Microbrews made in the USA and guide to American beers

I love good beer!  Great beers are made all around the world.  Certain styles of beer from Germany, Belgium, Ireland are world renowned for being the original of it's class.  Whether it's an English ale, Guinness, Belgian Dubbel, Hacker-Pschoor, Heineken, or another great imported beer you can bet there is a craft brewery in America making a comparable beer. Sure the imports taste great, and maybe they originated the style, but decrease your carbon footprint and keep your money at home!

Here in Philadelphia I've found some great microbreweries near me, and no matter where you are in the US you can find a great craft brewer producing excellent beer near you.  My favorite breweries within 100 miles of Philadelphia are Dogfish Head, Flying Fish, Yards, Philadelphia Brewing Company, Weyerbacher, and Flying Dog.  These breweries combine to employ hundreds of Americans, and with the millions of dollars in sales, they also generate a nice chunk of tax revenue for the American government.  Of course, you'll have your own favorites based on where you live, and maybe my local beers don't reach you.  Please seek out the American Microbrewed beers that are made in your area.  By reducing the transportation distance of your beer you'll be helping the environment while helping to employ Americans!

Challenge yourself to find craft beers that include all American hops and grains as well! Common American hops include Cascade, Citra, Centennial, Chinook, Nugget, Columbus, Tomahawk, Zeus, Simcoe, Crystal, Willamette, and Warrior.  Drink your beer out of an American made Pint Glass!

Below is a list of some great import beers and a similar American microbrew you should purchase instead.  If you click the import beer name you will be directed to a list on Beer Advocate of the best beers in that class in order, make sure you choose American!

Guiness Irish Dry Stout made in the USA substitutions:

1. Cadillac Mountain Stout, Bay Harbor Brewing, Maine
2. Great Lakes Wolfhound Stout, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Ohio
3. Black Sun Stout, Three Floyds Brewing, Indiana

Belgian Tripel made in the USA substitutions:
1. Damnation Batch 23, Russian River Brewing, California
2. Allagash Tripel Ale, Allagash Brewing, Maine
3. The Tide And It's Takers, Anchorage Brewing, Alaska
4. Sawyer's Triple, Stone Brewing, California

Bass or Boddingtons English Ale made in the USA substitutions:
1. Scallywag Extra Pale Ale, Skull Coast Brewing, South Carolina
2. Ipswich Original Pale Ale, Ipswich Ale Brewery, Massachusetts
3. Urban Wilderness Pale Ale, Sleeping Lade Brewing, Alaska
4. Axes of Evil, Gigantic Brewing, Oregon
5. 5 Parrel Pale Ale, Odell Brewing, Colorado

Franziskaner or Ayinger Hefeweizen made in the USA substitutions:
(many of these beers are rated higher than the German beers!)
1. Live Oak Hefweizen, Live Oak, Texas
2. Dancing Man Wheat, New Glarus Brewing, Wisconsin
3. Dry Dock Hefeweizen, Dry Dock Brewing, Colorado
4. Drunk Monk Hefeweizen, Three Floyds Brewing, Indiana
5. Sierra Nevada Kellerweis, Sierra Nevade, California

India Pale Ale made in the USA substitutions:
1. Blackheart, Three Floyds Brewing, Indiana
2. 1800 Old English IPA, Minneapolis Town Hall, Minnesota
3. At Her Majesty's Pleasure, Pipeworks Brewing, Illinois
4. Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA, Great Lakes Brewing, Ohio

Amstel Light made in the USA substitutions:
Try Sam Adams Light, Sankaty Light, Zion Canyon Jamaican Style Lager, Yuengling light.

Did you know? While very well known "American" breweries like Miller, Coors, and Bud are produced in the USA it is important to note that they are now all owned by foreign companies.  Coors is Canadian, Miller is UK owned, Anheuser-Busch is Belgian.  Drinking these beers helps keeps Americans manufacturing beer, but some of the tax revenue leaves America.

The following is a list of the largest microbreweries (also support the small ones!) in America from Sloshspot.

1. Boston Brewing Company, Boston MA
2. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico CA
3. New Belgium Brewing Company, Fort Collins CO
4. Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner TX
5. Pyramid Brewries, Inc., Seattle, WA
6. Matt Brewing Company, Utica NY
7. Deschutes Brewing Company, Bend OR
8. Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City MO
9. Full Sail Brewing Company, Hood River OR
10. Harpoon Brewery, Boston MA
11. Alaskan Brewing and Bottling Company, Juneau AL
12. Magic Hat Brewing Company and Performing Arts Center, South Burlington VT
13. Anchor Brewing Company, San Fransisco CA
14. Bell's Brewery, Inc., Kalamazoo MI
15. Shipyard Brewing Company, Portland ME
16. Summit Brewing Company, St. Paul MN
17. Abita Brewing Company, Abita Springs LA
18. Gordon Biersch Brewing Company, San Jose CA
19. Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn NY
20. Stone Brewing Company, Escondido CA
21. Rogue Ales, Newport OR
22. Long Trail Brewing Company, Bridgewater Corners VT
23. New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus WI
24. Kona Brewing Company, Kahlua-Kona HI
25. Dogfish Head Brewing Company, Milton DE
26. Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles CA
27. Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland OH
28. The Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma CA
29. Flying Dog Brewery, Denver CO
30. Sweetwater Brewery, Atlanta GA
31. Bridgeport Brewing Company, Portland OR
32. Rock Bottom Brewery, Louisville CO
33. Odell Brewing Company, Fort Collins CO
34. BJ's Restaurant and Brewery, Huntington Beach CA
35. Victory Brewing Company, Downington PA
36. Mac and Jack's Brewery, Redmond WA
37. Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe, Eureka CA
38. Big Sky Brewing Company, Missoula MT
39. Pete's Brewing Company, San Antonio TX
40. Otter Creek Brewing Company, Middlebury VT
41. Karl Strauss Brewing Company, San Diego CA
42. Breckenridge Brewing Company, Denver CO
43. Gordon Biersch Brewery, Chattanooga TN
44. Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Boonville CA
45. Boulder Beer Company, Boulder CO
46. North Coast Brewing Company, Fort Bragg CA
47. McMenamins, Portland OR
48. Utah Brewer's Cooperative, Salt Lake City UT
49. Capital Brewing Company, Middleton WI
50. Blue Point Brewing Company, Patchogue NY

Top 50 Craft Brewers in America Map (full size)