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
Like or Dislike:
3 
1
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
Like or Dislike:
3 
1
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
Like or Dislike:
0 
1
Founders and Brewery Vivant. Their beers use Grand Rapids municipally sourced water, which is piped in from Lake Michigan via Muskegon.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
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.
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
Bell’s Oberon.
Hot debate. What do you think?
3 
6
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?
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
Bells Amber Ale or Best Brown – Kalamazoo
Like or Dislike:
3 
2
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.
Like or Dislike:
1 
1
@Noah Hall – Brewery Vivant (Grand Rapids) cans their beer.
Gotta go with Two Hearted from Bell’s
Like or Dislike:
1 
2
Founder’s Curmudgeon’s Better Half is my current favorite beer on planet Earth and the unfashionable end of the Western spiral arm…
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
My homebrew – brewed with MI water!
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
Brewery Vivant and Keweenaw Brewing Company sell their brews in cans. Whitsun Ales from Arcadia Ales can also be found in cans.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
Missed the bit that they had to be canned. I don’t think any of the breweries I mentioned earlier can their beers.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
My husband likes Burning River Pale Ale out of Cleveland.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Mickey Finn’s Abana Amber Ale, Libertyville, IL. In cans!
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Homebrew is the best…of course!
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
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.
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
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.
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
I will second the nomination of New Holland’s (Holland, MI) Dragon’s Milk. Best I ever tasted.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Founders Porter in the winter, Dragonmead’s Final Absolution in the summer. They absolutely can’t be beat.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Carol – perhaps good nominations. But they don’t count until you identify the brewer and the location within the watershed.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Short’s Controversiale (Hangin’ Frank)(Antrim County)
Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale (Kalamazoo)
Arbor Brewing Company Sacred Cow (Washtenaw County)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, by Great Lakes Brewing Co., Cleveland, Ohio
&
Founders Dry Hopped Ale, Grand Rapids Michigan
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Here is one more good one
Dunkel by Atwater Brewery in Detroit Michigan
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
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.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
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/
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Agree on Founder’s Red’s Rye … but North Peak’s Furry Black IPA is pretty outstanding, too.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
I’ve been enjoying Founder’s Porter and Bell’s Porter. Founder’s ‘Dirty Bastard’ is always welcomed after a hard day at work.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Leave your response!
Interact
Special Reports
Recent Comments
“Conservatively, colder winters are associated with ice sheets...”
Photo Friday: Minnesota lakes take their time “icing out”
“In liberal speak, the late ice out in Minnesota and the overall...”
Photo Friday: Minnesota lakes take their time “icing out”
“The financial success of undertakings involving construction are derived from safety,...”
Restoring the Great Lakes 2.0: Keep it simple
“Here is another one for Gary. The Muskegon Lake AOC is another classic example of GLRI...”
Restoring the Great Lakes 2.0: Keep it simple
“Gary Wilson is correct. Ironically not all advisory boards follow their own missions....”
Restoring the Great Lakes 2.0: Keep it simple
GLIN News archive
Submit a story
Great Lakes Tweets
Other Resources
Most Commented
Who We Are
Great Lakes Echo is a project of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University.
Additional content provided by MSU's Capital News Service.
Technical assistance by MSU's Department of Telecommunications, Information Studies and Media with support from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.