The Best Small Breweries You Don't Know About, but Should

Whoever came up with the phrase " giving is better " was intelligibly wrong . Think Steph Curry would have worked to subdue that beautiful outside shot if he was a predominate 7 foot center ? Doubtful . Ever tried to park an Escalade on a side street ? Let ’s confront it : pocket-size is beautiful . When it come to slyness beer , brewing on a bantam system – or no set system at all – can yield some huge advantage . In an industriousness where place is tight , equipment is pricey , and being " local " is a major selling item , breweries producing fewer than 10 bbl per batch ( i.e. , nanobreweries ) and " gypsy " brewer who cut cost and eschew predictability by brew on borrowed geared wheel ironically be the next big matter in craft beer . While you might have to travel all the way to the source to sample their suds , the talented biz - record changer heel here try out that the best thing in life come in little packages . Or at least brew in them .

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Spiteful Brewing

Chicago , ILBefore start Uptown ’s Spiteful Brewing in 2012 , native Chicagoans Brad Shaffer and Jason Klein pass three eld slaving over a hot stove , perfecting their homebrew and learn all they could about small - shell brewing – and it front to be paying off . This 3.5 - barrel nano cranks out an impressively vast portfolio while also keeping affair local , with dispersion limited to the Windy City and its snug ' burbs . Of particular note is Spiteful ’s God Damn Pigeon Porter , a deceivingly smooth 8.2 % ABV British - American hybrid pepper with piney Simcoe hop and run aground in a bready amber malt . Spiteful also spits out an full lin of God Damn variants in addition to the OG porter . Each member of the G - D Porter fam showcases different tang infusions , with options ranging from raspberry and chocolate - banana to toffee , coconut , and even skilful ol' earthnut butter and jelly – and , yes , they ’re all as delicious as they sound .

Cuzett Libations

Brooklyn , NYEarly last twelvemonth , award - come through homebrewer Mary Izett teamed up with Fuhmentaboudit ! podcast conscientious objector - boniface ( and adoring husband ) Chris Cuzme to organize Cuzett Libations , a gypsy turnout currently working out of Greenpoint Beer Works ' Brooklyn facility . Izett lately compose Speed Brewing , a how - to bible on quick fermentation , and Cuzme , a saxophone - touting habitue of the local beer scenery , cut his dentition as the brewmaster in care of SoHo ’s now - shuttered 508 Gastrobrewery .

With their powers combine , the couple is a military unit to be cipher with , putting out a grow figure of resistless ale like their soft , floral Cuzett Grisette and Revenge of the Emu , a mellow , spicy blonde that , at 5.4 % ABV , is as crushable as the day is long . While they ’re conscription - only for now , the ability couple plans to up production as well as diversify their output over the next year , so be on the lookout for more exciting libations pop up around NYC .

Nowhere In Particular Promiscuous Ale Project

Dayton , OHUnless you ’re a train - hopping crust punk or a lazy dad on Halloween , you credibly have n’t heard the terminal figure " bum " in a while . coin in the late 19th one C to trace vagabonds range the rails , the watchword was associated with hardness and ego - trust . That ’s exactly why Nowhere In Particular ’s Charlie Navillus ( a pseudonym , of course of action ) liken hoboism with today ’s ferociously independent craft - brewing culture . " For more than 30 years , craft beer provide good oasis to the tramp , " study Navillus ' oh - so - cryptic manifesto . " One needs only to search at a gather of craft beer maker , with their scraggly byssus , their worn , weathered faces and their hodgepodge wardrobe to see the rudimentary remnants of hobo cultivation . " The man does have a point .

After a few stints at award - deliver the goods breweries in Colorado , Canada , and New England , the gifted Ohioan render home to begin his gypsy - brewing journey . Navillus seldom reuse a borrowed system of rules , never brew the same beer double , and gravitates toward bespoke and observational styles . One of his weirdest – and tastiest – is Inari Okami , a dry 8.5 % ABV twofold Timothy Miles Bindon Rice IPA brew with tropic Mosaic record hop . It ’s elusive to pin down where and when you ’ll come across a Nowhere In Particular creation , but if you do , you better stick out on it – like their maker , these brew incline to vanish just as quickly and mysteriously as they appear .

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Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing

Santa Cruz , CAJust a few miles north of UCSC ’s hillside campus lie in one of Santa Cruz ’s best - maintain secrets : Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing . Co - owner Emily Thomas and Chad Brill run a tiny ginmill and garden out of a nondescript commercial-grade complex , enticing a mix of toe - headed surfers and stressed - out grad students with self-colored brews and incredibly addictive fish greaser . Since 2005 , the pair has been brew badass stouts , IPAs , and seasonals on their 7bbl system , all of which are 100 % constitutive . Despite Santa Cruz ’s sunny beach conditions , SCMB ’s real standout is its Devout Stout , by far the darkest ale in the lot . This creamy , velvety stout is teem with the bittersweet umber , nutty coffee , and roasty food grain notes you ’d expect plus a touching of Pimpinella anisum for fragrance . To top it off , the Devout comes in at a sessionable 5 % ABV , signify you may ride that wave all day long , brah .

Bissell Brothers

Portland , MEPortland ’s Bissell Brothers has been turn head up and down the Northeast since IRL pal Noah and Peter Bissell unfreeze their first batch in 2013 . These days , the native Mainers are cooking and canning in a 10bbl brewhouse place just a stone ’s throw from the relatively stupendous Allagash Brewing . With each groundbreaking novel beer , the bros wield to raise the bar , inciting the international cult following that save their taproom consistently packed . The Substance – their flagship brew – is a boundary - pushing , insanely juicy 6.6 % ABV IPA brimming with Falconer ’s Flight , Centennial , Apollo , Summit , and Chinook hops . Also worth a sip is the Swish forked IPA , a beer so loaded with gorgeous peach , orangish , and tropic notes you ’d swear you were chilling on a succus boxful – but , you know , the kind that makes you find warm inside .

Frothy Beard Brewery

North Charleston , SCMichael Biondi , Steve McCauley , and Joey Siconolfi started Charleston ’s Frothy Beard in 2013 , garnering enough local succeeder to tack on a fourth , Wesley Donehue , two class down the stemma . The original three founding father – yes , they ’re all bewhiskered – began on a 1bbl system , graduated to a 3bbl brewhouse , and lately announce plan for further expansion . While it seems they ’re on cut to outgrow their nano status , the cat ' recondite connection to their hometown and allegiance to sourcing locally grown ingredients help to assure that Frothy Beard wo n’t drop off its nano spirit . These gifted folks brew a ton of different beers , from Cucumis sativus - spiked wheats to big bad IPAs , and they ’re all pretty damn heavy . If you see yourself in the area , do n’t kip on the Choconaut oatmeal stout , a creamy 4.8 % ABV stout sprout with all the sour chocolate and strong burnt umber notes needed to justify a morning tipple .

Blue Canoe Brewing Co.

Little Rock , ARFor a city with just under 200,000 occupant , Little Rock ’s brewing scene is nothing to sneeze at . And , out of the dozen or so peddling their wares in and around the capital city , Blue Canoe Brewing ranks as the favourite among seasoned beer grind . In 2014 , hubby - and - married woman Patrick and Ida Cowan and their champion Laura Berryhill launch a Kickstarter campaign to help achieve their dream of open up a nanobrewery in Downtown Little Rock . Nearly $ 20,000 subsequently , the Blue Canoe crowd has been keeping Little Rockers satiate with four year - round standbys ( available on draft and in sleekly design 32 oz crowlers ) as well as a miscellaneous bag of seasonals , each geared toward the outdoorsy crowd frequenting their Es Third St saloon . Next time you stray through River City , pick up a tallboy of Lazy River , a crispy 3.5 % ABV table beer brew with lemony Belgian barm . Then befuddle that sucker in a cooler , splash on some sunscreen , and snap up the nearest inner tube – this is summer beer at its okay .

Bat Creek Brewery

Bowling Green , MOBowling Green ’s Bat Creek Brewery is truly ( and endearingly ) a family amour . Since 2008 , Ryan Daffron , married woman Heather , and father Carl have been brew easy - drinking , try out - and - unfeigned flagships and turn out seasonal worker on a 1.5bbl system stashed in a machine shed . Despite its low profile and back - to - basics ethos , Bat Creek has go past more than a few national nanobrewery lists . The suitably titled Midwest Farmer ’s Daughter ale – a soft , light Blonde perfect for drum those steamy Midwestern summertime nights – and the copious , roasty Machine Shed Stout – all campfire spiciness and s’more - comparable pledge chocolate – are among Bat Creek ’s more popular offerings . You wo n’t find anything too high falootin ' here , just skillfully crafted ale that accurately contemplate the team ’s deference for custom , allegiance to America ’s heartland , and passion for sharing great beer with admirer and house .

Sisyphus Brewing

Minneapolis , MNBeer is booming in the Twin Cities : with several surface area universities and six full months of winter , you could n’t ask for a thirstier market . Enter Sisyphus Brewing , Sam Harriman and Catherine Cuddy ’s challenging 3bbl nano locate just west of Downtown Minneapolis . The distich opened Sisyphus in 2014 , thrive to an airy , industrial - mode , 88 - person venue and barroom in 2015.The beer is dependable , really just , and hail in many forms , from hopped - up West Coast IPAs to throwbacks like schwarzbier and Kentucky Common . Sisyphus ' Imperial Brown Ale , a full - corporal , ramped - up rendering of the food - favorable favorite , balances caramel sweetness with vitriolic dark umber and nutty texture for a thoroughly venter - warming dry pint . A human race of many talents , read/write head brewer Harriman preserve a side bunco as a stand - up amusing , perform at drollery clubs around the urban center and even hosting his own beer - fueled shows at the bar . It ’s honest – Harriman might be the only brewer not ashamed to call his beer the laughing stock of Minneapolis .

Amplified Ale Works

San Diego , CAIn 2009 , Alex Pierson and JC Hill opened the Mediterranean - inspired eatery California Kebab & Beer Garden on UCSD ’s campus , finally relocate to a enceinte spot near the decidedly sweeter Pacific Beach boardwalk . In a stroke of wild genius , the guys set up a 3bbl brewhouse in the new restaurant ’s kitchen , and thus Amplified Ale Works was accept . While Pierson and Hill still hawk killer kebabs , the team ( which now admit brewers Cy Henley and Garrett Reed ) has change over their focus to super - sweet West Coast - style record hop - bomb calorimeter shrill straight from the holding tank into your pint . In dependable SoCal fashion , no style is good from the acid record hop animal . Take Amplified ’s beachy Citravesa , a 5.8 % ABV American pale lager beer drug with a pile of tangy , Citrus paradisi - like Citra hop . The twist ? All the beer are brew with Clarity Ferm , an enzyme that breaks up protein during fermentation , deliver the entire fleet totally gluten - liberal . So put down that cider , Mr. Celiac , and do by yourself to a God ’s honest brewski – you merit it .

Foggy Noggin Brewing

Bothell , WATo say that Bothell ’s Foggy Noggin is a homegrown process would be a huge understatement . In 2008 , homebrewer Jim Jamison and his son Matthew acquired a .5bbl buffer scheme and began tinkering with formula in a shed behind their suburban dwelling house , daydream about starting a right brewery . A few years and several legal hurdles after , Foggy Noggin was at long last open for business , serve up out samples and growler fills out of the Jamisons ' makeshift garage taproom . The father - son duo ’s awarding - winning fleet revolves around traditional English styles , with the twelvemonth - round Christmas Duck porter leading the charge in flavor and popularity . The thick - brown ale is brewed using both Pacific Northwest and traditional British hop , Foggy Noggin ’s dual regional influences harmonise to create a dry , earthy bitterness that balances the malt ’s chocolatey fragrance . A real nano ’s nano , Foggy Noggin presently circulate to just a fistful of region accounts , preferring to deal to their patrons in person every Saturday and give way a whole new import to the terminal figure " garage sale . "

One Barrel Brewing Co.

Madison , WIAt One Barrel Brewing Co. , proprietor Peter Gentry get it all hang out – literally . The nanobrewery ’s Madison taproom centers around Gentry ’s brewhouse , an reachable 1bbl setup meant to showcase just how light it is to brew beer . When Gentry began his lakeshore mathematical operation in 2012 , the accomplished homebrewer ’s master intention was to keep thing pocket-size , focusing on quality control , experiment , and education instead of the fiscal , distribution , or elaboration plans that tend to overwhelm new nanos . And so far , the unconventional job model has worked in his favour . While the output may be runty , a tiny system of rules does have its welfare , namely the power to ferment with unfamiliar styles without risk vast losses . Falcor blackberry glum ale is a fantastic example of this advantage – many large - scale breweries would n’t dream of releasing an aged sour within their first two yr , let alone a hoppy pale ale turn with lactobacillus and age in local whiskey barrels with refreshful blackberries . For One Barrel , however , it ’s just another crowd - pleasing drum of beer .

Prohibition Pig

Waterbury , VTCentral Vermont may not top everyone ’s holiday list , but the region has become a bona fide mecca for trade beer ’s most earnest . Between The Alchemist and Prohibition Pig – a nanobrewery and eating house feature 20 mouth - watering hydrant – sleepy Waterbury is literally swamp with fantastic brew . Prohibition Pig is the brainchild of Chad Rich , a beer lover who , in 2012 , opened up a small smokehouse and taproom in The Alchemist ’s former brewpub infinite . Two age later , Rich elaborate to a nearby schoolhouse ( it ’s allveryVermont ) , where he installed a 7bbl system and forthwith began brewing up a violent storm . Most of forbiddance ’s stock makes its way over to Rich ’s restaurant , where brisket - crunch diners are blissfully met with fresh - from - the - brewhouse ales . try by the local scene , it ’s no surprisal that hoppier beers are the favorites here , with Bantam – a dank , resinous , and citrusy threefold IPA – easily topping Prohibition ’s greatest - hits list .

Abide Brewing Company

Newnan , GAMatthew Kapusta , Evan Scanlan , and Philip Leonard grow up in Newnan , a quiet stretch of Southern suburbia just 40 naut mi southwest of Atlanta . The chum were flake by the home brew glitch years ago , joining force in 2013 to afford their beloved city ’s very first brewery . According to their internet site , Abide ’s ongoing military mission is to convince metro Atlanta to " consent without objection " topically brewed craft ale – and , with distribution throughout six county and numeration , the 3bbl nano seems to be doing a damn fine job . It ’s no marvel , then , that the residential district - tending brewery ’s flagship Local Pale Ale has deservedly acquire the role of brand embassador . The 6 % ABV dry - hop American picket is a magical melting mass of East and West Coast styles , where bright citrous fruit and dry , earthy acrimony slice through sweet caramel malt with each frizzy , clean , and profoundly live up to sip . Now that ’s some hometown superbia . Sign up herefor our day-after-day Thrillist electronic mail , and get your fix of the best in solid food / drinking / fun . Meredith Heilis a author , drinker , and dad - joke enthusiast living in Brooklyn . For misdirected boozy text , follow@beerdedladies & for badly - fat attempts at humor , see@meredad .