Pacific Brew News

Today the American beer world is aflutter with the news that beer is in the news – on CNN no less. Yes, CNN did a decent job addressing America as a beer destination, but in all the piece seems to need an addendum – something for avid and rabid beer geeks. I’m not trying to take away from anyone who contributed to the piece, I just don’t think CNN had enough space to do the subject justice. Actually, it’s not even that, I think the work is brilliant at getting a message out to new eyes. If you’re reading this blog, I have an assumption that you didn’t learn much by reading that. So, consider this for you. I do wish to thank all those involved in the piece, overall – Matt, Stephen and others. CNN could have easily put out a fluff piece riddled with inaccuracies, but there wasn’t anything there that was necessarily ‘wrong’ – that’s because our beer bloggers and enthusiasts of the day truly know their stuff.

First, Beer Destinations

In the US today there are a handful of places worth treating like a beer destination, places you’d travel to when you want to experience American craft beer in all its glory. The piece did well to mention Portland and San Diego, but sorta fell off after that. I thought I’d add some of my own destinations.

• Philadelphia: Mentioned in passing at the end, Philly is not a beer town like Portland – in some ways it’s better. Where Portland is bursting with breweries, Philly has a culture of beer that is easy to appreciate. Walk from bar to bar, find fantastic food at places like Standard Tap or Tria, all while enjoying some of the best craft beer offerings in the US. Let’s not forget notable bars like Monk’s Cafe, Jose Pistolas and so many others. This city easily has a claim as one of the best beer stops in the country.
• San Francisco / Bay Area: The trouble with this choice is that it is too spread out. The positive is that a lot of you are already going to be here for something – wine country, conferences, a weekend in the city. While here check out Toronado in San Fran, or City Beer, Monk’s Kettle or a handful of other stops. Going to wine country? Refresh your palate at Moylan’s, Russian River, Bear Republic, or take a break at one of many small breweries along the way. Oakland? Just up the road from the convention center you’ll find The Trappist – a most worthy stop if there was one.
• Seattle: If Portland can have any claim to the hop industry, so can these guys just a couple hours north on the I-5. They don’t have the number of breweries found in Portland, but they aren’t necessarily skinny in the area, either. Add to that Brouwer’s and premier bottle shops and you’ve got a reason to stop.
• Michigan: Seriously one of the top places for beer today. As exciting as San Diego is for beer, overlooking this state’s beer would be a fantastic blunder. They’ve got a palate for hops, big malt bombs, barrel aged beers and anything in between. In fact, this may just be the most exciting place for beer lovers right now.
• Denver: OK, this is sort of like SF – the breweries are spread out and there isn’t a whole lot downtown. That said, don’t you want to get out of town if you’re in Denver? Head north a bit and discover something at Fort Collins Brewing, Odell’s, Coopersmiths or Twisted Pine. Of course, when in Denver you’ll want to stop in and sidle up to Falling Rock’s bar, or enjoy a more mellow pint at Wynkoop.
• Wisconsin: I don’t honestly know where to begin here, but I can say you’ll have no trouble finding something fresh and local – wherever you are in this state.
• Indiana: Yes, Indiana – and there’s more than what’s found in Munster. With beer joints the likes of the Herot and a bunch of smaller breweries, you’ll find enough to keep busy. If you need help, I’m certain JeffryT at TheGoodBeerShow can help.

Yeah, there’s more, but you get the drift. If all you know is what everyone talks about online, you may want to find something for yourself – it may be closer than you know.

Up Next: Up and Coming

CNN listed Southern California’s The Bruery as an up and coming brewery. Well, that was more true a year back, but it seems you can’t turn around without reading something about Patrick’s fantastic beers. Oh, make no mistake, his beers are rockin’ and there’s a lot of reason to be excited for them. That said, it seems there are some more appropriate options for the “up and coming” honors. Here’s mine.

• Uncommon Brewing – Think outside the can as you sip on these beers. They’re new, not widely distributed, but definitely worth the find.

Finally

I must say that I loved the point of the piece, that wherever you go in the US you’ll want to find locals who know their beer scene – Beaumont said it best:

“Beer is a social drink, and beer people love to talk about the beer,” he said. “You can find a local or savvy visitor who can tell you about something you’ve never heard of, and that makes it a phenomenal experience.”

In this day and age it couldn’t be easier to plan out your beer stops before you go. With Twitter, FaceBook, RateBeer, BeerAdvocate and a plethora of homebrew forums online, you should have no trouble identifying the beer joints you want to see while your on the road. In fact, you could just as easily find something in your own backyard by using these resources. The beer landscape is always changing, and it’s just impossible to keep up with it all – don’t be afraid to check out the forums and see what’s new around you.