Which Big East City Has The Best Beer?

[bigeastbiggerstage]

https://thebrokenanchor.com/which-big-e ... best-beer/

As per request from you guys, I ranked the Big East just based on beer. If anyone needs me, I'll be in a bunker hiding from every city outside the top 5.

[Hall2012]

The replies to this one should be fun lol. The only one that jumps out as too low in my opinion is Philadelphia.

Regarding the South Orange commentary - there's actually (historically) a very good reason why IPA's are so bitter, but it's really no longer necessary. It's because hops as a preservative, which was necessary for long trips aboard a hot ship from Europe to India (hence the name). Additional hops needed to be added to beer for it to complete the trip without spoiling, which also resulted in a very bitter beer. Nowadays, adding hops and branding something an IPA is just an easy way for bad breweries to cover up off flavors on bad beers (since hops do that pretty well too). Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of excellent IPAs out there, but there are also probably more terrible ones than any other style.

And to finish with some fire - beer quality is obviously a high level factor when considering future expansion. I think that makes SLU the obvious choice as its city would become the instant #1 on this list.

[Xudash]

https://thebrokenanchor.com/which-big-east-city-has-the-best-beer/

As per request from you guys, I ranked the Big East just based on beer. If anyone needs me, I'll be in a bunker hiding from every city outside the top 5.

Correction: behind Munchen, not Berlin.

[MUBoxer]

First, thanks for doing this it's fun. Second, I had done a bunch of research on this years ago and updated it when I figured you would come out with this list. Third, Milwaukee is vastly overrated for a modern beer city. Back in the day they would've been neck and neck with St Louis as the best beer city by a long shot but things like Goodcity, Eagle Park, 1840 and Mobcraft are a notch below what they should be for a proud beer city while Lakefront is solid they're the only one that's truly broken through to another level. Plus it still clings to PBR, Miller, Schlitz and just blue collar beer in general. Fourth, beyond my love for my home city, objectively according to all the following metrics Chicago is the best beer city in the Big East unless the New England folks are claiming it because they can easily get Trillium and Alchemist beers.

Brewee App most breweries by rough Metropolitan area:

Chicago 185
NYC/NJ 183
Philadelphia 120
Cinci 69
MKE 49
Omaha 19
Indy 57
Providence 18 (no you don't get to claim anything from Boston)
DC like 70 or so it was difficult to find
Hartford 24

# of Best Breweries in metro based on Untapped

Chicago 2
Phili 1
NYC/NJ 1
DC 1
CT 1

# of Best beers in metro Based on Beer Advocate top 250

Top 25: Chicago 3
26-50: Chicago 3
51-75: Chicago 2
75-100: Chicago 1
100-125: NYC/NJ 2
126-150: Chicago 1, NYC/NJ 4
151-200: NYC/NJ 3, CT 1
201-250: Chicago 2, NYC/NJ 1, DC 1

[MUBoxer]

The replies to this one should be fun lol. The only one that jumps out as too low in my opinion is Philadelphia.

Regarding the South Orange commentary - there's actually (historically) a very good reason why IPA's are so bitter, but it's really no longer necessary. It's because hops as a preservative, which was necessary for long trips aboard a hot ship from Europe to India (hence the name). Additional hops needed to be added to beer for it to complete the trip without spoiling, which also resulted in a very bitter beer. Nowadays, adding hops and branding something an IPA is just an easy way for bad breweries to cover up off flavors on bad beers (since hops do that pretty well too). Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of excellent IPAs out there, but there are also probably more terrible ones than any other style.

And to finish with some fire - beer quality is obviously a high level factor when considering future expansion. I think that makes SLU the obvious choice as its city would become the instant #1 on this list.

Between Side Project and Perrenial St Louis has surprisingly stayed a solid beer city with the changing times. Odd considering it's demographics and just generally being an average place at best.

[gtmoBlue]

although I haven't been there... Omaha! Quest Ctr/CHICO's 1$ Beer has to be the Best in the land.

[UD Flyer Fanatic]

Chicago period, end of story It only makes sense- ya gotta have some tasty suds to wash down that awesome food.

Even though Goose Island has gone commercial, they still make great brews and started the micro brewery scene. I recall visiting their original location... maybe late 80's.

Chicago's #1 commercial mass produced beer back in the day (and which I still have a soft spot for) is Old Style beer. I wonder if they still sell it?

[Hall2012]

Between Side Project and Perrenial St Louis has surprisingly stayed a solid beer city with the changing times. Odd considering it's demographics and just generally being an average place at best.

Both excellent breweries - Perennial in particular is one of my favorites. A lot of people don't realize that the St. Louis beer scene goes far beyond Anheuser-Busch. I regularly see it at or near the top of best beer cities in the country. I also, personally, think Civil Life is very underrated.

Not a Big East city though so I'll cut the St. Louis discussion there. I definitely think Philly deserves some more respect though, if for no reason other than out of all the breweries I've been to (a lot) I still haven't found a session ale I enjoy quite as much as Yards Brawler.

[MUBoxer]

Between Side Project and Perrenial St Louis has surprisingly stayed a solid beer city with the changing times. Odd considering it's demographics and just generally being an average place at best.

Both excellent breweries - Perennial in particular is one of my favorites. A lot of people don't realize that the St. Louis beer scene goes far beyond Anheuser-Busch. I regularly see it at or near the top of best beer cities in the country. I also, personally, think Civil Life is very underrated.

Not a Big East city though so I'll cut the St. Louis discussion there. I definitely think Philly deserves some more respect though, if for no reason other than out of all the breweries I've been to (a lot) I still haven't found a session ale I enjoy quite as much as Yards Brawler.

Interesting, maybe when things are back to semi normal I'll have to give Philly a visit, its my least explored city of the 10 team Big East... unless the air port counts lol

[DeltaV]

Yeah, I don't think I can be friends with you based on this.

First of all, you rank Milwaukie 2nd...based on Miller and PBR? Do you have constant constipation issues and need help cleaning yourself out? Because that's about all those beers are good for. You should eat more vegetables and fiber if that's the case...

Goose Island, while a perfectly fine beer, is also a sellout to InBev.

A lot of the other city beers I haven't had, so I can't comment. I'd be more than happy to try them though, if I can ever travel again...

As for Philly, YARDS!!!! I basically lived on the stuff when I lived in Philly. And if we're being specific to the main line, there are some great ones there as well; Tired Hands is right down the road from Villanova in Ardmore, and lots of other good stuff in the vicinity as well. And if we're opening up to the 'Philadelphia Area' (not sure if we're allowing that as well), I would consider Dogfish Head, Victory, Troegs, and Weyerbacher all make outstanding beers and are considered local beers by Philadelphians (and a ton more that I'm not remembering since I've been gone for 5 years). And of course, you can't forget Lager. Yes, it's been eclipsed these days by more adventurous mircrobrews, but for most of us it was the first beer we stole from our fathers, so it will have a special place in our hearts.