What’s the World’s Best Beer City?

August 31st, 2010

The Huffington Post has a pretty stock list up today about the world’s best beer cities. Gotta love these features from HuffPo that clearly try to just get reads for having “beer” or “bikini” in the title. What’s that? It caught my eye? And yours, too? Goddamnit.

Either way, it’s hard to disagree with most of the picks (Portland, Berlin, Bruges), but there are some oddities on the list, like Mexico City (really?) and Burlington, VT. Burlington, VT, home of the famous and much-loved on this blog, Magic Hat Brewing Company! What wild and funky beers they have!

Set between two beer-bustling cities – Montreal to the north, and Boston to the southeast – Burlington, Vermont is a university town with one of the best brew cultures in New England. Home to the quirky microbrewery Magic Hat, visitors can do as the local beer lovers do and sample homegrown brews such as #9, Fat Angel, and Blind Faith IPA, to name a few. Church Street, a four-block pedestrian-only zone buzzes with vibrant bars with top-notch beer on tap, including Vermont-brewed Otter Creek and the Long Trail beer collection, whose specialty beers change seasonally.

Yeah, whatever. When you need ten cities to fill out the rest of an article, you just start writing stuff in. “Oh, look HuffPo Intern 1, there’s a Magic Hat in the work fridge!” “Oh, awesome, HuffPo Intern 2. Let’s include that in our list!” “Neato!”

Regardless of the list, it did get me thinking of the better beer cities not just in the world, but in the U.S. Is D.C. getting closer to cracking a top ten, or has it already? Do number of breweries matter, or just the variety of beer bars and beer selection? I’ve got to think Denver would make my list, and certainly somewhere in Michigan. Anywhere in Montana making a push? What does everyone else think?

The Huffington Post — The 10 Best Cities For Beer Lovers to Visit

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Another Reason to Avoid Magic Hat

August 12th, 2010

This happened yesterday, but it’s a slow news day so I’ll go ahead and give it some attention. Magic Hat Brewing Co. in Vermont was purchased yesterday by the owner of Genesee Beer. Hey, that doesn’t sound so bad, right? I’ve always hated Magic Hat beers, so maybe this will turn the brewery around, right? Right?

Rochester-based North American Breweries Inc. has purchased Independent Brewers United of Vermont, which owns the Magic Hat, Pyramid and MacTarnahan’s beer lines. The sale was announced Wednesday.

The addition of the craft beer breweries should make sales of all North American Breweries products easier to sell to wholesalers and retail chains, said CEO Rich Lozyniak. “Putting all our brands together under one sale and distribution model we think can help all the brands,” he said. “This will help us grow Genny, help us grow Honey Brown.”

Oh, fantastic. This will help Honey Brown, my favorite beer! This is just another marketing ploy where money and market share are being placed above the quality of the beer and the little-guy mentality. If I was going to avoid Magic Hat before, I will now avoid it like the glasses are made of toxic Gulf Coast sludge laced with meth and given a sharpened edge. Too harsh? Probably not. Try Magic Hat’s beet beer. Then tell me you don’t want to give up all beer for life.

Genesee Beer owner buys brewer of Magic Hat #9 — Democrat and Chronicle

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