Beer Can Blog

From the Appellation Beer Blog post, here is the list with my own brief comments. In my own useage, "microbreweries" are among those small breweries (some of them not so small anymore) that were started after the first one, New Albion Brewing Co. of Sonoma, CA opened its doors in 1978.

You need to go to the source for the original "flavor" of the post. Comments in italics are from the original post.

Submitted for your consideration, here 'tis the list:

1. Anchor Steam - This is not a true "microbrewery" beer, as the brewery had been in business since 1865, but represents the preservation of an indigenous American style. The other Anchor brands were the first introduction to many Americans of holiday beers, barley wines, American Pale Ale, American wheat beer, American porter, and more.

2. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - This hoppy pale ale became a worldwide standard for its style, an American Pale Ale.

3. Samuel Adams Boston Lager - Some purists may quibble with this choice, as it began as a contract brew and in some locales, the Boston Brewing Co. brands are still being brewed at older, established breweries. Samuel Adams brands also introduced Americans to a wide array of ale and lager styles.

4. Fat Tire - New Belgium Brewing Co. - I haven't had this one is a few years, so I defer to the original post.

5. New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red - The words of the original post - "It seems unlikely there will be a pivotal moment for American beer like the 1976 “Judgment of Paris” was for wine. But Belgian Red besting beers brewed in Belgium in the 1996 Brewing Industry International Awards was a pretty big deal."

6. Pliny the Elder - "The first Double IPA, and now Double/Imperial IPA is an official style."

7. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - "A rarity in 1995, but if BusinessWeek is right then barrel-aged beers have reached the tipping point."

8. Dogfish Head World Wide Stout and Samuel Adams Utopias - These are examples of "extreme beers", of which Samuel Adams Triple Bock was the first in 1994. From the original post (first referring to Samuel Adams): ..."continued to brew stronger versions, but in 1999 Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head made a stronger beer. He held the record a few weeks before Sam Adams introduced Millennium (for the upcoming millennium). That morphed into Utopias, now stronger than 25% abv. The back-and-forth focused mainstream attention on the concept of Extreme Beers."

9. Cuvee de Tomme - "Michael Jackson’s review (the beer expert) in 2000 understates the influence this beer continues to exert." (Honestly, I haven't the slightest idea what this brand is about)

10. Dale’s Pale Ale - This very hoppy pale ale won (in a can) a blind tasting conducted by the New York Times.

Of these, I have had #1-4 and #10. As I don't get to travel as much as I used to, I haven't encountered some of these.