Missoula finishes middle of pack in BeerCity USA 2012 poll

Missoula finished in 18th place out of a total of 31 cities in the annual BeerCity USA poll, while Asheville, N.C., and Grand Rapids, Mich., shared the title this year. In total, Missoula had 402 out of the 55,926 votes cast, according to Charlie Papazian’s article. Not bad. Not good, but not bad.

Here’s this year’s top 5:

1.  Asheville, N.C., 17,849

1.  Grand Rapids, Mich., 17,849

3.  St. Louis, Mo., 3,451

4.  Bend, Ore., 2,270

5.  Portland, Ore., 2,014

- Matt Pritchard

Vote for Missoula as best beer city

Voting is currently under way for the title of BeerCity USA 2012 and Missoula is again one of 31 cities in the running. Notorious beer city Asheville, N.C., has won three times and is probably the favorite again this time around, unless thirsty Missoulians see fit to do something about that.

The poll ends May 13 and you can only share your thoughts once.

Vote for Missoula here.

- Matt Pritchard

Hey Montana, what’s your favorite summertime beer?

America’s Next Best Beer, really?

Reading down the list of beers selected by a supposed A-team of beer people in this America’s Next Best Beer Poll, one must assume that most of the “beer experts” were from the East Coast. Yes, Colorado is well represented on the list, which features a poll so that it can be decided once and for all. What will America’s Next Best Beer be? But the divide between beer connoisseur and the general beer-buying population is great.

The beers that were selected, the few that I’m actually familiar with, seem like great candidates to go national, but will they? That’s up to the fickle American public. Perhaps Kettlehouse Brewing Company’s Cold Smoke Ale will end up going national, becoming as it is in the town a national sensation. Or perhaps Big Sky Brewing Company’s Scape Goat in a can ends up satisfying a national thirst for a light, crisp pale ale with good hops and a refreshing taste. Don’t discount Bayern Brewing’s Dump Truck or Face Plant. Both beers could end up running hog wild all over the market if the general American beer consumer decides that these are a product they cannot live without.

That said, a general poll cannot possibly capture all the information that is out there on the subject. We can only stop and watch whatever happens.

For now, here’s the list of beers on that poll. Which one would you pick? If you don’t like the selection, what would you pick instead?

AleSmith Anvil ESB
AleAlpha King
B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout
Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale
Brooklyn Lager
Cigar City Brewing Jai Alai IPA
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
Lagunitas Brewing’s IPA
New Belgium Brewing’s Fat Tire Amber
Ommegang Abbey
AleStone Pale Ale
Surly Brewing Co.’s Furious

Prost,

GG

Top 10 BeerCities USA 2010 – Missoula is right in the middle

Here are the official results of the BeerCity USA 2010 Poll along with Charlie Papazian’s article on the subject. I just want to thank all 515 people who took the time to vote for Missoula. You can see where it got us on the poll next to all the other great beer towns. Next year we’re cleaning house and taking it from the good folks in Asheville.

Top Ten BeerCities USA 2010
City Total Votes Pecentage Votes
1. Asheville, NC 7389 38.8%
2. Portland, OR 6565 34.5%
3. San Diego, CA 884 4.6%
4. Philadelphia, PA600 3.2%
5. Missoula, MT 515 2.7%
6. St. Louis, MO 421 2.2%
7. Seattle, WA 362 1.9%
8. Denver, CO 234 1.2%
9. Milwaukee, WI 227 1.2%
Fort Collins, CO 210 1.1%

Prost,

GG

Missoula finishes 5th on BeerCity USA 2010 Poll!

Great job Missoulians. Missoula finished tied for 5th with St. Louis, MO on the BeerCity USA 2010 Poll. From not even making the list to fifth in less than a week is a great example of why Missoula deserves the title of BeerTown USA 2010.

I think it’s very telling that we placed 5th, but perhaps even more telling is the company we’re in and the cities we beat out. Here’s the breakdown:

Asheville, NC 39.9%
Portland, OR 34.1%
San Diego, CA 4.5%
Philadelphia, PA 3.1%
Missoula, MT 2.1%
St. Louis, MO 2.1%
Seattle, WA 1.9%
Denver, CO 1.2%
Milwaukee, WI 1.2%
Ft. Collins, CO 1.1%
Atlanta, GA <1%
Boston, MA <1%
Boulder, CO <1%
Chicago, IL <1%
San Francisco, CA <1%
Portland, ME <1%
Washington D.C. <1%

Thanks for taking the time to vote and spread the word that Missoula, Montana is the greatest little beer town in the world.

Prost,

GG

Missoula is in some great company in the vote for BeerTown USA 2010 – Keep voting

Hey all, Missoula is in fifth place in the BeerTown USA 2010 Poll with just a few days left. In fact, the poll closes May 23, so vote today and tell your friends to vote. Let’s show Asheville that they are a little too big for their britches.

Cast your vote for Missoula in the BeerCity USA Poll right here.

Here’s the current breakdown:

Asheville
Portland
San Diego
Philidelphia
Missoula

I don’t even want to mention the towns we’re beating out right now, because they are some legendary beer towns. But yeah, I’ll mention them anyway.

Try Fort Colllins, Milwaukee, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, Boulder and Denver.

Come on everyone, vote Missoula!

Prost,

GG

Missoula makes the BeerCity USA Poll, now it’s time to vote people

The BeerCity USA poll had a few perennial favorites yesterday, including San Francisco and Asheville. Since then, you have all participated and made Missoula show up on the poll too. Currently we’re only at a .01 percent rating, but I think we could do this. If you would all send this out to your friends and family and post it on your Facebook and Twitter accounts, we could get some serious votes and let the world know Missoula is a great beer city. Asheville has about the same size population, and they finished second to San Francisco last year. So, if you’ve already voted from your home or office computer, send this off to someone who hasn’t. Let’s put Missoula on the BeerCity USA map.

You can get the link for the poll and vote here.

Prost,

GG

What are your favorite spring beers?

Help Tamarack Brewing Company rename their Yard Sale Amber Ale

Tamarack Brewing Company is going to be expanding the Yard Sale Amber Ale around the Flathead Valley, and they’d like your help to rename it. Post your answers on Tamarack’s Facebook page here, or use your Facebook login and connect to the Montana Craft Beer forum at SpeakupMissoula.com.

Prost,

GG