What is the best beer brewed with Great Lakes water?
Outside Magazine recently released a list of the top 10 canned beers of 2012.
The magazine claims these as the best of 100 brands sampled. Apparently they were sampled at once and by very few judges. How else to explain the impaired judgment resulting in a selection containing only two beers brewed in Great Lakes states: Sly Fox Pikeland Pils from Pottstown, Pa., and Sixpoint Resin Ale in Brooklyn, N.Y.
And those two aren’t even in the Great Lakes watershed.
Sorry Outside. Every beer lover – at least those who read Echo – should know that the best beer is brewed from the waters comprising or draining into 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water.
So here’s the challenge, Echo readers: What is the best beer made from water derived from within the Great Lakes watershed?
If you’re not exactly sure where the watershed is, check out the map above. Click it to enlarge. Note the binational nature of the watershed.
In the comment section below, make your case. Include the name of the beer, the brewer and where it is brewed.
I’ll leave labeling a beer “the best” to those who must have winners and losers.
Here are two Great Lakes beers I’ve enjoyed over time and strongly recommend if you like hops.
Great Lakes Burning River – Cleveland
Founders Red’s Rye PA – Grand Rapids
Gary Wilson
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I agree that choosing favorites is not possible, especially when there are so many great beers in the area. Some I’ve enjoyed:
Great Lakes Christmas Ale
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
Founder’s Red’s RyePA (seconded!)
And here are the Great Lakes Basin winners for the 2012 World Beer Cup:
Blushing Monk, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Ring Of Fire, Dragonmead Microbrewery, Warren, MI
Killer Bee, Dragonmead Microbrewery, Warren, MI
Brandy Barrel Abbey Normal, Fox River Brewing Co., Oshkosh, WI
Barrel Aged BORIS The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co., Akron, OH
Dan – My Turn Series, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
Saison Noir, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI
Nectar des Dieux, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI
Thor’s Hammer, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI
Cross of Gold: Revolution Brewing, Chicago, IL
Beltaine Scottish Ale, Shoreline Brewery, Michigan City, IN
Rise American Stout, Revolution Brewing, Chicago, IL
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I tend to agree with Gary, but it turns out that several Great Lakes brewers placed in various categories during the most recent World Beer Cup: http://www.worldbeercup.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/WBC12-Winners-List1.pdf
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Founders and Brewery Vivant. Their beers use Grand Rapids municipally sourced water, which is piped in from Lake Michigan via Muskegon.
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As mentioned in the first line of this article, Outside was only tasting canned beer – which is why, I think, Great Lakes, Founders, etc, did not place. (Do they make canned beer?) But for Great Lakes sourced canned beer, I love Keweenaw’s Amber Ale. Also, Founder’s Red’s Rye is definitely my current favorite beer of all time.
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Bell’s Oberon.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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The whole lineup from Short’s Brewing Co in Bellaire Michigan is fantastic. But they don’t put their beer in cans, so they won’t be on the Outside Magazine list. I don’t think Founders, Arcadia, or Bells use cans either. Which of the Great Lakes craft brewers sell in cans?
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Bells Amber Ale or Best Brown – Kalamazoo
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Arcadia cans Whitsun, Vivant cans their beers, Keweenaw Brewing cans too, and Altwater cans a couple of their beers. I’m sure there are more, but those are just the Michigan breweries I can think of.
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@Noah Hall – Brewery Vivant (Grand Rapids) cans their beer.
Gotta go with Two Hearted from Bell’s
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Founder’s Curmudgeon’s Better Half is my current favorite beer on planet Earth and the unfashionable end of the Western spiral arm…
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My homebrew – brewed with MI water!
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Brewery Vivant and Keweenaw Brewing Company sell their brews in cans. Whitsun Ales from Arcadia Ales can also be found in cans.
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Missed the bit that they had to be canned. I don’t think any of the breweries I mentioned earlier can their beers.
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My husband likes Burning River Pale Ale out of Cleveland.
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Mickey Finn’s Abana Amber Ale, Libertyville, IL. In cans!
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Homebrew is the best…of course!
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I like Keeweenaw Brewing’s Widow Maker (Houghton MI), Millking’s Pale Ale (Royal Oak), and Motor City Brewing’s Nut Brown (I’m assuming kegs count as cans).
My bottled go to beers are Bell’s Two Hearted (K-zoo) and Dortmunder Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland).
I rarely ever drink beer brewed outside the watershed, gotta drink local.
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I couldn’t drink it every day but Dragon’s Milk by New Holland is an excellent beer.
Good to know about canned beers from Michigan other than Keweenaw Brewing. I like the Amber and the Olde Ore Dock Scottish Ale.
I’m not a fan of cans, but they are good on hikes and such.
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I will second the nomination of New Holland’s (Holland, MI) Dragon’s Milk. Best I ever tasted.
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Founders Porter in the winter, Dragonmead’s Final Absolution in the summer. They absolutely can’t be beat.
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Carol – perhaps good nominations. But they don’t count until you identify the brewer and the location within the watershed.
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Short’s Controversiale (Hangin’ Frank)(Antrim County)
Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale (Kalamazoo)
Arbor Brewing Company Sacred Cow (Washtenaw County)
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Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, by Great Lakes Brewing Co., Cleveland, Ohio
&
Founders Dry Hopped Ale, Grand Rapids Michigan
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Here is one more good one
Dunkel by Atwater Brewery in Detroit Michigan
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Keweenaw Brewing Company Old Ore Dock Scottish Ale and Red Jacket Amber Ale are a couple favorites. They also made a brew called ‘Septemberfest’ which was the best beer I’ve ever had, but was only available in limited quantities and no longer exists, so that’s out.
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James,
Old Ore Dock also sounds like a good candidate for best name of a Great Lakes beer:
http://greatlakesecho.org/2012/05/24/more-on-great-lakes-beer-which-has-the-best-name/
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Agree on Founder’s Red’s Rye … but North Peak’s Furry Black IPA is pretty outstanding, too.
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I’ve been enjoying Founder’s Porter and Bell’s Porter. Founder’s ‘Dirty Bastard’ is always welcomed after a hard day at work.
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