October is American Beer Month. So who’s got the best craft beer? That’s a tough poll. Data can be very subjective, manipulated and contextual. VinePair is a fun site (www.VinePair.com) that was likely started by wine enthusiasts …or something about Hop vines, then evolved into a full-on editorial content site for wine, beer and spirits; a drink-fan’s wiki, full of beverage industry insights, cocktail ideas from both sides of the bar, to occasionally repurposing other content, VinePair recently collaborated with our friends at Beer Advocate (www.BeerAdvocate.com) and used their data to create the lovely little map here.
Now, as with any data, you must consider the source, the way the questions were asked, and the sample pool. I’d say in this case, we have a small response pool from a narrowly defined audience of true craft beer fans (instead of using data like gross sales, distribution, or random polling). So, we therefore have some to get beers and a lot of beers in the “over 8% range” including some high octane dark beers, where you’re kind of “one and done” for the night.
Here in sunny California, Pliny the Younger was #1 in this poll; Younger, hard to come by for most people, to the seriously one-and-done “Hellaboozie” 15% Imperial BBA (bourbon barrel aged) Russian Stout by 3 Floyds Brewing (They must Party Rock HARD in Indiana!). Several at 15%… and even an over 18% brew by DogFish Head …Mamma said Knock You Out! if you’re an adult beverage enthusiast looking for some good beverage ideas and bar-speak talking points, check out VinePair (CLICK HERE to join their newsletter) and check out their entire “Highest Rated Beer In Every State” article. The source data came from Beer Advocate’s “Top Rated Beers in the United States” report. Beer Advocate, where true craft beer fan roost for hella phat beer content (CLICK HERE to join the Beer Advocate Community)…and that should wrap up American Beer Month.
Drop into Creekside for our Beer of the Month any month. We have Pliny (the Elder) in large format bottles, and RRBC Blind Pig on tap, plus 30 other craft beers from over 25 different true craft breweries. Follow Creekside Taproom on “Untapp’d” for updates on our rotating craft beer selection, earn your Creekside Badge, and taunt your friends with your beverage expertise at Untapp’d, the beer fans’ go-to social app: CLICK HERE
Good hunting. Cheers, PT