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Food / drink 🍗 The Highest-Rated Beer in Every State (2025)

JNA

JNA

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vinepair.com

The Highest-Rated Beer in Every State (2025) [MAP]

2024 wasn’t a great year for the craft brewing industry. In the U.S., craft beer production was down to just 23.1 million barrels, a 3.9 percent decrease year-over-year. Moreover, the number of brewery closures outpaced the number of new brewery openings for the first time since 2005. But while...
vinepair.com vinepair.com

Do you agree with what is rated for your state ?
 
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For Arizona, I'm sure some russian imperial stout from one of our local brewers meets the top ratings, but I'm not a stout person so I've never tried it. If put to a vote around here I think Bud Light would be your winner.
 
JNA said:
vinepair.com

The Highest-Rated Beer in Every State (2025) [MAP]

2024 wasn’t a great year for the craft brewing industry. In the U.S., craft beer production was down to just 23.1 million barrels, a 3.9 percent decrease year-over-year. Moreover, the number of brewery closures outpaced the number of new brewery openings for the first time since 2005. But while...
vinepair.com vinepair.com

Do you agree with what is rated for your state ?
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Founder's Canadian Breakfast Stout is a great beer. Don't get me wrong. But of ALL the locally produced brews, to call that particular one the best of the best? I don't know. I guess something has to occupy the spot.
 
The number of IPAs on that list . . .
gross GIF
 
I've had the ones selected for California, Florida, Georgia, Maine, NC & Utah.

I can't say for sure if they're the best in the state, but I can say that each of these are rather good beers - very enjoyable / drinkable.

Pliney - Tropocalia - Dinner are extremely good & yes I'm partial to ipas.
 
JNA said:
vinepair.com

The Highest-Rated Beer in Every State (2025) [MAP]

2024 wasn’t a great year for the craft brewing industry. In the U.S., craft beer production was down to just 23.1 million barrels, a 3.9 percent decrease year-over-year. Moreover, the number of brewery closures outpaced the number of new brewery openings for the first time since 2005. But while...
vinepair.com vinepair.com

Do you agree with what is rated for your state ?
Click to expand...

When I try to open the link, our system flags it and won't let me go there.

Can you post an image or the list?
 
MD Planner said:
The number of IPAs on that list . . .
gross GIF
Click to expand...

I still enjoy a lot of the IPAs but never got the obsession with the stouts with the 11.0%+ ABV. The article is using rankings from the website Beer Advocate and based on my brief time using that site years ago, it seemed like the beer snobs who actively post, rate, and review over there would probably count just about anything with an ABV <8% as "near beer". :r:

If I had to pick a great beer from Michigan, it would probably be just about anything from Austin Brothers up in @mendelman's old stompin' grounds in Alpena.

Griffin Claw is a tiny brewery here in my happy little town that seems to have an outsized distribution deal with somebody as their stuff is EVERYWHERE in Metro Detroit. They have a lot of highly rated stouts that people line up for when they bring back certain ones. I've sampled a few and... no thanks. Most of their beers are pretty terrible IMO actually but their food is good, so I keep going back. They do however have an outstanding sour that they only seem to brew (ferment?) once every couple years. That's also one of my favorite Michigan beers but it's so inconsistently offered that I don't think I can really count that.
 
I've come to the conclusion that there are two types of beer that independent craft brewers are required to make:
1. [fill in something special] IPA. It's got hops in it. Yes, lots of hops. You'll be in awe at the amount of hops in it; both boiling and finishing. Yeah yeah, we get it you think you're special. Newsflash* EVERYBODY brews at least three different varieties of IPA's. You ain't special!!!
2. a serious stout. That is, because they've brewed this stout (and here let's include porters) - that must inevitably measure at least 40 on the IBU (international bitterness units) scale - this brewery must now be taken seriously. It's like a rite of passage, I guess.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
I still enjoy a lot of the IPAs but never got the obsession with the stouts with the 11.0%+ ABV. The article is using rankings from the website Beer Advocate and based on my brief time using that site years ago, it seemed like the beer snobs who actively post, rate, and review over there would probably count just about anything with an ABV <8% as "near beer". :r:

If I had to pick a great beer from Michigan, it would probably be just about anything from Austin Brothers up in @mendelman's old stompin' grounds in Alpena.

Griffin Claw is a tiny brewery here in my happy little town that seems to have an outsized distribution deal with somebody as their stuff is EVERYWHERE in Metro Detroit. They have a lot of highly rated stouts that people line up for when they bring back certain ones. I've sampled a few and... no thanks. Most of their beers are pretty terrible IMO actually but their food is good, so I keep going back. They do however have an outstanding sour that they only seem to brew (ferment?) once every couple years. That's also one of my favorite Michigan beers but it's so inconsistently offered that I don't think I can really count that.
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I don't drink beer, but happy that Austin Bros is getting airtime in SE MI. :brofist:

Their restaurant in Alpena is really good and my brother and SIL are good friends with the owners/operators.
 
My vote for Arizona is the Scottsdale Blonde. Claims to be a German style Kolsh, whatever that is. It's light and refreshing. Just what you need when the sun is killing you.

For Kansas my pick was Boulevard Wave the Wheat. A wheat beer of course.

The beer should relate to the state somehow. Make it special. I look at the list and it's a bunch of IPA and stout. Not many people drink stout around here. Lots of IPA snobs though.
 
DVD said:
My vote for Arizona is the Scottsdale Blonde. Claims to be a German style Kolsh, whatever that is. It's light and refreshing. Just what you need when the sun is killing you.

For Kansas my pick was Boulevard Wave the Wheat. A wheat beer of course.

The beer should relate to the state somehow. Make it special. I look at the list and it's a bunch of IPA and stout. Not many people drink stout around here. Lots of IPA snobs though.
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Don't know if this is snobby but if you've had real German beer such as Cölner Hofbräu Früh (and within view of the Cologne cathedral) hard to have American German beer.
 
The craft brewers have hurt themselves too by over producing certain beers by just changing 1 or 2 things.

A classic IPA is nothing like the majority of IPAs on the market as they've gone through several transitions. One group listed 9 official styles, while others list several more. When we go to brewery for the first time, usually order a flight - I'll usually order an IPA flight & Mrs. P will generally order a stout, wheat, mex lager, brown or red as her flight. Then we'll probably have a pint of the one we liked the most and possibly bring home a couple 4-pks.

I've seen lagers making inroads lately with more showing up from independents.

Find a couple styles you like and go with it. Experiment with different styles too.
 
Planit said:
A classic IPA is nothing like the majority of IPAs on the market as they've gone through several transitions. One group listed 9 official styles, while others list several more. When we go to brewery for the first time, usually order a flight - I'll usually order an IPA flight & Mrs. P will generally order a stout, wheat, mex lager, brown or red as her flight. Then we'll probably have a pint of the one we liked the most and possibly bring home a couple 4-pks.
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This is how I roll now when I go to a bar with a wide selection or a brewery.

I really like sours and gose and lambics and we've got a few places in the area that usually have a good selection of them. The bars and breweries write up such stupid flowery descriptions that I have a hard time trying to decipher what I might I might enjoy. I usually just ask the bartender or server to bring me a flight of whatever they want and the only other guidance I give is no stouts or porters and all sours/lambics if they have that many.
 
mendelman said:
I don't drink beer, but happy that Austin Bros is getting airtime in SE MI. :brofist:

Their restaurant in Alpena is really good and my brother and SIL are good friends with the owners/operators.
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I can attest to the restaurant being really good. I went up to Alpena for a couple days in the summer to help a buddy clean up some property he inherited and we went to the restaurant for a very long lunch one day. I don't make road trips for beer or restaurants anymore but that's one I'd happily do again.
 
An f'n sour beer to represent Texas? :puke:

I mean Jester King is a fabulous brewery for that type of beer, but man that is a select group of people that like that where there are so many great others that are closer to mainstream types. When I think of a style for Texas, I tend to gravitate towards farmhouse ales, juiced IPAs (south Texas citrus), and Mexican lagers.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
I can attest to the restaurant being really good. I went up to Alpena for a couple days in the summer to help a buddy clean up some property he inherited and we went to the restaurant for a very long lunch one day. I don't make road trips for beer or restaurants anymore but that's one I'd happily do again.
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[off-topic]There is an Alpena centric session on Tuesday during the upcoming Detroit APA NPC. I may have more Alpena knowledge than any of the presenters.[/off-topic]
 
The Terminator said:
I HATE IPA's

Upstate New York should have its own category where the winner can be GENESEE CREAM or Utica Club! Our worst beers are our favorite.
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I have a few Genesee cans in my collection; 70's era pull-top steel cans. I think those were a staple of most kids' collections. Some of my earliest can memories. Many others - "I don't remember this can."
 
The Terminator said:
I HATE IPA's

Upstate New York should have its own category where the winner can be GENESEE CREAM or Utica Club! Our worst beers are our favorite.
Click to expand...

I can occasionally find Genesee Cream at some of the stores here. As far as really cheap beers go, I actually really like that one. I haven't seen it in a while but now I'll have to keep an eye out for those green and white cans! I could go for one of those again!
 
Genesee was one of the few beers you would occasionally see in the south prior to the craft beer boom. I didn't care for beer until I was 22 or so, but I remember thinking it wasn't that bad compared to some of the other limited brands available.

I cant stand IPAs, bourbon barrel beers, or super high alcohol. Beer shouldn't make your mouth dry. If I wanted bourbon, whiskey or other liquor, I'd drink liquor not a beer that tastes a bit like it.
 
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