American Beer, Bourbon and More

Back Forty Beer Co. Naked Pig Pale Ale

Brewers Jason Wilson and Zach Folmar work with a local farmer to grow hops for this citrusy pale ale. Gadsden town laws won't allow the brewery to serve beer, so Back Forty gives visitors vouchers for a free pint at local bars.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Alaskan Brewing Co. Winter Ale

Handpicked Sitka spruce tips give this rich, vintage-dated winter ale from Juneau a pretty floral note.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Nimbus Old Monkeyshine

Tucson-based Nimbus's beers, like this English-style strong ale, are bottled on a 1950s Coca-Cola line.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Diamond Bear Pale Ale

The staff at this Little Rock brewery is so small that it solicits volunteers from the community to work the bottling line. Their pay: beer, like this ultra-refreshing pale ale.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

From perhaps the only brewery in the US with a fishing team (definitely the only one in San Diego), this fantastically hoppy IPA is even named for a fish.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Funkwerks White

Saison ales (originally brewed in Belgian farmhouses) inspired this new Fort Collins brewery and its terrific orange peel–infused wheat beer. Visitors to the new taproom can try 12 different handcrafted brews.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Cottrell Brewing Company Mystic Bridge IPA

Charles Cottrell Buffum Jr. founded this Pawcatuck brewery in a printing press factory started by his great-grandfather in 1855. This nicely bitter IPA is the newer of Cottrell's two beers.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout

Each batch of this smoky stout is infused with a pound of vanilla beans to give it a rich sweetness. This summer the brewery will release a special Kentucky bourbon-barrel-aged version.

Photo © Kyle Holtgren.

Cigar City Brewing Jai Alai IPA

Once the country's largest producer of cigars, Tampa is heavily influenced by its large Cuban population, as evidenced by the local cuisine. Brewer Wayne Wambles takes inspiration from those flavors when creating his beers, among them this fresh, herbal IPA.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Wild Heaven Ode To Mercy Imperial Brown Ale

This dense, malty brown ale is brewed with a blend of coffee beans from local Atlanta roaster 1000 Faces Coffee.

Photo courtesy Chris Rank.

Pau Maui Vodka

On Maui, Mark Nigbur utilizes a special glass still to make a vodka from sweet Hawaiian pineapples. The result is remarkably pure, with just the slightest hint of fruit.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Great Vodka Cocktails

44 North Magic Valley Wheat Vodka

This smooth, mellow vodka from the town of Rigby is distilled from local Brundage winter wheat (chosen for its high-carbohydrate and low-protein content) and Rocky Mountain water.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Two Brothers Cane and Ebel Red Rye Ale

Warrenville brewers Jim and Jason Ebel match rye's spiciness with hoppy pine notes in this robust beer. They also run a home-brew shop, called the Brewer's Coop, in front of the brewery.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Three Floyds Gumballhead

Three Floyds' brewpub in Munster isn't the typical nachos-and-wings place. Try vegetables from the pub's 3,000-square-foot organic garden and dishes like mussels steamed in this tangerine-scented wheat beer.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Templeton Rye

Third-generation distiller and former NFL player Keith Kerkhoff uses the same recipe his grandfather created during Prohibition to make this smooth rye whiskey in the small town of Templeton.

Photo courtesy of Templeton Rye.

Tallgrass Buffalo Sweat Stout

Tall, eco-friendly cans hold this mocha-scented stout from the plains of Manhattan, Kansas.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon

Small Batch is a gorgeous, caramelly blend of four bourbons picked by Lawrenceburg distiller Jim Rutledge for an ideal balance of body, richness and spice.

Photo courtesy of Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon.

Abita Jockamo IPA

Abita helped start the craft-beer movement in America, and its hoppy but balanced IPA shows why. The Abita Springs brewpub and tasting room pours special small-batch beers.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Maine Beer Company Peeper Ale

This tiny new Portland brewery is entirely wind-powered, gives its spent grain to local farmers for feed and donates part of its profits to saving the planet. No surprise this fresh ale tastes so grassy and green.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Stillwater Cellar Door American Farmhouse Ale

Part of the growing ranks of so-called gypsy brewers, Brian Strumke spends half his time traveling around the world to collaborate with other beermakers, like Denmark's dynamic Mikkel Borg Bjergso. At home in Baltimore, he works on his own brews, like this white sage–infused one.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Pretty Things Jack D'Or

Dann and Martha Paquette's Pretty Things in Somerville reflects historical European beer styles. The Jack D'Or is a layered, citrusy saison.

Photo © Carolyn Fong.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale

This piney, grapefruity ale from legendary Galesburg brewer Larry Bell is one of the country's top beers. Try it at the brewery's aptly named Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Surly Brewing Co. Furious Beer

Admission to Surly's popular Friday-night tours requires one non-perishable food item for the local food bank. In exchange: a taste of this roasty, fragrant IPA.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale

For this toffee-scented beer, brewer Leslie Henderson infuses earthy brown ale with roasted pecans.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Boulevard Brewing Co. Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale

Along with making great beer like this citrusy ale, Kansas City's Boulevard also started a citywide glass-recycling program, with drop-off points for its bottles.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Ridge Distillery Silvertip American Dry Gin

Joe and Julie Legate use wild angelica foraged from the Rockies and cultivated juniper and coriander to make this clean, fragrant small-batch gin.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Gin Cocktails

Lucky Bucket IPA

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Buckbean Black Noddy Lager

This dark, Bavarian-style Schwarzbier from Reno is surprisingly light and crisp.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale

Dozens of dog lovers send photos of their old brown dogs to Smuttynose every year—a testament to the popularity of this roasty, nutty brown ale.

Photo © Robert Lussier.

Flying Fish Brewing Co. Exit 4 American Trippel

Flying Fish, in Cherry Hill, is creating beers inspired by 18 of the exits along the New Jersey Turnpike. It's even taking recommendations on its website. In honor of exit 4, Mount Laurel Township, the brewery created a rich, nutmeg-scented Belgian-style trippel.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Santa Fe Brewing Company State Pen Porter

Saturday tours offer standard beers like this robust, coconutty porter and also include tastes of one-off experiments by assistant brewers, like a Green Chile Pale Ale.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Tuthilltown Spirits Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey

Second-generation distiller Gable Erenzo uses New York state corn to make this rich, slightly sweet whiskey, which he ages in oak for three months.

Photo courtesy Tuthilltown Distillery.

The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery Brown Ale

Paul Philippon, a former philosophy professor, has made his name by producing only dark beers, like this toasty brown ale.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Edwinton Brewing Company and Fargo Brewing Company

This summer, North Dakota will get its first craft breweries. Edwinton Brewing will specialize in Belgian beers; Fargo Brewing in American styles.

Photo courtesy Edwinton Brewing Company.

Watershed Distillery Gin

Greg Lehman left a career in professional volleyball to open this year-old Columbus distillery. His peppery gin is infused with eight different botanicals, including loads of juniper and citrus peels.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Choc Beer Miner Mishap Black Lager

Black lagers (inspired by German Schwarzbiers) have suddenly taken off with US brewers. From the town of Krebs, Miner Mishap is dark and malty, like a stout, but still crisp.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Ninkasi Oatis Oatmeal Stout

Visit Ninkasi's new Eugene tasting room for samples of the brewery's over-the-top beers, including this smoky, mocha-scented stout, plus snacks from a rotating lineup of food carts.

Photo courtesy Ninkasi.

Tröegs Sunshine Pils

This zippy pilsner out of Harrisburg is bright and summery, and only available April through August.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Thomas Tew Rum

In the 1700s, there were 22 distilleries in Newport; by 1872, there were none. Thomas Tew (named after a pirate) makes rum 18th-century-style, using a pot still, blackstrap molasses and barrels for aging. The result: a smooth rum with a long finish.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Delicious Rum Cocktails

Thomas Creek River Falls Red Ale

Father and son duo Bill and Tom Davis create great beers like this dried-fruity red ale, and also spread the gospel of home brewing from their on-site supply shop.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Creek.

Crow Peak Brewing Co. Pile O' Dirt Porter

Visitors to Crow Peak's brewhouse in Spearfish can try this coffee-scented porter, then shop at the farmers' market next door.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Yazoo Sue Porter

It would be hard to find a beer better suited for barbecued ribs than brewer Linus Hall's intense, cherrywood-smoked porter.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Real Ale Brewing Full Moon Pale Rye Ale

Rye is an increasingly popular ingredient with brewers, thanks to the alluring spiciness it can contribute to beer. In the town of Blanco, brewmaster Brad Farbstein's tangerine-scented, rye-based pale ale proves that Texas Hill Country can excel at beer as well as barbecue.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

High West Rendezvous Rye

This spicy blend of six-year-old and 16-year-old rye whiskies is perfect with chef James Dumas's maple-and-pepper-glazed duck, prepared at High West's new Park City saloon.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Whistlepig Straight Rye

Five years ago, owner Raj Peter Bhakta bought an old Vermont farm, where he plans to produce a single-estate rye. For now, he sources stocks of 10-year-old ryes, which former Maker's Mark distiller Dave Pickerell blends to make this spicy, vanilla-scented spirit.

Photo courtesy Whistlepig.

Blue Mountain Brewery Kölsch 151

This crisp kölsch (a light German-style beer) is a perfect summer drink. Also look for the brewery's small-batch harvest ale, made with brewery-grown hops.

Photo © Stacey Evans.

Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA

In Seattle, Elysian's Capitol Hill outpost keeps 16 beers on tap, including this IPA brewed with jasmine flowers.

Photo courtesy Elysian.

Smooth Ambler Whitewater Vodka

This new Appalachian distillery has a beautiful tasting room for John Little's mellow, hand-distilled vodka.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

New Glarus Brewing Co. Spotted Cow

Since Dan Carey's fantastic brews aren't distributed outside the state, beer lovers must make a pilgrimage to the town of New Glarus to try cult faves like this fruity farmhouse ale.

Photo © Theo Morrison.

Snake River Brewing Lager

This toasty beer (made with German lager yeast) is ideal with the wood-fired pretzels from Snake River's brewpub.

Photo courtesy Snake River Brewing.

“High West’s new American Prairie Reserve is amazingly rich for its young age.” $40; highwest.com.—Michael EndelmanPhoto © High West Distillery & Saloon.

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