# How's the local beer in your neck of the woods? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [January 22, 2008, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478 "2008-01-22T06:40:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/21 "2008-01-22T16:32:12Z")
[QUOTE=Khadaji] Yuengling Lager is brewed not too far from me and I quite like it. I \*have \*found that it does not travel well and the further I get from the brewery the less I like it. [/QUOTE] Sniff. I miss Yuengling. I still haven’t adjusted to the reality that my grocery store sells Iron City (gag) but not Yuengling… ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/22 "2008-01-22T16:33:38Z")
Wonderful. There’s 9 breweries in the City, excluding branches of non-locals breweries (Rogue, Gordon Biersch). Speakeasy’s Prohibition Ale, Magnolia’s Proving Ground IPA are two of my all-time favorites. Oh yeah, and there’s that Anchor Steam stuff. And that’s just within city limits. Travel a few miles and you’ll find Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Lagunitas IPA and Russian River Brewing Co, to name a few. [My Yelp list of SF breweries and beer bars](http://www.yelp.com/list_details?list_id=53xZhplWv2NUE1WCZ9D6Ag). ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/23 "2008-01-22T17:09:13Z")
In Houston, Saint Arnold’s is pretty good. Celis, in Austin, makes good Belgian-style beers. Other than that, not so great. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/24 "2008-01-22T17:24:47Z")
[QUOTE=Khadaji] Yuengling Lager is brewed not too far from me and I quite like it. I \*have \*found that it does not travel well and the further I get from the brewery the less I like it. [/QUOTE] One of the best things about going to [Pennsic](http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn37/) is stopping in New Castle to pick up a case or two of Yuengling for remarkably little money. If they have a variety I don’t like, I haven’t hit it. Here in Atlanta, Red Brick and Sweetwater are good breweries. ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/25 "2008-01-22T17:34:01Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] The best beer in the world is brewed about…15 feet from where I am sitting. But for professionals, we have Stone Brewing semi-locally, BJ’s nearby, and about a dozen brewpubs within easy driving distance. If I want to encompass SoCal as a whole, the list gets exponentially larger. We are not lacking for good beer here. [/QUOTE] I would say SoCal takes this competition easily. SoCal: Alesmith Port Brewing Stone Lost Abbey Coronado and others. The advantage here is that the first 4 on the list might be the 4 best breweries in the entire United States–if not the world. ---
**Author:** ![MTRG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@MTRG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTRG)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/26 "2008-01-22T17:38:01Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] One of the best things about going to [Pennsic](http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn37/) is stopping in New Castle to pick up a case or two of Yuengling for remarkably little money. If they have a variety I don’t like, I haven’t hit it. Here in Atlanta, Red Brick and Sweetwater are good breweries. [/QUOTE] This year when you go to Pensic, You HAVE to go [north country brewing](http://www.northcountrybrewing.com/) This place is awesome. try the Stinky Hippie IPA ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/27 "2008-01-22T17:39:01Z")
[QUOTE=Ferret Herder] Chicago is amazingly short on locally-brewed beers. There’s Goose Island and Two Brothers, and a few brewpubs of note that don’t bottle, and that’s really all I can think of. Berghoff is a local restaurant but their (bottled, too) beer is all brewed in Wisconsin. [/QUOTE] I’d count Three Floyd’s in there as well–they’re in Indiana, but still in what I would consider Chicagoland. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/28 "2008-01-22T18:39:29Z")
It’s pretty damn good around here. Russian River Brewing is just a couple of miles from our house and is a weekly pit stop for my husband and me. Look in any beer rag and at least one (usually closer to five) of their brews are in their Top 25 Beers in the World, Top 25 Beers in the US, etc. Often in the Top 10. The brewpub is consistently ranked as one of the top 20 in America. PLiny the Elder, Blind Pig, and the Russian River IPA are my all time faves. Other favorites: Bear Republic - Racer 5 is at the top of my list. Lagunitas Third Street Aleworks Mendocino Brewing Company Anderson Valley Brewing Company Moonlight Brewing Company Sierra Nevada Moylan’s And there are several great ones down in the city. My husband and I are going to attempt touring most of them this weekend. We’ve already been to most of them I think, but we’ve never attempted hitting them all in one weekend. On our list: Beach Chalet Magnolia San Francisco Brewing Speakeasy Thirsty Bear Anchor Steam 21st Amendment Or well, pretty much all of the places on [this map](http://www.sfbrewersguild.org/) and a few others. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/29 "2008-01-22T18:48:00Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] BJ’s nearby … We are not lacking for good beer here. [/QUOTE] The former does not support the latter, and brings your entire post into question. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/30 "2008-01-22T18:59:22Z")
[QUOTE=Troy McClure SF] The former does not support the latter, and brings your entire post into question. [/QUOTE] BJ’s can make some good beer when Owen is on a roll. Most of their standard stuff is ok, but if you can find one of their specials on draft…those can be quite nice indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/31 "2008-01-22T19:05:44Z")
Mmmmm . . . beer. It is a grand thing to have grown up on phenomenal beer from many different local brewers. **bouv** , you did leave one other local notable off the list, **Shed**. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/32 "2008-01-22T19:06:54Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] BJ’s can make some good beer when Owen is on a roll. Most of their standard stuff is ok, but if you can find one of their specials on draft…those can be quite nice indeed. [/QUOTE] Huh… I can actually believe that. I thought in the hands of a good brewer with some leeway, those beers _could_ become a lot better than they are. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/33 "2008-01-22T19:21:17Z")
Whoa, whoa, whoa… **Troy** and **silenus** …when you talk about “BJ’s,” are you talking about [this place](http://www.bjsrestaurants.com/index.html)? ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/34 "2008-01-22T19:37:41Z")
Yuh huh. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/35 "2008-01-22T19:47:29Z")
I’ve only recently discovered that beer doesn’t have to taste like horse piss. Devil’s Canyon Brewery over in Belmont makes a good hefeweizen and blonde. Pyramid is not bad either, although their main brewery seems to be in Seattle so I don’t know if they count as local. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/36 "2008-01-22T19:47:30Z")
While I must acknowledge that NorCal and Oregon are probably the two best regions for breweries in N. America, if not the world, I gotta put in a mention for West Michigan- Bells (Kalamazoo BC) Founders New Holland Kraftwerks Arcadia Dark Horse Including the rest of the state, add- Jolly Pumpkin Michigan BC (Celis North) plus a bunch of smaller ones. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/37 "2008-01-22T19:48:07Z")
[QUOTE=Troy McClure SF] Yuh huh. [/QUOTE] Wow, the ones (3 Houston locations) out here don’t even brew their own beer; they farm that out to Saint Arnold. I had no idea they were a serious brew pub. My ignorance has just been fought. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/38 "2008-01-22T20:04:23Z")
Hey, you SoCal people- anyone know what’s going on with ReaperAle? Their red is another of my favorites, but they’re on hiatus. Anyone know anything more than what’s on their website? ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/39 "2008-01-22T20:09:55Z")
[Here are the results of last year’s Great American Beer Festival](http://www.beertown.org/events/gabf/pdf/gabf07_winners.pdf)(pdf) so, as you can see, almost everyone in the US has some pretty good beer available locally. I feel pretty lucky with the awesome breweries near me, but equally lucky to be able to get some non local great beers like Stone, Dogfish Head, etc. Of course, like Silenus, I homebrew too, so some of my own beers have been some of my personal favorites. Hey, anyone wanna do a Great American Beer Festival dopefest this October? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478/40 "2008-01-22T20:15:35Z")
I have been a bit curious about Denver… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-the-local-beer-in-your-neck-of-the-woods/434478.md?page=3)