What is your favorite local microbrewery?
My spouse and I have been known to travel far and wide to search out great brews and upscale food. All vacations have included brewery destinations along with some fine dining restaurants,as well. In fact we have planned entire trips strictly for week- long pub crawls.
Do you live in an area rich with spectacular suds and dynamite dining? What is your favorite microbrewery that has the best food, not just pub grub? Are you lucky enough to have more than one? Please share! We want to come to your town!
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31 Comments:
No contest, North Idaho has the finest MicroBrew in our Laughing Dog Brewery
GrizDave at 2:40AM on 02/15/08
Locally I've always thought Sprecher made a good product (they make a good West-African style gluten free beer) and while I know it is no "microbeer" Yuengling is crazy good - but unavailable to 75% (or more) of the USA... what a shame.
jasonbrink at 9:06AM on 02/15/08
@jasonbrink - are you in PA?
frederika at 10:06AM on 02/15/08
@frederika - there are times I wish I was. I'm in Milwaukee, WI (one time beer capital of the USA). If I was in PA, I'd have all the Yuengling I'd want...
jasonbrink at 10:45AM on 02/15/08
I live near Green Bay, WI and Titletown Brewing Co. is the microbrewery by which my husband measures all micro's. The beer is always excellent, and the food is excellent- although some of it is standard pub fare.
Across the street from Titletown is also Hinterland Brewing. While their beers aren't quite the Titletown caliber, the food is unsurpassable for this area.
ErikaWaz at 12:16PM on 02/15/08
For those in Colorado / Wyoming
Snake River Brewing (Try the Zonker Stout)
As a former Laramie resident, you should try Altitude and the Library.
In Northern Colorado, I'm a huuuuge fan of The New Belgium Brewing Company (Fat Tire is nectar of the gods. And their seasonal release, Skinny Dip, is yummy too.)
lo82070 at 12:53PM on 02/15/08
@frederika - for great food and beer, Altitude in Laramie, WY is one of my favorites.
lo82070 at 12:54PM on 02/15/08
I do live in PA and keep Yuengling for some family members when they visit. They absolutely love it. Other guests won't go near the stuff. One likes Heineken, another St. Pauly Girl? My Canadian relatives prefer to bring their own. I don't really like beer, but like to keep some on hand. I cook with it occasionally. Friends tried to convert me and took me to microbreweries and bars. The only beer that I found palatable was Killian's Red, but not enough to drink it often. Most of the others were not worth a sip.
Are there other wine drinkers who just have no taste for beer?
PerkyMac at 1:04PM on 02/15/08
We haven't headed to WI for an extended brew jaunt yet and we need to. WI is rich in microbreweries as is MI, our new home state, and not that far away!
We had a splendid week in CO / Manitou Springs a few years back. We left no brewery unturned! Does anyone know if the Warehouse is still open? Awesome beer and incredible food.
Thank you! More please?!?!
frederika at 1:12PM on 02/15/08
Forgot to add - there are tons of microbreweries in this area, but they are dwindling. I think the craze is past it's peak, so better get to SE PA sooner, rather than later.
PerkyMac at 1:22PM on 02/15/08
Perky - We have homebrewed for a number of years and it never occured to me until my SO really got into it, how many beer styles there were. You just keep tasting and tasting until you discover the styles you prefer. I was never a beer lover until then. Always drank wine. Now the hobby/craft of brewing has exploded and there are so many beers available it's overwhelming. I would recommend to any beer nubie to try the sampler (usually five or six 3 oz. pours of their house beers) that are offered at most microbreweries worth their salt.
Happily, chefs, restaurateurs and sommeliers have so embraced the fine microbrews, scores of them are offering beer pairings with their cuisine, as well as wine. You'll see beer pairing dinners and tasting events arranged by the more upscale microbreweries all over the nation now and they are well worth attending.
I'm not out to convert wine drinkers into beer drinkers (I truly enjoy both) but if you're on the fence and just feel kind of ho-hum about beer, then maybe it's because you've only tasted ho-hum beer up till now.
frederika at 1:38PM on 02/15/08
Perk - we spent a week in Philly a couple years ago and literally did not have enough time to get to every microbrewery and God knows we tried. We stopped at Red Star in Greensburg on our way and stayed at General Lafayette's Inn and Brewery. We got to Victory in Downingtown, Iron Hill in West Chester, Nodding Hill, Independence Brew Pub by Reading Mkt., Stoudt's in Adamstown for the beer festival and still managed to fit in Monk's, Jack's Firehouse and several others. Please don't tell me any of those great places are closed! I know Monk's is still open - it's a virtual institution. Best Belgian beer bar in America, bar none.
frederika at 1:56PM on 02/15/08
In Seattle, my favorite is the Elysian Brewery. Fantastic food, and if you're here in the fall, their pumpkin ale can't be beat!
Diz at 5:05PM on 02/15/08
Oooh that's so cool that you guys travel to microbreweries! One that I frequent quite a bit (since its 5 minutes from my house - I live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago) is RAM. They make a great hefeweizen!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 5:19PM on 02/15/08
Just wanted to let you all know that when you are searching for craft breweries/brewpubs, you can find (and map) them all on www.pubquest.com.
Cheers!
PubQuest Julie at 9:42PM on 02/15/08
@frederika.....I think I've been to at least half of those you mentioned. Some mainly for dinner, and others to actually sample and sample. One of my closest friends is a Brit and he has convinced me that ice cold is not best - much more flavor when some of the chill is off. I now agree with him, but I'm still not a fan of beer. The microbreweries I know for certain have closed are not on the list you provided. I'm thinking of Blue Moon in King of Prussia and Sunnybrook in Pottstown. The one in Reading had the best food and I'm hoping it's still open. Iron Hill had a huge college crowd (and NOISE) so I'm betting that still exists. I haven't been hopping in awhile, so I just don't know about the others. I've heard of all but one or two. Are you planning a tour anytime soon in this vicinity again? I can get definitive answers from my beer connoiseur friends.
PerkyMac at 10:00PM on 02/15/08
@Perky - We're not planning a trip down to PA anytime soon. We're still in recovery mode from a big move last year and will probably spend this year exploring MI and more nearby states. But our trip to PA was a blast. You can see we're pretty serious about our pub-crawling. Whew! Good news about the breweries remaining open.
@ Hillary - Now I consider Chicago "close" to my new home. That is a trip that has real potential this year. We usually do a trip to Chicago in July for my SO's Bday trip, but haven't been able to in 2 years. We've been to Ram, Govnor's, Flossmoor, Flatlander's, Rock Bottom, Brass, Emmett's, Prairie Rock, Goose Island (all), Piece, Onion and Taylor's, among others. I noticed in the latest Great Lakes Brewing News that Onion was not listed. Did it close? That would be a tremendous shame. We found the location of Lunar Brewing, but they were closed. Is it worth getting there? We also went to one in Napierville, but I can't remember the name. We usually stay in Schaumberg or out by Hoffman Estates or Barrington, then drive up to Chicago for dinner.
frederika at 11:07AM on 02/16/08
Kalamazoo Michigan has some great microbrews. OK, not a lot of them, but they are tasty -
Bell's Beer - i'd list their brews that I like, but i like everything but their Amber. It's not them, I just don't like Ambers. Bell's collection of Stouts in just incredible, although some people think they are on the bitter side, I can't get enough. their actual pub is certainly eccentric, my husband and I almost rented the beer gardens out back for our wedding reception. Pub food is only slightly above average, but the excellent brews, non-smoking environs and great bands make up for it.
Old Peninsula microbrews are also delicious, but limited in variety. I think they only do 6 or 7 kinds, and are similar in taste and texture to a Sam Adams. OP also boasts an excellent family dining menu, good prices, and excellent service.
Lots of people around here also like Kraftbrau, but I never got into them. No food there, and the place is just dark and dingy. yuck.
@Frederika, if you're not too far from Chicago, head east on I-94 about 2 and a half hours till you hit Kalamazoo. Three microbreweries in downtown, plus plenty of decent dining and cheap parking. and you can hit the casinos in Mich City on the way home to IL.
redhead at 12:15PM on 02/16/08
I'm a Philadelphia native, so I'd take off my right arm for a yuengling...
but now I live in Beer Capitol, USA aka St. Louis, MO.
Despite AB, there's a bunch of great small craft breweries around. My favorite right now is O'Fallon -- their smoked porter is a "beer that drinks like a meal". It's not the beer to drink if you're going drinking all night, but it's a fantastic sensory experience. Their 5-day IPA is also wonderful.
Square One Brewery makes some good food and the beer ain't too bad either.
rllevy at 3:07PM on 02/16/08
Pizza Port in San Diego.
GumbeauxGal at 3:26PM on 02/16/08
@redhead - I like the way you think! My husband would have killed to have our wedding or reception in Bell's beer garden but I had to drag him to damn Hawaii. We had the opportunity to beer cruise MI last year and went all the way to Tahquamenon Falls (ok beer, mediocre food, unbelievable photography). We made Bell's our last stop on the way back to Toledo. I loved everything about it and it was July, so the beer was cold and the pub grub really hit the spot out in the back yard. All their beers on draft are so much better than from a bottle, anyway. My husband is much more familiar with the Kzoo breweries since he used to frequent the area on business. Normally, he is very happy with a sensational beer and a burger, but I guess I've gotten spoiled by the microbreweries who know how to present more exceptional cuisine.
Chicago is probably about an hour closer to us than before but it's still a good 3 1/2 away. It's always been worth it though and I'm really getting excited about going again.
frederika at 3:59PM on 02/16/08
oh, also, almost forgot... the schlafly tap room. their year-round beers are pretty pedestrian. the irish stout is pretty good. but their seasonals? aw man. I've been known to stockpile the Raspberry Hefeweizen in my basement.
rllevy at 4:06PM on 02/16/08
@ Frederika - Yay!! another Bell's fan! i'm actually enjoying a bottled Winter White Ale right now. in a few weeks at the pub, they'll be selling winter white for a buck or two a pint. just to get rid of the stuff. on tap it's dangerous!
we nixed the idea of having the wedding at the beer gardens because a)they wouldn't let us bring in any other food, like wedding cake, and b) they only have a pub liscense, no liquor liscence, so no wine (a must have for a Jewish wedding).
redhead at 8:21PM on 02/16/08
The Five Seasons locations in Atlanta are swell, with the same care taken in the kitchen as in the brewery. Twain's in Decatur, GA, brews decent beer and has a good hometown vibe.
FMFats at 12:04AM on 02/17/08
Thanks guys! We may be heading to Charleston, SC sometime this year. I remember the South End Brewery from another trip. Does anyone know if it is still open and if there may be any other noteworthy microbreweries around the area?
frederika at 4:20PM on 02/17/08
If you're headed to WI, make sure to hit New Glarus (for Spotted Cow) and Middleton (just outside of Madison), for a Capital Amber. Huber is not far away, and at that point, you're just a short jaunt away from MIlwaukee, where there are a bunch of options--with Tyranena on the route there. Robin Shepard wrote a book on the microbreweries in Wisconsin and gives route maps and food options too. I think he has also written some for IL and MN too. Needless to say, we used to live there and miss it all terribly - especially the Spotted Cow.
samedog at 8:02PM on 02/20/08
Ithaca Brewery. Tiny, almost hole in the wall sort of joint, but the Apricot Wheat is heavenly. Their seasonal brews are pretty good too, but most are quite hoppy. And you can stop there if you feel like mixing in beer with a wine tour of the Finger Lakes!
machellebelle at 12:59AM on 02/21/08
@machellebelle - Is the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca also?
frederika at 1:15AM on 02/22/08
@frederika-- yep! :)
machellebelle at 12:02PM on 02/23/08
Dexter, Michigan is home to a fabulous little brewery called Jolly Pumpkin. They brew all Belgian style ales in big beautiful bottles with a different piece of funky artwork for each beer. They're tiny, but so hospitable they'll show you around the little place and splash beer samples at you til you're tipsy if you call ahead. They've also been named one of the top microbreweries in the country by a few different magazine polls. If you're in the area, Ann Arbor and Detroit beer lists often include Jolly Pumpkin. Go for La Roja or the Bam Farmhouse Ale. There are often cidery undertones and lots of spiced wood flavors. Delicious!
I must also recommend Allagash and Shipyard if you're in Portland, Maine.
lesliepariseau at 10:00AM on 02/25/08
My hubby is a HUGE beer fan. These are some favorite Philly haunts I haven't seen posted yet.
Ludwig's beer garden(think this is his favorite)
The Bard's (Best guiness pour we've had around here)
Euology(Belgian beers)
Standard Tap
Brigid's(another Belgian bar)
The London Grill
Rembrandt's
These are definitely some of best beer destinations!
They are neighborhood bars and may take time to find,but are well worth
the effort.
donnie at 2:46PM on 02/25/08