Unknown Brewery Gems

@cavedave , you might recall this, but Scratch (see above) is the brewery that made the mushroom beer I told you about not too long ago. (I never tried it BTW)

 

I would have to say Holler Brewing Co. off downtown Houston. They do a pretty diverse range of styles and do a good job of all of them. Chill tap room, lots of space and have always had a good time when there. Hopefully as they get more beer around town others will realize how solid they are

 

I personally have not had any beers from Monkish but I found the below linked article to be an interesting read. I thought you might enjoy it too.

http://goodbeerhunting.com/blog/2016/8/9/brewing-by-feel-monkish-brewing-company-in-torrance-ca

It appears that that Henry Nguyen, the owner/brewer) is an intriguing fellow.

Cheers!

 

We are fortunate to have e few gems in WMass
A new one is Brick and Feather , excellent pale ales, IPA,s and Porter.
A veteran is the People’s Pint, packaged product and the brewpub.
Wide range of excellent offerings, from Pale ales, Pilsners, smoked lager, stout, and seasonal as well including a fine winter Braggot
Cheers all

 

One that is not in my neck of the woods but a place I visited last summer and just loved was Folksbier in Brooklyn. In my neck of the woods, Last Stand Brewing is doing some really good beers. Their Coffee Porter and Citra Smash are worth checking out.

 

Another vote here for Frost and HopnMoose.

 

I feel like my wife discovered Hop n Moose. We went there 2 years ago and it was way more restaurant than brewery at the time (the beer was def good though). Good to see it getting some recognition. Should have invested!

 

In Minnesota, I'll nominate Sisyphus (est. 2014) and Wild Mind (est. 2016), both in Minneapolis. Both are highly respected locally but are largely unknown elsewhere due to their small scales and limited distribution. Sisyphus tackles a variety of styles well but is especially noteworthy for its IPAs and imperial stouts. It reminds me a lot of a very small Toppling Goliath. Wild Mind specializes in creative and thoughtful sours and wild ales, although it reluctantly churns out some NEIPAs to placate the Instagrammers as well. I rank them as the second and third best breweries in Minnesota (behind only the very well-known Surly). As for up-and-comers that are little-known locally let alone nationally, 12welve Eyes in St. Paul and Shakopee Brew Hall in Shakopee (suburban Minneapolis) are off to great but underappreciated starts, both excelling in a variety of styles.

 

Ten Bends is my pick for great, local unknown. Their beer is clean, their IPAs are super solid and they even have a high quality NEIPA in cans. Great people making great beer out of a tiny little brewery. Good Measure is another brewery no one seems to talk about, despite their very creative and interesting lineup. Their wild bottle series is spectacular.

I'd also have to promote Schilling in NH as well- their well-rounded selection is all impressive and their Poppy's Moonship gose is the best I've had.

 

Interested to hear that about Monkish. I suppose when I left CA, there was no real NE IPA beers (out West at least). Not the direction I would have seen them going.

 

Thats for sharing, that was an interesting read. Prior to this thread I hadn't realized they'd shifted gears. Also interesting is to see how quickly (their second IPA, first done alone selling out in 45 minutes) something can gain local hype. I'll admit I was slightly disappointed to hear they'd changed directions, but I gotta respect the work he put into getting it going that first year.

 

Locally, I really enjoy Folksbier. A wide range of solid beers and a very comfortable tap room.

On my past few trips back to Wisconsin, I've enjoyed what I've had from Raised Grain. Don't see them mentioned too frequently in the Great Lakes forum.

 

Love Frost. Get them through my bottle club a few times. Very tasty. Sad I missed them when I was out there a couple years ago.

 

My two breweries would be Seapine in Seattle and Matchless in Tumwater WA. Seapine is still a little under the radar but I've enjoyed just about everything I've tasted from them. Matchless has a growing reputation in the area and releases are excitedly anticipated by drinkers in the area.

 

There are quite a number of fantastic breweries in my area and in fact, I don't think I've ever had a "terrible" beer from any one of them... but since i'm only aloud to pick two, here are my favourites:

Trailway Brewing Company and Picaroons Traditional Ales (Northampton Brewing Co.)

Trailway is relatively new to the game (2015 I believe) but they make some of the best IPA's I've ever had anywhere, including their flagship Hu Jon Hops, which is a deliciously poundable American IPA. Another highlight is their "Aussie Hopped" IPA called Dunder, which is a huge tropical fruit juice bomb that I enjoy very much.

Picaroons was founded in 1994 and has been making excellent English-styled brews since. Some highlights include their best selling (according to the founder) Best Bitter (an ESB) and my favourite seasonal from them, Winter Warmer, which is a very drinkable English Barleywine.

Since I live in a small city on the East Coast of Canada, I doubt many of you have ever heard of either one of these breweries!

 

Corridor Brewery & Provisions in Chicago... consistent NEIPA's at a very high level.

 

I was also going to say Breaker, cool setting as well in the old school house.

 

In Iowa, these 2 are killing it with most everything they are cranking out:

• Barn Town Brewing (West Des Moines)
• Pulpit Rock Brewing (Decorah)

 

For me, Bottlehouse Brewing in Cleveland Heights is such a gem to have around. Great hoppy beers and stellar barrel-aged offerings, also tons of mead and sours!

And JAFB in Wooster, OH was one of the most surprisingly amazing spots, and definitely was floored by their IPA skills. Really cool and similar atmosphere in both places, perfect for any day.