Yeah I knew the west coast was king I just wasn't sure if all states have a healthy scene as well
The Beer Thread
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West Coast is King, most states have a healthy scene, some states are still at the low level.
Khane
Got something right about marriage
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As I understand it west coast is king for hop forward beers and the reason is the best hops are grown in the Pacific Northwest so it's much cheaper for west coast breweries to make excellent hoppy beers for much cheaper than east coast breweries. But honestly if you ask me east coast breweries are still much better at other, more traditional and "foreign" beer styles.
opiate82
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Not at all, some states are still facing crippling prohibition-era laws that really stifle any growth in the craft beer scene. Some examples:
Alabama- 13 total breweries (0.4 per 100,000 people)
Arkansas- 13 total breweries (0.6 per 100,000)
Louisiana- 11 total breweries (0.3 per 100,000)
Mississippi- 4 total breweries (0.2 per 100,000)
vs
Washington- 201 breweries (4 per 100,000)
California- 381 breweries (1.4 per 100,000)
Colorado- 175 breweries (4.7 per 100,000)
Maine- 47 breweries (4.7 per 100,000)
And those are 2013 numbers. Odds are the states that are friendly to craft beer have seen more growth while those that are not have remained relatively stagnant.
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He's right except I think west coast is still winning for sours. Though fuck both of you if you think you can lagers away from the Midwest.
Troeg's as well.
Also there is a brewery in Akron, OH called Jackie O's which has a really good IPA brewed in Midwest. Columbus Brewing Company also has a very nice and very drinkable IPA. More of a "Go To" IPA than one drowning in hops.
Also there is a brewery in Akron, OH called Jackie O's which has a really good IPA brewed in Midwest. Columbus Brewing Company also has a very nice and very drinkable IPA. More of a "Go To" IPA than one drowning in hops.
opiate82
Bronze Squire
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Yeah, they are pretty bad. Alabama only JUST legalized homebrewing in 2013 and it was actually a major fight in the state legislature. But there are bad states (as far as craft beer is concerned) littered throughout the country. I don't remember the specifics but I was listening to a podcast with the head brewer from Prairie Artisan Ales in Oklahoma (13 breweries/0.5 per 100,000) and the difficulty he had trying to sell his beer in his own state was mind-bottling.
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What's the population of drinkers for each though? SoDak is pretty much hard liquor only. RUFFNECKS HOOO!
Thats a good point. Maybe there is a different drinking landscape in some of these states with low amounts of breweries. I kind of doubt it since it sounds like the ones with low brewery counts have tons of legal red tape in place to make it hard to open one. But I know I personally drink far more whisky than I drink beer.
opiate82
Bronze Squire
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Only data I have is that is 0.2 gallons of beer consumed per 21+ year old for 2013. The most consumed, Vermont with 15.1 gallons consumed per 21+ year old.
*edit: And that is a good point about the drinking landscape. WA for example is amongst the top in breweries-per-capita but is only in the middle of the pack as far as beer consumed per capita. The reason, well Washington is also home to 800 wineries...
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This is sort of timely:
Best Beers in America - The Best States for Beer Lovers - Oregon and California Top Our List
edit: I've yet to read it, but it seems topical.
Best Beers in America - The Best States for Beer Lovers - Oregon and California Top Our List
edit: I've yet to read it, but it seems topical.
I'm sure a fairly large reason many mountain states don't have a huge brew scene is the west coast juggernauts leak into their states so there isn't a huge demand for their own brand of craft brew