#63 COHO PACIFIC EXTRA PALE ALE - BRIDGEPORT BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

This beer has swam off to other horizons but the brewery itself is still making beer and pretty good stuff from the looks of BA reviewers.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 29 of 48
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 30 of 63

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is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated.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.

#62 CHOCOLATE STOUT - BISON BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

The bottle has changed and organic has creeped into the title but this one is still going strong apparently. Another reason why I need to visit California again SOON.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 28 of 47
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 30 of 62

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is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated.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.

#61 CHICKIES ROCK CREAM ALE - STARVIEW BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

The only information I could find on this beer and brewer is at some point their brews were being contracted out by Dubuque Brewing Co. No signs of Dubuque other than in relation to Starview.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 27 of 46
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 29 of 61

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is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated.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.

#60 CHERRY RAIL - CHERRYLAND BREWING LTD.

click picture for larger view

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: 27 of 45
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 29 of 60

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is from the book MICROBREWS: A GUIDE TO AMERICA'S BEST NEW BEERS AND BREWERIES published in 1996 and may or may not be outdated.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.

#59 CHANNEL ISLANDS WHEAT - SHIELDS BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

This beer and brewer are missing in action. If you know anything about them let me know.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 27 of 45
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 29 of 59

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.

#58 CENTENNIAL ALT - BOSTON BEER WORKS

click picture for larger view

The beer is rated about as good as the Red Sox were last year.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 27 of 44
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 29 of 58

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.

#57 CAVE CREEK CHILI BEER - BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING CO.





















click picture for larger view

The brewery is alive and "well" in terms of surviving. But when your flagship beer is a Chili Beer that isn't well-received it would seem that you are destined for failure but apparently not.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 27 of 44
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 28 of 57

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.

#56 CAVE CREEK AMBER ALE - BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

The brewery is alive and "well" in terms of surviving (though this brew is no longer made). But when your flagship beer is a Chili Beer that isn't well-received it would seem that you are destined for failure but apparently not.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 26 of 43
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 28 of 56

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.

#55 CATAMOUNT OCTOBERFEST - CATAMOUNT BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

Same story. Defunct. Classy label.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 25 of 42
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 28 of 55

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.

#54 CATAMOUNT CHRISTMAS ALE - CATAMOUNT BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

Same story. Defunct. Classy label.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 25 of 42
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 28 of 54

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.

#53 CATAMOUNT AMERICAN WHEAT - CATAMOUNT BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

With some of these defunct breweries it's hard to pin down when they actually closed but I'm guessing it was around 2000 from what I can gather. It appears that Harpoon then brought some of the brews back but it didn't last longer than a few years.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 25 of 42
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 28 of 53

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.

#52 CATAMOUNT AMBER - CATAMOUNT BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

With some of these defunct breweries it's hard to pin down when they actually closed but I'm guessing it was around 2000 from what I can gather. It appears that Harpoon then brought some of the brews back but it didn't last longer than a few years.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 25 of 42
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 28 of 52

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.

#51 CAPTAIN BASTARD'S OATMEAL STOUT - SQUATTERS BREWERY

click picture for larger view

A great beer name with great artwork. There aren't any reviews that I can find so I can assume that most are lukewarm on it. Their site has background bar ambience that sounds almost like some cult ritual. Then again it is UTAH!



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 25 of 41
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 28 of 51

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.

#50 CACTUS QUEEN ALE - YELLOW ROSE BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

This has to be one of the prettiest labels by a defunct brewery.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 24 of 40
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 27 of 50

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.

#49 BULLY! PORTER - BOULEVARD BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

Up and running with high regard. Apparently the largest craft brewer in the midwest. At least that's what they claim.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 24 of 40
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 27 of 49

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.

#48 BUBBA DOG BEER - YELLOW ROSE BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

Another casuality of the craft brew boom and bust cycle. I'm not really surprised at how often breweries fail, as many businesses do, but that there are so many small enterprises trying to fight their way into a macrobrewery world. I suppose that it's more a passion like anything else is. A costly one at that.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 23 of 39
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 26 of 48

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.

#47 BRUIN PALE ALE - HUDEPOHL-SCHOENLING BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

Little Kings is the mainstay with this brewery and may quite possible be all that they brew anymore.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 23 of 38
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 26 of 47

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.

#46 BROOKLYN LAGER - BROOKLYN BREWERY

click picture for larger view

A Beer Advocate darling.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 22 of 37
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 26 of 46

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.

#45 BRANDING IRON BITTER - ROCK'N M BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

Closed in 1996.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 22 of 37
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 25 of 45

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.

#44 BOYNE BEER - BOYNE USA RESORTS

click picture for larger view

Boyne is known in Michigan as a ski resort and not as a brewer. So I was a little surprised that they had even had a line of beers, even though they were contracted out by Frankenmuth Brewing. Either way, the resort is still open and the beer and brewery slip-slided away.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 22 of 36
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 25 of 44

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.

#43 BOULDER STOUT - ROCKIES BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

This one is at best semi-retired and mostly likely retired. But with the brewery still open this could change.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 22 of 35
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 25 of 43

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.

#42 BOULDER FALL FEST ALE - ROCKIES BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

First they were Boulder Brewing then Rockies Brewing and now they are Boulder Brewing Co. once again. I believe this brew is the same with a minor tweak to the name.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 22 of 35
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 25 of 42

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.

It seems that I have lost my e-mail account to thieves or an ill-advised password change which I don't recall making. So if you have left messages in any form in the past week they were never recieved by me. I changed my e-mail on the blog so all messages should come through now.

#41 BOSTON RED - BOSTON BEER WORKS

click picture for larger view

Often brewed, eschewed and reviewed.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 21 of 34
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 24 of 41

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.

#40 BOHEMIAN PILSNER - DOCK STREET BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

A good call.



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 21 of 34
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 23 of 40

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.

#39 BOCA BOCK LAGER - TRUCKEE BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

Gone the way of styrofoam Big Mac containers and glass Pepsi bottles.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 20 of 33
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 22 of 39

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.

#38 BLUE SUEDE ALE - COOPHOUSE BREWERY

click picture for larger view

Elvis has left the building.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 20 of 32
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 22 of 38

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.

#37 BLUE STAR WHEAT BEER - NORTH COAST BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

I've had a few of North Coast's beers and they have been rather exceptional. Why not this one as well?



BREWERY STATUS: ACTIVE
BEER STATUS: ACTIVE

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 20 of 32
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 22 of 37

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.

#36 BLUE RIDGE STEEPLE STOUT - FREDERICK BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

Again, the beer survives even though the brewer has fallen.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 19 of 31
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 21 of 36

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.

#35 BLUE RIDGE PORTER - FREDERICK BREWING CO.

click picture for larger view

The beer survives even though the brewer has fallen.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 19 of 31
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 20 of 35

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.

#34 BLUE HEN BLACK & TAN - BLUE HEN BEER CO.

click picture for larger view

I grafted the following information about the brewery from beercollections.com:

The Blue Hen Brewing Co. was founded in 1987 by Jeff Johnson with the mission to develop and introduce craft brewed beers into the Delaware Valley. The Blue Hen flagship product, Blue Hen Beer, a Munich Helles lager, was introduced in May of 1990.

The Blue Hen name comes from local folk lore recorded by Delaware historians which relates to a certain leisurely activity known to have occurred by one of the state’s Revolutionary War regiments. It’s told that during the early days of the war, the men of Captian Jonathan Caldwell’s company took with them gamecocks noted for their fighting ability. These particular fowl were of a brood possessing blue features. The regiment fought at Long Island, White Plains, Trenton, and Princeton and when not engaged with the enemy, amused themselves by fighting the Blue Hens. The fame of the fights spread throughout the army and soon the bravery in battle displayed by the regiment coupled with the colorful gamecocks they carried with them earned the militia the name, "The Fighting Blue Hens".

The rights to the Blue Hen brands were pruchased by Philadelphia's Independence Brewing in 1998. Some of the award winning beers purchased include the Blue Hen Lager, the Blue Hen Chocolate Porter and Blue Hen Black & Tan. The Independance Brewing Company says that this purchase was to expand its line of beers and help out sales in the Delaware location.



BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 19 of 30
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 19 of 34

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.

#33 BLUE HEN BEER - BLUE HEN BEER CO.

click picture for larger view

According to Beerme.com this brewer closed shop in 1998 and sold the rights for the Blue Hen brands to Philadelphia's Independence Brewing.


BREWERY STATUS: DEFUNCT
BEER STATUS: DEFUNCT

BREWERIES STILL ACTIVE: 19 of 30
BEERS STILL ACTIVE: 19 of 33

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.