You make love that band you lovedbeforethey got huge , and then readily disown ? After all , eff an unsung band makes you feel way more special than being into , say , Mumford & Sons . This story is about all the brewery that will one day be so vast you might disown them . But you should n’t , Little Lion Man or Woman – specially because there ’s beer involved .
These breweries are poised to join the ilk of Sierra Nevada and New Belgium as some of the50 heavy independent craft breweries in the nation . In fact , we depend some of them will be on next year ’s inclination . You might have hear of some of these breweries – if so , kudos to you – and some you might not have . Either style , we reckon their beers will be voiceless to avoid in the coming year . And that ’s a very , very good matter .
Surly
Year founded:2005Must - drink beer : FuriousSurly did n’t miss ranking among the 50 biggest craftsmanship brewer by much , and consider its novel modernist beer temple / brewery that opened up at the conclusion of 2014 , the MSP - base stalwart is setting itself up for years of massive increment to make out . It has all the earmarks of a brewery that could be the next big thing – a rare - beer liberation with serious nerd cred in the Russian purple stout Darkness , a fantastic unexampled complex devoted to its beer that defines the phrase " destination brewery , " and that ineffable cool factor . Look at the design of theTodd the Axe Man can . Itssense of liquid body substance . Hell , even itsT - shirt swagis on point . And above all , the beer is undoubtedly some of the best in the Great Lakes area . Once Surly has the capability to send its beer everywhere , it should be in the top 50 on a regular basis .
Anderson Valley
Year founded:1987Must - drink beer : Briney Melon goseMendocino County ’s Anderson Valley has been doing the trade beer thing longer than most , and it ’s concentrated to regain a drinker not familiar with the fabled Boont amber , or a BBQ without somebody extolling the chastity of the salty , sour Briney Melon gose in a can . From saisons to IPAs to Wild Turkey barrel - aged stout , it ’s become a paragon of great guile beer and a capital uniter for drinkers of all pursuit levels . That AV is n’t one of the 50 biggest cunning breweries in the US is slightly shocking , given the seeming omnipresence of it in beer bars . But if you ’ve yet to come across the antler - sporting bear on the label , fear not : output has increased each year at a irksome - and - steady magazine , with 50k barrels flooding market across the country . That ’s a lot of stern of gose in securities industry where the style is still a whodunit . But with any luck ( and continued growth ) AV will help make the rest of the country an antlered - bear republic .
Smuttynose
class founded:1994Must - drink beer : Finestkind IPANew Hampshire ’s brewery with the weird name ( andcreepy backstory behind that name ! ) is already brewing enough brew to replete the hungriness of oversea beer wonk in Sweden , Germany , South Korea , Italy , Spain , Japan , and role of the Caribbean . That is one well - travel beer . Expansion into a young brewery in recent 2014 certainly help oneself its power to produce more good , and Smuttynose also branch out with an on - site eating house in early 2015 that serves up seafood - hard plates . And while its class - round beers like Old Brown Dog ale , Robust Porter , and Finestkind IPA continue to be popular , its Smuttlabs roil out observational brews that are continue beer dorks interested , with offbeat selection like the fall - favorite Smoked Peach Short Weisse and the Daily Brett saison .
Avery
twelvemonth founded:1993Must - drink beer : Hog HeavenOne matter many of the breweries in this summation have in common is that they ’ve built new facilities in which to brew beer ( and , you know , drink beer and flirt cornhole and stuff ) . And oh boy , does Avery have a new brewery . repulse toward the back of a business car park in North Boulder and this monolithic new facility appears as if drop from a starship , a glitter beer temple decked out in ashen ( especially after it ’s snow – it ’s in Colorado , after all ) . When you step in , await some of thebest goddamn taproom foodyou’ve ever consumed . And , of track , fantastic beer . Flagships like the bourbon barrel - aged , 17.5 % coffee bean stout Tweak , the hoppy Hog Heaven barleywine , and the witbier White Rascal join fantastic newer brew like the margarita - beer mash - up El Gose and the tropic delight Liliko’i Kepolo .
Great Divide
yr founded:1994Must - drink beer : Chocolate oak tree - aged YetiDrive around Denver long enough and you ’ll see an " I Believe " bumper sticker with a cartoon Yeti on it . Drink around Denver long enough , and you ’ll belike have a pint of Yeti royal stout , whether it ’s an oatmeal , chocolate oak tree - aged , or espresso oak tree - aged . One of Mile High ’s stout brewery from way back in 19 - aught-94 ( one thing all ' 90s kids remember ! ! ) , Great Divide used to brew out of the mown little taproom in the Mile High ’s Ballpark neighborhood . gratefully for beer buff nationwide , the cozy space is still there , but the fact that the brewery bought a five - Accho man of land for a new brewery , restaurant , and beer garden give you an idea of its expansion plans . And with more room to experiment , there should be more beers like the young Nadia Kali hibiscus saison on the forefront .
AleSmith
Year founded:1995Must - drink beer : Speedway StoutThe fact that AleSmith brews one of thefinest coffee bean beers in the countryis notable , but the brewery has quite a story with award - pull ahead beers , having produced 15 + GABF medal winners since 1998 . It ’s not just beer judges that are in love with its beers , as the brewery has grown a staggering 90 % in the past year , and has the electrical capacity to brew 250,000 cask should it need to ( spoiler alert : that is more beer than a great majority of the top 50 craft brewery make in a year ) . It might need to before long . Twenty - three states currently carry AleSmith , with expansion into Texas and Michigan this class , though it makes certain to save something special for the home crowd : .394 wan ale , the massively democratic Tony Gwynn - tribute ale only uncommitted in San Diego County . If you ever inspect the brewery , baseball lover should n’t overlook the Tony Gwynn Museum . Oh , or the 25,000sqft taproom with selections like the sea wolf Nut Brown Ale and IPA .
Ale Asylum
Year founded:2006Must - deglutition beer : Velveteen HabitUnless you have a champion who lives in Wisconsin or Illinois who ’s been mailing you beer , you might not have ever had the balanced Hopalicious IPA or the crimson ale Ambergeddon . But that might convert in 2017 , as the brewery plans on expand … to one more state of matter . Look , Ale Asylum is n’t going to be in every beer computer memory in all 50 state anytime soon , but that does n’t mean its rep wo n’t reach far and blanket , like the also - WI - basedNew Glarus . AA ’s yield inflate quite a bit in 2012 , after the brewery moved into new 45,000sqft digs with a two - storey tasting room and a solar regalia on the roof that supplies the whole damn property with power to brew the now - year - round beer Velveteen Habit IPA , and the seasonally delicious 8.8 % DIPA Satisfaction Jacksin .
Cigar City
Year founded:2009Must - drink beer : Jai AlaiThe brewery that led the way of life in turning Tampa - St. Petersburg into a legitimate beer finish earn an army of devoted followers on the strength of offerings like its Jai Alai IPA and Hunahpu ’s imperial stout ( an one-year release that causes a commotion few can oppose ) . It ’s been known in beer - geek circles that it ’s had development on the mind for a while – there was a rumor sale to AB InBev that wasreportedly closely to coming to realisation . Instead , it was the same private equity group that owns Oskar Blues that came forebode , which keep up Cigar City ’s cunning position while commit it added resource to expand upon its six - state distribution ( Florida , Georgia , Alabama , New York , Virginia , Pennsylvania ) and the just - over 60,000 barrels it bend out in 2015 .
Short’s
twelvemonth founded:2004Must - beverage beer : Space Rock American pale aleFor a while , Short ’s was like Founders and Bell ’s incredibly loved slight chum that but did n’t require to leave its hometown ( it ’s Michigan . It happens a fate . ) . After all , Short ’s managed to become a statewide pet over the years , turning its idyllic hometown of Bellaire ( population ~ 1,100 ) into a destination ( the lake help too ) thanks to solid flagships like the beloved Space Rock picket , the lakeside - ready Local ’s Light lager , and experiment ranging from the barrel - older Tequila Sauna to the fruity farmhouse Flanders Red . Then , after hitting a growth that amped production – murder 41k , an increment of 15k gun barrel over two yr – Short ’s did something many Michiganders thought it would n’t : it started showing up in Illinois and Pennsylvania , with other territories to follow ( to be fair , a good deal of Michigan natives head to Illinois eventually ) . purist might say the expansion mean less closeness . We say that if that intend more people can be turned on to the magic in a bottle of Bellaire Brown , that ’s a practiced thing . And folks can still rest assured that a limited - edition Private Stache offer will be wait for them in the flagship brewery right down the road from Lake Bellaire .
Half Acre
Year founded:2008Must - drink beer : Daisy CutterIt ’s been a rapid rise for Half Acre , one of the other leadership in a Chicago brewery boom that ’s seen seemingly every vicinity enjoy the benefits of its own brewery , like North Center residents have since 2008 . Few of those brewery can match Half Acre ’s following , however , with its perfectly hop flagship sick ale a ubiquitous vision on tap lists and in backyard tank , and pipeline habitually forming down Lincoln Ave for its special releases . Its 2015 structure of a 60,000sqft facility near the original brewery has it poise to meet continuing demand and potentially push more robustly beyond Illinois . It ’s also going to allow it to open a restaurant and beer garden . Chicagoans are a thirsty people .
3 Floyds
class founded:1996Must - drink beer : Zombie Dust3 Floyds has become a household name across the nation among beer geeks despite distribution to only five province ( Indiana , Illinois , Kentucky , Ohio , and Wisconsin ) , with the mass of its production getting swallowed up by its perpetually thirsty neighbors in Chicago . But beer geeks everywhere seem to bump their way here , peculiarly on the last Saturday in April when the eye of the beer world are on Munster for Dark Lord Day , one of the OGs of turn over specialty beer releases into finish - worthy upshot . It ’s generally resisted expanding TOO quickly in the face of on the face of it measureless need ( local store owners often have to station limits on Zombie Dust when they get their hand on some ) , but a $ 10 million expansion on the skyline figures to total to their 45,000 - barrel yield . It ’s also expected to add a still . Everyone should drink to that .
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Courtesy of Ale Asylum
