Wow these are great! Ya know it didn't occur to me to see if BA ranked by country - nice suggestion. Thanks everyone. I think Bobsy's got a point, good beer is a real hit or miss in my home state of NJ. I may get lucky and stumble on a few of the above labels though. I'll keep my eyes peeled.
Jersey has appreciative beer
people but is NOT a beer state, nor are there any real beer towns here. For instance, Hoboken, NJ- just across the river from NYC - has more bars per square mile than any other town here. It really seems that there are only a few bars of the over 100 there where I can get a decent selection of great international and domestic beers- as in non mass-produced.
I've found a few superb bars and outstanding stores in other towns, but they are few and far between. Actually I wrote about some of my frustrations with the NJ beer scene here:
http://52brews.com/?p=534
It's not that locals aren't trying- I mean I found a little hole in the wall bar that carries 26 amaaaazing craft beers on tap and rotates them regularly, a true beer geek's dream; it's just that the craft beer scene is still young and particularly immature here.
I should give more credit to the local brewpubs, as they are the only ones trying to turn the scene around. It's just frustrating to read of all the great beers brewed ELSEWHERE, and in many cases unavailable in my area.
I've read that Canada entered the craft beer scene around the same time as America - late 70's early 80's. As I continue to learn more about great beer around the world, it's fascinating to think about the offerings from just over the border; I wonder what similarities - or more interesting, differences - have come about in Canada through experimentation, collaboration, and innovation compared to other brewers around the world during the same time.
The fact that Unibroue was just under my nose this whole time, and I simply glanced over them, is practically sinful. (I'm still a bit of a noob, admittedly). These guys, prior to growing in scale, really paved the way for the movement in Canada. But I would imagine that some of the smaller Canadian brewers have even more unique offerings, as is typically in the favor of the smaller production facilities, no?
What do you guys think? Does the sheer size and corporate takeover of a brewer like Unibroue change your perspective or the character of their product? Is their stuff widely appreciated and/or recommended in your neck of the woods?
While larger facilities typically have more efficient means of quality control, is anything lost in the process of scaling up? Does the allure fade with the disappearance of independence?