The 25 Most Important American Craft Beers Ever Brewed

  The end of the year is fraught with countdowns. It's a cliché. About a year ago, I emailed myself a list of the 25 most important craft beers ever brewed. If you've followed this blog for even a minute, I suck at posting consistent material and I blame it on not being paid to do this. So, fancying myself an educated, well-traveled drinker, I looked over the list. Also, if you know me, I've had a lot of different beers, so this also should not come as a surprise.

Beers 25-20: Ithaca Flower Power (x), Victory Brewery HopDevil (x), 90 Minute IPA from Dogfish (x), Geary's Pale Ale, Anchor Steam Porter (x), Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse from Nodding Head.

Out of the gate, I'm 3 for 5. If I were to document where I first acquired a taste for hop-forward beers, it was Ithaca Flower Power. My Untappd app says I first had this brew on 8/14/14 but it was available on tap before that. I remember pouring Flower Power for Beerology at Buffalo's Science Museum. I don't remember a whole hell of a lot of science that night, it was just pouring sample size brews and striking up small talk to people wearing pretzel necklaces. That's always a good look, the pretzel necklace. Nothing screams suburban, pedestrian fashion like crudely made necklaces made with a bag of fucking pretzels. Since moving to Portland, I still fondly look back at having a bottle of Flower Power and sneezing because of the hops on my porch. HopDevil could be found on tap from time to time in Buffalo and it was a good, hoppy East Coast beer. 90 Minute IPA and Anchor Steam Porter was either from Consumer's Beverage or Village Beer Merchant - both in Buffalo, NY.

Beers 19-11: Widmer Hefeweizen (x), PizzaPort/Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme, Anchor Steam Christmas Ale (x), Allagash Coolship Resurgan, Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale(x), Celis White, New Belgium La Folie, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Anchor Steam(x).

4 out of 9. Again, not a bad showing if you ask me. First on the list, but not chronologically drank, Widmer Hefeweizen. This was a beer that I didn't see on the East Coast. In terms of beers from Oregon, especially from 2010 until 2015, you'd see Rogue Dead Guy and Ninkasi Total Domination in specialty beer stores. Tangentially speaking, Dead  Guy was a great beer to have at a Halloween party. Anyway, back to Widmer... I had this beer after an interview with a bank doing customer service. I really needed a job after moving to Portland with just a couple of hundred dollars to my name. I was not supposed to drink up that money but secure an apartment and some furniture. I was sleeping on my friend's couch, so I was motivated to A - find a job and B - stay out a little bit so I wasn't in the apartment driving everyone crazy. So, I did as any good new arrival to Portland does, got a pint of Widmer Hefeweizen. Not going to lie, but I'm not a hefeweizen person. But being in a townie bar, Malone's, it was just the right thing to do. 

Then there's Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale. I've probably started seeing this beer around 2012 or 2013 when I was living in Western New York. I remember doing a WNY Beer Club beer exchange at Avezzano's Ristorante, which is probably closed. Confirmed, it's closed. The real memory was when I was at Més Que on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo. Top 3 of my favorite bars that I've ever had the privilege to visit. Matt, the bartender at the time ordered Sierra Nevada's winter warmer a little heavy. I would frequent that bar weekly to watch European soccer games, so I would be there from 8 AM onwards. When I checked in this beer, it was in May. In fact, it was during the Kentucky Derby. At that time, I was just a single scumbag working a regular 9-5 job for slightly above minimum wage. Morning turned into afternoon and I had to make my money last. Matt, the bartender, said he'd sell 2 for 1 Celebration Ales. Deal. Sitting at the bar, smelling like the drunk night previous with a new kind of beer on my breath, got a text message from a friend. He and another friend is bringing some girls to the bar I was at to watch the Kentucky Derby. Good-looking women in nice dresses and giant fucking hats started pouring into the bar and I'm sitting in a hoodie with jeans that smell like farts. My friends roll in and I flat out tell them, "I can't afford this kind of pussy." Not misogynist, just a statement of fact. I stood no chance with them because I was guarding my last $20 like a hungry dog guards his bone. 

Beers 10 - 6: Anchor Steam (x), New Albion Ale, Victory Prima Pils (x), 3 Floyd's Dark Lord, Russian River Pliny the Elder (x), Anchor Steam Liberty Ale.

Man, Anchor Steam is on this list a lot. It's a good brewery but they have 4 on the list. Anyway, the real beer of mention is Pliny the Elder. There's a certain amount of marketing that goes into a successful beer. One aspect to consider is its availability. When I checked in Pliny the Elder, back in May 2014, that beer was not readily available in the Buffalo market. It wasn't until I was on a wine tasting vacation when I had it. I was a donkey at a horse race when I had that beer. The check-in was at Bouchon, a restaurant owned by Michelin star chef, Thomas Keller. The same purveyor of French Laundry, that was visited by California governor Gavin Newsome during COVID quarantine. Luckily, I wasn't footing the bill, but I still ordered a sensible burger and a couple of Plinys. I felt like a king, on someone else's dime. I was a beer guy on a wine tour, but I still had fun despite the relationship falling to pieces. We're all here for the story.

Beers 5 -1: Heady Topper from The Alchemist (x), Allagash White (x), Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, Sam Adams Boston Lager (x), Siera Nevada Pale Ale (x).

4 out of 5. As a seasoned beer drinker, I'm kind of cheesed off that I missed out on the Goose Island Bourbon County. I'm sure I've had it at some point, but according to Untappd, I did not. So, if it isn't written down it doesn't count. Bourbon County is one of those hype beers that the salespeople push off on beer merchants. It gets into the beer influencer channels as a must drink but it's an aged stout. I get it and dozens of other breweries are doing the same.

I checked in Heady Topper a few times. The first time was at Blackbird Barbeque on a trip to Vermont and Montreal. This was another hype beer that was only available at the brewery and a few locations in the surrounding area. So, unless you were a schlep who waited in line for a couple of cases or traded your firstborn, you were not getting this hazy IPA. And to be honest, Heady Topper was probably THE beer that kicked off the real hazy beer crazy. I had mine in 2014 and that fad still exists 6 years later. Although, West Coast brewers are returning to clear, hop-forward IPAs. 

Sam Adams was ubiquitous to my early craft beer drinking. I turned 21 whilst living in Batavia, New York. Angotti Beverage was my one-stop-shop for all things craft beer. Not only could you find Boston Lager, but all of the seasonal brews they pushed out. Everything culminated when I visited Sam Adam's brewery in Jamacia Plain. Up until that point, I have had a majority of offerings from Sam Adams. Seasonal and special release, even an aged Utopia beer. Sam Adams always has a place in my heart, despite what people say about them. Plenty of good times were had under the influence of Sam Adams.

Number one is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The Food & Wine article says, "Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a remarkable beer: Groundbreaking upon its release and still is a critical and commercial darling all of these years later, the beer's focus on American hops has established it as the country's signature pale ale." Sentiment aside, I can agree with that. No matter where you go, top-notch bars, dive bars, airports, or the grocery store, the quality of the product will remain the same. I was at a bar in Boston and saw an Irishman drinking a Budweiser. Curiously I asked why, and he said it was the consistency. 

Take Me Out to the Beer Game

CRACK


The batter hits the ball as a middle-aged guy empties a 24-ounce, overpriced domestic lager into a plastic cup. Remember the Coneheads from Saturday Night Live? The guy pouring my beer was wearing one of those prosthetics. It was in the heat of summer, and I was roasting like one of the hotdogs at the concession stand. Imagine what was going on under that rubber cap! Sitting with friends at a sporting event, having a couple of cold ones, and watching a game was the pinnacle of relaxation for me. Now with the COVID-19 virus showing no signs of abating, will we ever have the have that experience again?


Other than losing four consecutive NFL Super Bowls in a row, the Buffalo Bills are known for its fans. Bills Mafia varies as a group, be it drunk people dressed in Zubaz pants jumping from the tops of busses onto folding card tables to ardent fans. No matter how you identify, the Bills tailgate experience is unparalleled. Even if you weren’t a fan of the sport or the team, you could still go to a tailgate that started at an uncomfortably early hour on a Sunday. If you were a certain age, you may still be drunk from the night before. I’m not sure I was one of those “die-hards” who went out drinking until 4 AM and rolled up on a tailgate at 7 or 8 in the morning. I’d be willing to bet that did happen. Unlike potlucks at work, where you begrudgingly bring utensils or some cheap cracker plate you bought last minute at the store, a lot of people put a lot of thought into their offerings. There were nights I remember icing cutout Bills-shaped sugar cookies because my girlfriend at the time baked them. Spending hours cooking wings and rolling them into wonton wrappers. Depending on the time of year, there might be a deep-fried turkey or some venison making an appearance on your plate. The last game I was at, we stopped at Wegman’s and picked up some pizza logs to backstop the many Labatt Blues we were going to consume.


The reason why a pregame or tailgate is part of a complete gameday breakfast is that concessions at the game are so overpriced. But, there is a hidden gem. Have you ever heard of "crack beer?" Some may call it a wive's tale, it is thought that draught beer at arenas and ballparks are more potent because of the beer ferments in the lines from the kegs to the taps. Again, totally unsubstantiated rumors but certainly worth considering. There are countless games I can actually remember - Bills, Bisons, Sabres, Pirates, Tigers, Red Sox where I'd have that sweet crack beer nectar.


Baseball games are notoriously boring. The sport saw its heyday when you listened to a game over the radio. When we look back, either through movies or television, storytellers will tell stories that their parents took them to a ball game when they were kids or playing catch in the backyard. The New York Yankees have a storied history and have a special place in the hearts of older baseball aficionados. I didn’t have that shared story. My grandfather loved baseball, played back in the days when it was America’s Pastime but never went out to a game. My stepdad couldn’t care less about baseball. So, I always had a foot on each side of the line, I wanted to be interested in baseball but the sheer banality kept me at arm’s length. It wasn’t until I could have a few pops at the game until I started enjoying baseball. Reflecting back, something morphed after a few of those beers. The most important thing wasn’t the game or the beers. It was being around friends and people that I liked being around. The beer and the game were a conduit to great conversations and the shit talk trumped the actual spectacle.


I began writing this in late May 2020, when we were a couple of months into the coronavirus situation. Most major sports were on hiatus as leagues decided the best path forward. Many sports, like Major League Soccer, NBA and NHL constructed “bubbles” where teams were housed and performed in closed environments. If you ever did travel hockey or soccer, it would be like going to a tournament and that’s what it was, except with overpriced, underdelivered meals. Now, it’s September and the MLS concluded its MLS is Back tournament and resumed regular season play to empty stadia. Gone are the days of having a few pregame beers at a local brewery or bar that’s around Providence Park. Or trying to figure out what the macaroni and cheese were featured at the game and debating if we wanted to stop at a bar on the way home for a gyro. The NFL will start without fans in surrounding area bars, parking lots, or the stadia. I’m sure after enough time has passed, we’ll be somewhere we used to be. I’m not certain what that’s going to look like, but I’m really looking forward to another tailgate or a post-game tater tots with country gravy meal. Maybe there is a concession stand with the motherload of crack beer aging to perfection for when we are finally able to return? I can only hope.

Exile on the Willamette

“Isolation is a self-defeating dream.” Carlos Salinas de Gotari

*CRSKT* The sound of the bartender opening a rare bottle of beer as it glugged into a pint glass. A pale Caucasian girl with tattoos and a punk rock t-shirt was snapping pictures of her beer against the wood-paneled back wall to share on social media. She returned back to her table of irregular regulars and banal conversation. The door creaked open and a couple of twenty-somethings entered the bar as if they were Norm Peterson from Cheers. They weren't doing anything to bother me, but fuck were they fucking annoying the piss out of me.

“Am I that out of it?” . In my mid 20s, I was in a beer club in Buffalo. Outside of Labatt Blue, I was really getting into craft beer right when it was picking up nationally. More breweries were opening in Western New York and I joined up with the Western New York Beer Club. It started at a now-defunct bar in Buffalo, WJ Morrisey’s. The founder, Jason, worked nearby. Morrisey’s was an “Irish” bar that was trying to gain a following outside of happenings at HSBC Arena (Key Bank Arena in 2020). Utilizing social media in the early days and word of mouth we would hold beer events such as tastings. It was fun to be on the vanguard of something new. There would be events where we could pour beers without real licensing and make new acquaintances and spread the craft beer gospel.

Halfway through my beer, it started making more sense. Their offense wasn't their youthful exuberance. It was I felt they were invading my quiet space. As we age, the bar means different things. When you first get your first Red Bull vodka wings in your early 20s, you're usually out with a few friends and maybe looking to get laid, especially in college. Doused in Tommy Hilfiger aftershave, fresh button-down Abercrombie shirt and a few pregame beers and shots, the average college-aged male was in a sticky-floored club thumping of pop dance hits. I didn't want to be there, but it felt like that was the thing to do, especially if a girl I was into said that she was going to be down on Chippewa with her friends. I smartened up, as I retreated into the more peaceful dive bar. The dive bar was a controlled chaos my mind could understand. It could pick up with people but the vibe of the place was more demure. Except Frizzy's or the Old Pink on Allen St. Dive bars, yes. Quiet, no. You could still have a few beers and a steak sandwich and meet someone.

After meeting someone and getting older, the bar became more of a place to relax. There would be a game on the TV and there is probably a few beers to try and enjoy the company of others. After going to a bar long enough, you talk to the regulars and become a regular yourself. Now in my mid 30s, I'm enjoying this stage of being a bar patron. I can go to the bar and expect a certain level of ambiance, except one night a week, which isn't even a weekend night. To me, it was a culture clash. The youthful exuberance of the beer club and my already surly self. I'm not built for groups, I like smaller and more intimate exchanges.

Now, after two months of a quarantine order, I have had more than enough time to rethink my position. I still feel resolute about what I just wrote. The NHL just released a new playoff format involving 24 teams as opposed to the traditional 16 team format. Consensus says I should be happy for hockey to come back. I'm not happy, my team missed out on a spot and they had two games in hand. Not only that, my connection to the season is over. I've been without hockey for 2 months, so for me, the season was over. Will I watch the new playoff format, yeah sure, if nothing else is on. It's going to be the same way with bars for me. There's probably a handful that I've really missed over these months. One has been open just selling beers. Time will tell if bars become raucous with people that have been cooped up for months, I'll probably shy away. It's like being too old for amateur hour events like St. Patrick's Day and the first few weeks bar open. I don't have the taste for it anymore...struggling to find a place to sit or even exist and wait for drinks. I proved to myself that I can go without.

Good, bad or indifferent, I hope people have learned something from the COVID-19 experience. I hope that people have learned what they will and will not tolerate. Safe to say that I was on auto-pilot going to work everyday, taking public transportation and coming home to head to the bar. Maybe eat something that may not be the best for me and go to bed. Lather, rinse and repeat. To some extent, I'd like to return to that normal. I like going into an office, meeting up with my friend for lunch and head to the bar with the fiancee. On the other hand, it was rather unhealthy. We were spending more than we'd like on beer and take-out.

That's changed over the past few months and I like it.