#32 BLACKHOOK PORTER - RED HOOK ALE BREWERY

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The same as it ever was.


BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 19 of 29
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 19 of 32

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#31 BLACK JACK PORTER - LEFT HAND BREWING CO.

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97% approval rating for this brew on BA and 91% for the brewery.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 18 of 28
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 18 of 31

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#30 BLACK JACK BLACK & TAN - WAINWRIGHT BREWING CO.

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The history is a little muddy but here's what's known of the earliest and latest Wainwright brewery:

Joseph J. Wainwright founded one of America's oldest breweries in the early 1800's. Located in Lawrenceville, which is technically part of today's Pittsburgh, J.J.Wainwright's was one of the twenty-one Pennsylvania breweries that merged in 1899 to become Pittsburgh Brewing Company. The Pittsburgh brewing Company in the form of the contract brewing company Wainwright started brewing the special J.J. Wainwright beers in the late 1990's in Lawrenceville using the time honored methods and quality ingredients that J.J. Wainwright used for his select beers.

I do not think this has survived the day but I may be wrong. I found no evidence to the contrary.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 17 of 27
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 17 of 30

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#29 BLACK CHOCOLATE STOUT - BROOKLYN BREWERY

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One of the purported best chocolate stouts on the market. If you can find it. I can't.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 17 of 26
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 17 of 29

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#28 BIG BUTTE PORTER - DESCHUTES BREWERY

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See for yourself.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 16 of 25
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 16 of 28

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#27 BIG FOOT ALE - SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO.

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One of the standard bearers in the craft brewery movement. Is an introduction really needed here?



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 16 of 25
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 15 of 27

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#26 BIG SHOULDERS PORTER - CHICAGO BREWING CO.

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From the looks of it BIG SHOULDERS PORTER is retired and the original Chicago Brewing Co. went out of business. But there is another Chicago Brewing Co. in Las Vegas which doesn't appear to be the phoenix rising out of the dust of the old regime but it's an interesting name choice nonetheless.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 15 of 24
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 14 of 26

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#25 BIG D ESB - YEGUA CREEK BREWING CO.

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This one is dead as a door nail. Another bankruptcy to add to the pile. Still nearly a 60% survival rate for the beers and breweries thus far and that's not so bad in the business world.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 15 of 23
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 14 of 25

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#24 BERKSHIRE ALE - BERKSHIRE BREWING CO.

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An active and fairly high ranker on beeradvocate.com.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 15 of 22
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 14 of 24

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#23 BENT LAGER - COOPHOUSE BREWERY

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There is scant information available on this former brewery and here it is:

"The Coophouse brewery was conceived in late 1993 by its two founders, Brian Cooper and Dr. John Allshouse whom met in a research lab at the University of Colorado’s Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Disenchanted with the employment they had procured after graduation, they started planning the brewery while drinking some of John’s homebrew, the recipe that later became their Bent Lager. Located in Broomfield, CO, the brewery produces 5 beers with their 10 barrel brewhouse. Dr. Allshouse has since left the brewery which is now operated by Mr. Cooper and only one other employee.

Coophouse is a microbrewery in the truest sense of the word. The two spent over a week bottling each and every beer that we have sent you this month. In addition to their Honey Rose Amber, the brewery produces Bent Lager, Blue Suede Brown Ale, Paramount Pale Ale, and Arcanum Lager, a Bohemian-style Pilsener."

from Beer of the Month Club (I could only access the page/information when caching it off google.)



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 14 of 21
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 13 of 23

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#22 BEEHIVE LAGER - SQUATTERS BREWERY

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Bristol Brewing Co. puts out a Beehive Honey Wheat but it appears that Squatters does not make Beehive Lager any longer. At least there's no mention of it anywhere on the internet and we know the internet is the final distillation of truth.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 14 of 20
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 13 of 22

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#21 BAR ROOM HONEY RED ALE - BREWSKI'S BREWING CO.

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Closed in 2003. Apparently it was located just off the beachfront and had a rail(from a railroad) on the bar. I'm not sure if there was a moving train. It's hard to imagine how this could fail in California in such a setting but maybe the beer was subpar or the gods were simply against them. Then again beerme.com says it had a brewhouse and tanks out in the open but that they contracted out some or all of their beer and that very little brewing if any took place on location.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 13 of 19
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 13 of 21

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#20 BAMBINO ALE - BOSTON BEER WORKS

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A seasonal in the truest sense of the word: BASEBALL SEASON. Not oft reviewed but if I ever get back to Brookline I'll be sure to let you know how it is.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: SEMI-ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 13 of 18
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 13 of 20

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#19 BALLPARK BROWN ALE - BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY

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Breckenridge makes one of the few and best Vanilla Porters around. I can't speak for the Ballpark Brown and apparently not many others can either as evidenced by the scant amount of reviews for the beer on Beer Advocate. It seems that it is a special beer that isn't quite retired or in the starting lineup.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: SEMI-ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 12 of 17
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 12 of 19

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#18 BALCONES FAULT RED GRANITE - HILL COUNTRY BREWING & BOTTLING CO.

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See #17.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 11 of 16
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 11 of 18

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#17 BALCONES FAULT PALE MALT - HILL COUNTRY BREWING & BOTTLING CO.

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A company with a beer called Balcones Fault Bat's Breath Bock should never go out of business, though it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue like Oro de Calabaza does.

It appears that after Hill Country went under or were unable to handle the manufacturing aspect Great Grains Brewery in Dallas contracted out their beer. Great Grains also went bust as seems to be the trend for many of these small breweries that take on board other failed companies.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 11 of 16
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 11 of 17

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#16 BADERBRÄU BOCK BEER- PAVICHEVICH BREWING CO.

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Some facts from Beerme.com
Opened: 1989.
Closed: 1997.
Brewer: George Vlamis.
Annual Production: 20,000 bbl.
Now part of Goose Island. Goose Island bought the Baderbräu brand, and brews that beer for the Chicago market now.

I checked Goose Island's website and it seems Baderbräu is no more.

More information about the brewer and beer can be found here.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 11 of 15
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 11 of 16

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#15 BAD FROG BEER - BAD FROG BREWERY CO.

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These guys remain alive and well even though they haven't grown all that much beerwise, with only three varieties, according to the website. The site claims that the beer started with a mock t-shirt about a beer that didn't exist. This lead to a 30,000 initial order and sales of one million bottles of beer in the first month of production! Another interesting note is that they put out a "craft micro malt" that comes in a 40! Classy. I'll be on the lookout for that.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 11 of 14
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 11 of 15

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#14 BACHELOR BITTER - DESCHUTES BREWERY

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A slight tune-up to the name, label and description is all that has changed apparently:

BACHELOR ESB:

An authentic English-style extra special bitter—considered the height of the brewer's art in British pubs—Bachelor ESB possesses a full malt flavor and balanced hop profile.

See the brewery profile and reviews at Beer Advocate.

BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 10 of 13
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 10 of 14

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#13 AVALANCHE - BRECKENRIDGE BREWERY

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It's alive!!!

Quick Facts from their website:

Beer Style: American Amber
Flavor: Caramel maltiness with slight hop character
Yeast: Top Fermenting Ale Yeast
Malts: Two Row Pale, Munich, Roasted Barley, Chocolate
Hops: Willamette, Chinook, Tettnang, Hallertau
Color: Amber
Bitterness Units: 19
Alcohol By Volume: 5.41%
Alcohol By Weight: 4.33%

See the brewery profile and reviews at Beer Advocate.

BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 9 of 12
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 9 of 13

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#12 ATLAS AMBER ALE - BIG TIME BREWING CO.

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The ale is still flowing and growing at Big Time.

See the brewery profile and reviews at Beer Advocate.

BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 8 of 11
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 8 of 12

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#11 ARROYO AMBER ALE - CROWN CITY BREWERY

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According to Beerme.com "Beers are being brewed temporarily by Craftsman Brewing while Crown City gets new brewing equipment. Neat place. Lots of stuff on the walls...beer mats, bottles, old ads, flags, TVs, etc. Lots of excellent guest beers, including Theakston's XB Bitter...a rare treat!" Apparently the Arroyo is still being served and drunk as well.


BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 7 of 10
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 7 of 11

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#10 ARCHES AMBER ALE - EDDIE MCSTIFF'S

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Well...it seems McStiff's is still operating but for how long? According to their website the place is for sale. So anybody with a nice chunk of change to spend for a microbrewery in a desolate and picturesque location better go to the site and watch the video! As for the beer...Arches Amber Ale seems to have been replaced by Rock Amber Ale so technically it's alive and well. For now that is.

See the brewery profile and reviews at Beer Advocate.

BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 6 of 9
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 6 of 10

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#9 APPLE BACH - CHERRYLAND BREWERY LTD.

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It appears this one closed a few years ago. I've seen mention that Green Bay Brewing Co. is making some of the Cherryland selections though I didn't find any evidence that they are still in operation themselves. Anyhow brew and brewer are gone. Nice label on this one.

BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 5 of 8
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 5 of 9

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#8 AMERICAN AMBER ALE - WILLIAM & SCOTT BREWING CO.

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Apparently they filed for bankruptcy in 1997 and have closed. Beer was brewed under contract by Minnesota Brewing Co. which suffered the same fate in bankruptcy court in 2002. Minnesota Brewing was most famous for their "Grain Belt" brand (now owned by August Schell), but they brewed beer under contract for a great many beer marketing companies:

* Barley Boys Brewing, Omaha NE
* Beartooth Brewing, Boulder CO
* Big Bang Brewery, San Francisco CA
* Humpback Premium Ales, Cerritos CA
* Jamestown Brewing, Denver CO
* Pete's Brewing, Palo Alto CA
* Pike Brewing, Seattle WA (microbrewery)
* Spring Street, New York NY
* William and Scott, Culver City CA

...and probably quite a few more.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 5 of 7
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 5 of 8

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#7 ALLEYCAT AMBER ALE - LOST COAST BREWERY

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Alleycat is likely being drunk as I type this out. Another beer and brewery which haven't made it across the map and yet still have thrived.

See the brewery profile and reviews at Beer Advocate.

BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 5 of 6
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 5 of 7

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#6 ALIMONY ALE - BUFFALO BILL'S BREWERY

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Reviewed favorably but not often on BA. No reviews in over a year and not enough to even garner an overall score. Usually that's a sign of a retired or obscure beer but it seems to be a prominent active seasonal roster selection on Buffalo Bill's website.

See the brewery profile and reviews at Beer Advocate.

BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 4 of 5
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 4 of 6

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#5 ALCATRAZ STOUT ALE - SAN FRANCISCO BREWING CO.

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From the looks of it everything is alive and well with both brew and brewery. Jay from Hedonist Beer Jive probably could shed more light on this seeing as he lives nearby.

See the brewery profile and reviews at Beer Advocate.

BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 3 of 4
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 3 of 5

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#4 ALASKAN FRONTIER - ALASKAN BREWING CO.

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Same address. Same telephone number. Same label. Same taste? No taste whatsoever as this brew has gone by the wayside. But according to Henry the taste of the Alaskan Amber has changed and for the worst.

See the brewery profile and reviews at Beer Advocate.

BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 2 of 3
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 2 of 4

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.

#3 ALASKAN AMBER - ALASKAN BREWING CO.

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Nothing's changed here except that they've added a few brews to their inventory. Same address. Same telephone number. Same label. Same taste?

See beer and brewery profile and reviews at Beer Advocate

BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 2 of 3
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 2 of 3

Please note that all information on the graphic is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated. All use is for educational purposes only.