Sometimes I sit back and think how lucky we are to have access to so much great beer. The thought really hit me at Friday the Firkinteenth. This has to be the best beer area in the country. I know this isn't a new revelation. Hey, I have Don "Joe Sixpack" Russell's book and it's been said by other beer writers and bloggers many times over. It just really resonated with me while I watched firkin after firkin being tapped at the Grey Lodge.
The best of subject even came up again in a recent thread over at Beer Advocate. The topic was best beer states. Pennsylvania came up multiple times. California seemed to take top spot more than any other with Colorado, Oregon and Michigan frequently getting mentioned. The thing is I honestly believe PA, specifically the Philly area, (Pittsburgh you are getting better) beats them all. I could rehash everything that Mr. Sixpack has put out about our great city, list all the awards the local breweries have won, talk about this area being Belgium USA, dive into the history of lager, note the success of Philly Beer Week, name all the amazing beer establishments and post all the accolades from beer folk across the country but for me it simply comes down to the variety. We have more beer variety than any other region in the country.
If you are lucky enough to drink with people from other areas this topic will always bring up strong feelings and debate. I've heard that CA breweries have more GABF awards than any other state or that Portland, OR has more breweries and brew pubs per capita than any other city in the US. True, true, true those places have a pile of awards and brewpubs popping up like Wawas but it not just awards and brewpub locations. I want VARIETY!!! What choices do I have when it comes to what I can get in my glass? Can I find an amazing sour Belgian? What about a Rauch bier or a Berliner Weiss? How many different Imperial IPAs can I find? Where can I get a nice cask ale? This area offers it all. Sure I am a bit bias, but I've traveled and bent an elbow in many beer bars and brewpubs. For me Philly comes in at #1. Now if we could just get rid of the case law (Keep up the good fight Mr. Bryson) PA craft beer drinkers could lay claim to a true beer utopia.
2 comments:
Nice Blog Brian, and I agree, Philly is way more then Cheese Steaks, it's a great beer town as well! I mean, our founding fathers got tanked up while writing the declaration of independence in Philly!
Thanks for the kind words. Yes as you can tell I love Philly for its solid beer backbone. Ya gotta appreciate a city that has such a great beer history.
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