From the aforementioned WSJ article, here are the top 10 craft breweries in the US, based on 2009 sales. I have generously contributed my assessment of each.
1. Boston Beer Co. (Samuel Adams Boston Lager) Boston, Mass. – Hometown fave; probably the first craft brew I started drinking on a regular basis.
2. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale) Chico, Calif. – I like these dudes, but in a bar showdown, I’m going to pick Anchor Steam over Sierra Nevada anytime. They’re just a bit too hoppy for me.
3. New Belgium Brewing Co. (Fat Tire Amber Ale) Fort Collins, Colo. – I think they’re “we’re quirky! we like bikes!” shtick is a little annoying, but I have good memories of getting sloshed at their brewery with my father. They let you send free postcards from there, and my mom got several unintelligible ones. There’s a much better brewery in Fort Collins, called Odell, that I’d recommend visiting if you had to choose.
4. Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner Bock) Shiner, Texas – Solid enough, easy drinking. Mike is going to kill me for saying this, but Shiner is just a good session beer – they go down easy but don’t have a ton of flavor.
5. Pyramid Breweries Inc. (Haywire Hefeweizen) Seattle, Wash. – I toured the Berkeley brewery with my brother. The beers are tasty enough, but nothing special.
6. Deschutes Brewery (Mirror Pond Pale Ale) Bend, Ore. – Visited them with my dad, and have definitely picked up sixers of Mirror Pond over the years.
7. Matt Brewing Co. (Saranac Adirondack Lager) Utica, N.Y. – This is a staple in my parents’ household. Pretty tasty!
8. Magic Hat Brewing Co. (#9) Burlington, Vt. – They’re known for their apricot beer, which really isn’t very good. But hey, East Coast bars that don’t otherwise stock craft brews often have #9 on tap, so good on them. Better Magic Hat than Blue Moon (which is owned by Coors).
9. Boulevard Brewing Co. (Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat Beer) Kansas City, Mo. – Teppi loves them so they’re fine by me.
10. Harpoon Brewery (UFO Hefeweizen) Boston, Mass. – A New England summer staple.