The Big Ten

 The Big Ten

No, I am not referencing the word of football.  I am referring to the top 10 big craft breweries I have visited in the USA.  To date, I have been to 375 breweries around the world.  I am in search of the perfect IPA.  And so I have been to small batch breweries to breweries which now have national and international distributions. Here are the Big Ten that I have visited:

Sam Adams Brewery- MA- I once went here for the weekend.  We went on the last tour on Friday and all the brewers joined us with pitchers of beer and we drank through the whole tour.  Then we came back on Saturday and took the tour again so that we could try different beers in the testing room.  And then on Sunday, we went to three bars that served exclusive Sam Adams beers.  It was a fun weekend.

Dogfish Head Brewery- DE -  This brewery and its owner has my utmost admiration.  Sam (?) was leader in the craft beer movement and he has been a champion of other small craft breweries.  His beers are delicious and bold.  He takes risks in a variety of favors.  Most of them, I like, some I dont.  But he always has something new to try whenever I go there, which is about once or twice a year.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company- CA- Their Pale Ale was the beer that put me on the craft beer tract.  After my first Play Ale, I never went back to domestic lagers.  So I had to make a pilgrimage there in 2017.  Regretfully, I went there with a friend who is not a beer drinker.  But what I loved about the place was that they would serve 2 oz pours.  So I ordered 12 different beers and that was great fun and worth the flight across the country and the three hour drive to get there.

Yeungling Brewery - PA- this is the oldest family run brewery in the country.  I particularly like their Lord Cheseterfield Ale. The brewery visit was a bit boring

Oscar Blue Brewery- CO- The first time I went there, I like it.  But when I went back the second time, I loved it.  I was in search of a coffee porter and found it here.  And since I wasnt driving, at one point, I had 6 or 7 different qualities of beer in front of me.  That was a fun afternoon.  I have benn back a few times since then and have enjoyed my beers. But last summer, I was there and it seems as if they have cut back on thier production.  There were only 3 or 4 of thier beers available.  And they were seeing other breweries' beers.

New Belgium Brewery- CO- I like thier Flat Tire Ale but I didnt partially like the brewery.  It was become so popular that it's too crowded. I'm not sure I will go back there.

Smittynose Brewery-- NH-I've always liked their beers and so when I stumbled across this brewery during my trip through NH, I was so damn happy.

Troeggs Brewery-PA-  I have been drinking these beers for a few years now but I never knew that this brewery was only an hour from my home so I was so excited to visit there.

Goose Island Brewery-PA- This is really a Chicago brewery but for a time, there was brewery in Philly which is where I visited.  As a matter of fact, this brewery was my 100th brewery.  I have always liked these beers and I liked this brewery.  Unfortunately, it didn't make it through covid and shut down shortly after we were all allowed to go out and play together again.