50 Beers With Local Pride

With their names, labels and back stories, these brews represent for their home states. It’s just like the fifty nifty United States, but with beer. For more hoppy goodness check out Beer Week on the Zerve blog.

1. Alabama: Avondale Brewing Co. Miss Fancy's Tripel

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This Alabama brew comes with a story of elephantine proportions. Miss Fancy the elephant was brought into the Birmingham Zoo--then located in Avondale Park-- when she was claimed as a prize in an assumedly epic poker game.

2. Alaska: Anchorage Brewing Company Rondy Brew White IPA

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Rondy Brew is named for a 77-year tradition in Anchorage, the three-day Fur Rondy- short for rendezvous. The label refers to one of the weekend’s most popular events, the running of the reindeer.

3. Arizona: Mother Road Brewing Co. Twin Arrows Brown Ale

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This road-trip inspired beer depicts the Twin Arrows, large wooden sculptures that stood east of Flagstaff on Route 66.

4. Arkansas: Superior Bathhouse Brewery & Distillery

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Okay, so this beer doesn’t technically exist yet. And this photo is actually from a t-shirt. But Superior Bathhouse, a planned brewery within Hot Springs National Park, has a name and story too good not to share: the brewery’s building has been renovated to feature the park’s natural thermal spring water-- this time as a base for beer brewing, not hot tubbing. Just think of it as a reason to go out of your way to visit Arkansas!

5. California: Uncommon Brewers Golden State Ale

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California’s state flower, the poppy, inspires both the label and the recipe for this ale-- the crisp Belgian taste is enhanced by toasted poppy seeds for ultimate state pride.

6. Colorado: Boulder Beer Company Never Summer Ale

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You know how it is in Boulder. Even when it’s summer, with those mountains? Never summer.

7. Connecticut: Two Roads Brewing Co. Igor’s Dream

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Pour one out for Igor Sikorsky, who in 1939 realized his dream with the successful lift-off of the first practical helicopter in Two Roads’ stomping grounds, Stratford, Connecticut.

8. Delaware: Fordham Brewing Company Rosie Parks Oyster Stout

eyeonannapolis.net

This stout is inspired by beloved Chesapeake Bay skipjack Rosie Parks, owned by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Appropriately, the beer is an oyster stout with oysters sourced from right in Rosie Park’s very home.

9. Florida: Cigar City Brewing Tocobaga Red Ale

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It’s easy to associate Florida with Hawaiian shirts and ill-advised tans, but this beer by Cigar City Brewing puts a twist on the company’s Florida theme. The Tocobaga Red Ale label pays homage to a Native American chiefdom that lived in Tampa Bay during the 16th century.

10. Georgia: Burnt Hickory Brewery Big Shanty Graham Cracker Stout

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Big Shanty was the original name for the brewery’s hometown of Kennesaw, Georgia-and the brewery couldn’t let that awesome name fall by the wayside of history.

11. Hawaii: Maui Brewing Co. Big Swell IPA

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A Maui brewery sounds like the perfect setting for a sitcom. Or, you know, life. Since we can’t all pack up and move to the beach, we can stare into the undulating blue of this IPA beer can and hope we win a free trip to Hawaii sometime soon.

12. Idaho: Grant Teton Brewing Co. Teton Amber Ale

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When in doubt, go with a classic vista.

13. Illinois: Metropolitan Brewing Iron Works Alt

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Metropolitan Brewery reworks the pipes from Chicago’s industrial history into a modern beer robot overlord.

14. Indiana: Cutters Brewing Co. Half Court IPA

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Did you know Indiana was named the center of basketball by the sport’s very inventor, James Naismith, in 1925? Neither did we, but I think it calls for a pint of this hoppy beer to celebrate.

15. Iowa: Backpocket Brewing Wooden Nickel Peated Lager

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Drop everything and get yourself to Iowa City, Iowa, home of the World’s Largest Wooden Nickel. On second thought, maybe just track down this beer and use your imagination.

16. Kansas: Free State Beer Ad Astra Ale

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This lovely starry sky takes its name from the Kansas state motto, Ad Astra per Aspera, Latin for "To the Stars Through Difficulties.” Excuse us while we clutch bottles of these while looking stoicly into the night.

17. Kentucky: Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

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One label combines all the highlights of Kentucky: horses and bourbon. That’s all a state really needs, right?

18. Louisana: Bayou Teche Biere LA 31 Biere Pale

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Bayou Teche's Biere Pale brings out the more genteel side of NOLA (as opposed to, say, Mardis Gras), with its label representing Louisiana’s Highway 31 flanked by the state’s ubiquitous pelicans. Also, who can resist French?

19. Maine: Shipyard Brewing Co. Summer Ale

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It would feel wrong if a summer ale from Maine were not represented by a juicy, drunk, lobster sailor.

20. Maryland: Union Craft Brewing Duckpin Pale Ale

articles.baltimoresun.com

This beer not only gives a shoutout to one of Baltimore’s favorite pastimes, but evokes a bowling alley with pins replaced with cans of pale ale. Or is that just us? Nevermind.

21. Massachusetts: Slumbrew Flagraiser IPA

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The Bay State does kind of have first dibs on patriotic beer labels, considering that whole Mayflower thing.

22. Michigan: Atwater Beer Detroit Grand Circus

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This Detroit beer takes its name from the city’s Grand Circus Park Historic District, a site of many historic landmarks, one of which was General Custer’s eulogy for Abraham Lincoln after his assassination. Beer and history DO go together.

23. Minnesota: Harriet Brewing West Side IPA

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Minneapolis social hub Lake Harriet is rendered in a sweeping, impressionistic style for this Belgian IPA.

24. Mississippi: Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co. Timber Beast Rye IPA

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We've heard that lumbjeracks just run wild throughout Mississippi, chopping down trees and wearing flannel fashions and stuff.

25. Missouri: Bat Creek Midwest Farmer’s Daughter Ale

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Midwest Farmer’s Daughters really make you feel all right.

26. Montana: Harvest Moon Brewing Company Charlie Russell Red

harvestmoonbrew.com

A quick search reveals that Mr. Charlie Russell was a “consummate Westerner, historian, advocate of the Northern Plains Indians, cowboy, outdoorsman, writer, philosopher, environmentalist, conservationist, and not least, artist” who made over 4,000 works of art inspired by Montana. And now beer label cover boy!

27. Nebraska: Thunderhead Brewing Company Cropduster IPA

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Who knew a cropduster pilot’s uniform looked so damn cool? Clearly, the Nebraska natives at Thunderhead know a little something about farmland chic.

28. Nevada: Great Basin Brewing Company Ichthyosaur “Icky” IPA

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Fossils from the ichthyosaur, an ancient marine mammal that swam in the waters over central Nevada 225 million years ago, are preserved for posterity in the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, which also preserves an old ghost town. Great Basin Brewing made a good decision in making the dolphin dinosaur the star of its label.

29. New Hampshire: 603 Brewery 18-Mile Ale

There are two numbers you need to know, regarding New Hampshire: 18 and 603. At 18 miles, the coastline is the nation’s shortest; 603 is the the state’s only area code. New Hampshire out.

30. New Jersey: Flying Fish Brewing Company Exit 9 Hoppy Scarlet Ale

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“I’m from Jersey.” “No way! What exit?!”

It never gets old.

31. New Mexico: Santa Fe Brewing Company Happy Camper IPA

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Santa Fe Brewing Co. keeps it simple and patriotic--make that state-triotic-- with their use of the New Mexico state flag.

32. New York: Chelsea Brewery Checker Cab Blonde Ale

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An iconic New York fixture is a perfect motif to be emblazoned on beer made by the first NYC brewery built after the Great Depression.

33. North Carolina: Natty Greene's Brewing Co. Buckshot Amber Ale

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Headin’ down south, to the land of the pines... In 2011, the Census found that 335,000 North Carolina residents over 16 hunted. It makes sense that their beer is called buckshot, the name of a hunting bullet.

34. North Dakota: Edwinton Brewing Company Lou Belgian IPA

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Since North Dakota is known for its harsh distribution laws, any one of its three-- count ‘em, three-- craft breweries could be said to have local pride. They fought for that spot! However, who could resist making LOU a state representative? Not us.

35. Ohio: Great Lakes Brewing Company Eliot Ness Amber Lager

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In yo’ face, Nessie!

36. Oklahoma: Coop Ale Works F5 IPA

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The F5 is a tribute to Oklahoma’s resilient people, who overcome disasters year after year.

37. Oregon: Deschutes Brewery Chainbreaker IPA

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Nothing says Oregon more than bicycling and outdoorsy activities.We imagine that locals take pride in breaking in their bike chains on an especially hard trail-- or maybe that they relish watching it happen to the unprepared out-of-towner.

38. Pennsylvania: Black & Gold Lager

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Where’s Wiz’s endorsement deal?

39. Rhode Island: Grey Sail Brewing Bring Back the Beach Blonde Ale

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Would it really be Rhode Island without its beaches? Would it really be a trip to the beach at sunset without framing it in a heart with your fingers for a photo, then filter-ing it within an inch of its life on Instagram? In this instance, though, the heart’s got heart- all profits from this beer were donated to efforts to rebuild coastal areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.

40. South Carolina: Palmetto Charleston Lager

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As a main tourism hub of South Carolina, Charleston is allll about the relaxation. In case you’re not kicking back on the southern coast with this lager, this label takes care of the view.

41. South Dakota: Crow Peak Pile O’Dirt Porter

howtoenjoytheblackhills.com

Just like agriculture is South Dakota’s #1 industry, a pile o’ dirt is the #1 thing you need to start a farm. Shh, let’s not mention hydroponics. Or capital costs.

42. Tennessee: Tennessee Brew Works House Beer

tnbrew.com

The growlers at Tennessee Brew Works honors the state’s music history with its “Finely Tuned” tagline and gee-tar in the logo. Maybe we’ll see it on stage of the Grand Ole Opry someday!

43. Texas: Alamo Beer Company Golden Ale

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In the grand tradition of boozy BBQs on Memorial Day and Independence Day, this beer offers up a great way to remember the Alamo.

44. Utah: Epic Brewing Spiral Jetty IPA

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No, Spiral Jetty isn’t the name of the state’s newest cult leader under fire. It’s a famous earthwork from artist Robert Smithson “installed” on the shore of the Great Salt Lake in 1970. Educate yourself (by drinking).

45. Vermont: Long Trail IPA

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Sometimes it’s just as simple as a green mountain for the “Green Mountain State.”

46. Virginia: Parkway Brewing Bridge Builder Blonde

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The stunning views from the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway would not be possible without the hard work of the men, largely immigrants, who built it. This brew’s name brings a whole new meaning to “these guys deserve a beer.”

47. Washington: Hale’s Ales Troll Porter

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Who doesn’t like an OG troll?

48. West Virginia: Morgantown Brewing Company Coal City Stout

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The only thing that would make this beer more quintessentially West Virginia is a cameo by Jesco White.

49. Wisconsin: Central Waters Brewing Co. Ouisconsing Red Ale

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Oui oui, the original Native American name for Wisconsin was Ouisconsing. Everybody knows that.

50. Wyoming: Freedom’s Edge Brewing Co. 1890 India Pale Ale

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Rounding out our list is Freedom’s Edge Brewing Co.’s 1890 IPA, named for the year Wyoming became a state. Yeehaw!