Men’s Journal, a general interest magazine for men, for the third year in a row has selected their picks for the “25 best beers in America.” The list graces their October issue and while it is filled with terrific beers, such a list can never be considered definitive. As good a list as it is, there are as many great beers left off the list as there are on it, probably more.
It’s great news, of course, for the beers on the list. Hopefully they’ll get more attention and even possibly more sales generated from the article. But it doesn’t mean the beers not on the list aren’t in many cases every bit as good as those who made the cut this year. For those of us who judge beer regularly there are so many factors that come into play that a list like this one can never be truly taken serious for a variety of reasons. But the novelty of it appeals to all of us, myself included, and I imagine I scanned the list with as much interest as the average reader. Anything that shows craft beer in a positive light can’t be all bad, and this annual list (now in its third year) is certainly another good way to spread the message of how many good beers are being made all over the country. Now if we can just get more people to start drinking them, that would be really something.
Here’s the full list:
- Firestone Walker Pale Ale: Paso Robles, CA
- Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA: Milton, DE
- Stoudt’s Pils: Adamstown, PA
- Russian River Temptation Ale: Santa Rosa, CA
- Avery Mephistopheles’ Stout: Boulder, CO
- Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale: Boonville, CA
- Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale: Cleveland, OH
- Full Sail Session Lager: Hood River, OR
- Rogue Brutal Bitter: Newport, OR
- Bell’s Expedition Stout: Comstock, MI
- Southampton Double White: Southampton, NY
- Smuttynose Big A IPA: Portsmouth, NH
- Penn Weizen: Pittsburgh, PA
- Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale: Cleveland, OH
- Ommegang Hennepin: Cooperstown, NY
- Samuel Adams Black Lager: Boston, MA
- Sprecher Hefe Weiss: Milwaukee, WI
- Alaskan Amber: Juneau, AK
- Deschutes Broken Top Bock: Bend, OR
- Lost Abbey Avant Garde: San Marcos, CA
- Jolly Pumpkin Bam Bière: Dexter, MI
- Victory St. Victorious Doppelbock: Downington, PA
- Allagash Interlude: Portland, ME
- Alesmith Speedway Stout: San Diego, CA
- New Glarus Yokel: New Glarus, WI
I remeber a few summers back when they first launched this and picked Saison DuPont (just about my #1 biere) as the winner in the list. It drove the prices up at the local stores in Boston, and alot of places sold out – it actually sucked. We can’t even get Firestone out here, so not a big deal…good to see Jolly Pumpkin on there!
I had to send the author a correction. He put Firestone Walker winery in the Napa Valley.
It is, of course, in Buellton, California near Santa Barbara. Really…..
The East Coast bias is shining through. Zero beers from Washington state. One from Colorado. Three from Oregon. Four from California. Jay, you weren’t harsh enough or honest enough in your commentary. Any beer judge or CBG (certified beer geek) knows that this list is friggin’ pitiful. At minimum, half this list must be from those four states to have any credibility. And the whole idea of “25 best beers in America” is sort of silly without some parameters.
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA is good, but their 90 Minute is GREAT! Actually, pretty much all of the Dogfish Head and Victory brews are far above average, and many belong on the
Top 25″ list!
you missed the best of all:
Full Sail Amber Ale
Full Sail Brewry
Hood River, OR
Gordon, I hate to break it to you but I didn’t make the list, the magazine Men’s Journal did.
I’m from Wisconsin and there are some very good beers here but you left out an Illinois brewery that makes the #1 IPA and that’s 3 Floyd’s alpha king.