Best beer map of America

Did a quick search and didn't see this posted anywhere:

http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/369-best-beer-map-of-america/

Top 3 states per capita: Colorado, Oregon and Wisconsin. Bottom 3: West Virginia, North Dakota and Oklahoma.

 

And here's why I can never trust these results:

"Most highly decorated beer in America is the Alaskan Smoked Porter (15 medals; 6 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze), followed by the New Belgium Abbey Belgian Style Ale (10 medals; 6 gold, 4 bronze) and the Genesee Cream Ale (10 medals; 2 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze)."

The first two, fine, I can live with that. Genny Cream Ale's awards hold the same weight for me as PBR's blue ribbon from 1893.

 

Beer rankings and ratings are getting to be like boxing. Too many divisions for too many styles. When I saw that the GABF was handing out medals to Miller Lite and some of the mass-produced swill - probably to gain sponsorship dollars - it let me down.
That Alaskan Smoked is some good stuff. But I'll take the Full Sail Bourbon Barrell Imperial Stout as the best I've ever had.

 

Three thoughts:

1. Strange Maps is one of my top 5 favorite web sites. Too bad it doesn't put out a new one often.

2. I'd say most of the awards won by the big conglomerates are for microbeers and regional beers that they've snapped up (Leinie's, etc.) rather than the mainline swill.

3. Utah has more award-winning beers than Minnesota? (At least it looks it with my screen resolution.) That stuns me.

 

OK, let's go state by state and offer up the best brews in each

I'll throw out Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale for my home state and Upland DragonFly IPA for Indiana.

 

It's a little random, but I will gladly nominate Wagner Dockside Amber Lager or Ithaca Apricot Wheat as my favorites from NY. Could drink those for days.

 

Just based on Bell's, Founders and New Holland, Michigan belongs high on the list of top beer states. And, Freelance, I'll put Three Floyds' Robert the Bruce up against anything else from Indiana.

 

I wonder where Vermonts lands on the list. They brew Long Trail in Vermont and it's, by far, some of the best beer I've ever had.

 

I used to have a poster like this in college - a map of the U.S., with pint glasses marking about 150 cities where there were microbreweries, and a key beneath the map.

 

Isn't going to Kentucky for good beer kind of like going to China for good pasta?

Nothing wrong, just that when you think of the Bluegrass State you think of whiskey more.

 

Though, doesn't the historic legend have it that Marco Polo brought pasta to Italy from China? Yet I've also read that it was the Middle East, not China ...

 

It's possible. Chow mein noodles, etc. are essentially pasta.

But you know what I mean. (Maybe I should've said going to Kansas City for some good cheesesteak.)