshmallows taste goes...i dont get that in the bottled form for some reason

 

Hm, I'll have to try it again, never noticed a marshmallow taste on tap, then again, it's been a while since I've had it.

 

Arcadia is my local brewery here in Battle Creek, and of the regular menu beers that they bottle and distribute, I'm mostly partial to the Thunder Trail ESB, the B-Craft Black IPA, the Sky High Rye, the London Porter, and the Loch Down Scotch Ale.

 

Peekskill, Barrier and the aforementioned Kane, are all great breweries that are around an hour or less drive from NYC.

Higher Standard, Money and Overhead (respectively) are all great beers. There are plenty of others