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