Food & Drink The Best Craft Breweries in America From A to Z

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There are around 2,400 craft breweries in this magnificent country, and we love each & every one of 'em. But in the spirit of scholarship, excellence, and "writing words about beer"-ness, we tapped nine beer experts* from around the nation to select** just one outstanding US craft brewery for each letter of the alphabet. Of course, there are only 26 letters in the alphabet -- around 1% of the craft breweries there are in America -- which means there's a 99% chance you disagree with our findings. Be sure to tell us what your picks would be in the comments! Now, let's review our ABCs. A: The Alchemist Location: Waterbury, VT

Year founded: 2003

Marquee beer: Heady Topper double IPA

This tiny brewpub in rural Vermont focuses all of its efforts on a single product: a chrome-canned DIPA so righteous, there's an actual black market for cans of it outside the Green Mountain State.

Runner-up: Allagash B: The Bruery Location: Placentia, CA

Year founded: 2008

Marquee beer: The seasonals. All of them.

"B" may as well have stood for "battle royale," because it was stacked with excellent contenders. Straight outta the ever-more-legitimate beer mecca that is Orange County, Bruery took the title thanks to its seemingly limitless stream of seasonals, annuals, and one-offs.

Runner-up: Bell's C: Cigar City Brewing Location: Tampa, FL

Year founded: 2007

Marquee beer: Jai Alai IPA

Between the Florida Cracker and the Jai Alai, CCB's year-rounders ain't nothing to scoff at. But if you're in the market for something truly special from the adolescent Floridian brewery, keep your eyes peeled for its hard-to-find Hunahpu's Imperial Stout.

Runner-up: Cascade D: Deschutes Location: Bend, OR

Year founded: 1988

Marquee beer: Black Butte Porter

As one of the beloved cornerstones of Bend's nationally relevant brewing scene, Deschutes keeps the West Coast & Midwest blanketed in brew, and the East Coast thirsty. That's changing, though: you can now drink Black Butte on tap in DC, and some of their brews are available in Pennsylvania, too. Slow & steady.

Runner-up: Dogfish Head

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E: Evil Twin Location: Brooklyn, NY (office)

Year founded: 2010

Marquee beer: Hipster Ale

Gypsy-brewing his way into the hearts & minds of our judges, Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø's creations often sound more like titles from a particularly unhinged creative writing class than beers -- Ryan and the Gosling, Plastic Man, and The Porthole are all tasty drinkables, not novellas. That's precisely the sort of uncanny innovation he's capable of. Biscotti stout, anyone?

Runner-up: Elysian

F: Founders Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Year founded: 1997

Marquee beer: Kentucky Breakfast Stout

"F" was a talent-choked race, but it all came down to the masterful Michiganders and their super-deep roster. They've got it all -- critical acclaim in KBS & CBS, year-round drinkability in the All Day IPA, and winter domination via Imperial Stout & Dark Penance.

Runner-up: Firestone Walker

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G: Green Flash Location: San Diego, CA

Year founded: 2002

Marquee beer: West Coast IPA

This San Diego scene-leader beat out two big-timers (Goose Island & Great Divide) with our panel, who were clearly swayed by beastly seasonals like Green Bullet, a triple IPA that combines New Zealand's Pacific Gem and Green Bullet hops. New Zealand! That's commitment.

Runner-up: Great Lakes

H: Hill Farmstead Location: Greensboro, VT

Year founded: 2010

Marquee beer: Abner imperial IPA

If you've tasted Shaun Hill's artisanal ales you're either a Green Mountain native (like he is), a diehard beer guy (like he also is), or probably both, because HF's stuff rarely makes it beyond Vermont's boundaries. When your list of accolades includes World's Best Brewery, though, you can get away with being provincial.

Runner-up: Hair of the Dog

I: Ithaca Beer Co. Location: Ithaca, NY

Year founded: 1998

Marquee beer: Flower Power IPA

Keeping Cornellians topped off since the Clinton years, Ithaca was the easy "I" winner thanks to its small, tightly focused crop of year-round labels including Flower Power, Nut Brown, and the punch-you-in-the-teeth hop-monster that is CascaZilla, named for a nearby gorge and the ludicrous amount of Cascade hops that go into it.

Runner-up: Iron Fist

J: Jester King Location: Austin, TX

Year founded: 2010

Marquee beer: Commercial Suicide

Tucked away in Texas Hill Country outside of Austin proper, carefully limited in both production & distribution, and passionate about making some crazy-ass beers, Jester is a bucket-list label for many a serious beer-drinker. Most if not all of their bottles are bombers, full of barrel-aged beers brewed with wild yeasts and oddball add-ins (mushrooms, anyone?). Oh, and there's a pizza place on the sprawling ranch facility. Which is basically cheating.

Runner-up: Jolly Pumpkin

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K: Knee Deep Location: Auburn, CA

Year founded: 2010

Marquee beer: Simtra Triple IPA (Imperial Tanilla shown)

Arguably the best thing to come out of Reno since... uh, ever, Knee Deep was contract-brewing in Northern Nevada as late as 2011, when they finally set up shop in nearby Auburn. Brewer Jeremy Warren calls himself the Hoptologist, and true to his name, he gets pretty freaky with the green: in addition to the Simtra (Simcoe plus Citra, two hop varieties), KD also puts out a quad IPA called Hop-De-Ranged.

Runner-up: Kuhnhenn

L: Logsdon Organic Farmhouse Ales Location: Hood River, OR

Year founded: 2011

Marquee beer: Seizoen Bretta

There are plenty of farmhouse ales on the market, but Logsdon throws down the artisanal gauntlet by actually making theirs on a farm nestled at the base of Mount Hood. That authenticity, plus super-fresh ingredients, translates into serious success, including a 2012 Great American Beer Festival gold medal for their Seizoen Bretta.

Runner-up: Lost Abbey

M: Maine Beer Co. Location: Freeport, ME

Year founded: 2009

Marquee beer: MO American pale ale

This is a tiny little outfit in a state better known for Allagash (runner-up in the "A" category), but they've quietly become an in-the-know favorite thanks to no-nonsense, small-batch brews like MO and Peeper, an American ale.

Runner-up: Midnight Sun

N: New Glarus Brewing Co. Location: New Glarus, WI

Year founded: 1993

Marquee beer: Spotted Cow

"N" was basically a two-horse race, and it really could've gone either way. The Sconnie stalwart won out thanks to the ubiquity of their most recognizable beer -- pretty much every bar in Wisco worth a damn has Spotted Cow on tap, and Cheesehead transplants will come running at the first whiff of its sweet aroma outside the state.

Runner-up: North Coast

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O: Oskar Blues Location: Longmont, CO

Year founded: 1997

Marquee beer(s): Dale's Pale Ale and Mama's Little Yella Pils

Another close one. The brewpub-turned-brand started as a Colorado secret, but has chipped away at drinkers nationwide with a steady flow of tasty year-round cans and limited releases like Gubna, a spring-only imperial IPA that happens to be the favorite of Thrillist editorial director Ben Robinson.

Runner-up: Ommegang

P: Pizza Port Location: Solana Beach, CA

Year founded: 1987

Marquee beer: Pier Rat Porter

You can't spell "upset" without "P" -- seriously, try it! -- and this category delivered one, with SoCal's GABF-laden brewpub empire edging out Prairie Artisan, the pride of Okies everywhere. There are five restaurants between San Diego & Los Angeles (plus a bottle shop!), and each pours a different lineup of award-winners. Oh, and the food is great, too. Duh.

Runner-up: Prairie Artisan Ales

Q: Quest Location: Greenville, SC

Year founded: 2012

Marquee beer: Golden Fleece Belgian pale ale

Uh... so as it turns out, there are not all that many breweries that begin with the letter "Q." But you know what? That's just fine, because this small-ish brewpub by Greenville's local airport does, and despite being just a couple years old, their barrel-aged brews are garnering real attention in South Carolina's very good scene.

Runner-up: Queen City Brewing

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R: Russian River Brewing Co. Location: Santa Rosa, CA

Year founded: 2004

Marquee beer: Pliny the Elder

Is Russian River worthy of its never-ending hype? No comment, but this is one of only two letters in which our judges all assigned their highest rank to the same brewery. And that's pretty damn impressive.

Runner-up: Revolution

S: Surly Location: Minneapolis, MN

Year founded: 2004

Marquee beer: Furious

Upset alert! Sort of! Internally, we thought Stone would be a lock here, but Surly -- widely credited with establishing Minneapolis as a craft beer mecca a decade ago -- took the crown instead. Truth be told, no matter who won on the score sheet, you can't go wrong with this one-two "S" punch.

Runner-up: Stone

T: Three Floyds Location: Munster, IN

Year founded: 1996

Marquee beer: Dark Lord

Founded by the Floyd family (a Father and two sons), this heavy-metal heavy hitter was one of Chicagoland's first real craft players way back during the first Clinton administration. It's hard to find outside the Midwest but deeply loved within it, which is why Dark Lord Day -- the release day/music festival of its same-named Russian imperial stout -- is always a sold-out affair.

Runner-up: 21st Amendment

U: Uinta Brewing Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Year founded: 1993

Marquee beer: Hop Nosh IPA

Utah's drinking laws are the stuff of drinkers' nightmares, but nevertheless, Uinta has managed to build a loyal local following in its two-decade run thanks to its treasure trove of GABF-, NABA-, and WBC-medalist brews. They also offer some organic & kosher beers. Which, like, mazel!

Runner-up: Upslope

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