If you’re like me and turn any vacation, work trip, or other travel into a beercation, here’s a place to start: Try the local beers chosen here to best represent their hometowns—St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Portland, San Diego, Denver, New York, and Nashville.
St. Louis, Missouri & Perennial Artisan Ales Saison de Lis
St. Louis, Missouri, has greatly evolved as a beer town–from its roots as a mecca of light macro lager to the inception of Schlafly Beer, the first brewpub in Missouri since Prohibition, to the recent additions of modern craft breweries. One of the most awarded and nationally recognized of these newer breweries is Perennial Artisan Ales. One of the brewery’s flagships, Saison de Lis, a Belgian-style Saison brewed with chamomile, represents St. Louis’s progression beyond light lager and into more experimental and international beer styles.
Salt Lake City, Utah & Uinta Brewing 801 Pilsner
Uinta’s 801 Pilsner is an appropriately named beer (801 was the area code for Utah and is now the area code for Salt Lake City) that you can find only in Utah. Its reputation precedes itself as an easy-drinking 3.2 percent ABV brew. “801 in a can allows the beer-drinking population of Utah to take their beer on all of their outdoor activities,” adds Tyler Mork, owner of Salt Lake City’s Bengal Brewing & Supply Co.
Portland, Oregon & Hopworks Urban Brewery Organic Hopworks IPA
Organic Hopworks IPA is a beer that absolutely screams Portland. It’s made with organic ingredients and generous additions of Northwest-grown hops by an incredibly eco-conscious brewery that sports its own bike bar. This resinous, citrus-forward India pale ale is Hopworks’s all-time best selling beer.
San Diego, California & West Coast IPA
West Coast IPAs are a benchmark for the notoriously bold IPAs coming out of San Diego. This class of beer is brewed with Simcoe hops for tropical and grapefruit zest, Columbus hops for pungency, Centennial hops for pine notes, Citra hops for citrus zest, and Cascade hops for floral aroma.
Denver, Colorado & Wynkoop Brewing Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout
When Wynkoop Brewing Company opened in 1988 in Denver’s Lower Downtown, it served as a catalyst for rejuvenation of what once was a shady ghost town. Founded by Colorado’s current governor, John Hickenlooper, Wynkoop was the state’s first brewpub. This classic pub is still a watering hole for locals and a home to zany brewers. One of the brewery’s claims to fame is its Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout, first brewed as an April Fool’s joke as a Colorado twist on oyster stout.
New York City, New York & Brooklyn Lager
Home to beer hero Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery has long been a staple of the New York community. Brooklyn Lager, a dry-hopped amber American lager, pays homage to the Vienna lagers brewed in Brooklyn pre-Prohibition when the town sported more than forty-five breweries.
Nashville, Tennessee & Yazoo Brewing Company Sue
Yazoo Brewing’s beer description says it best: “The south is famous for smoking everything—so why not beer?” This rich, smoky, and malty beer boasts cherry-wood smokiness and subtle bitterness from Galena and Perle hops. It pairs well with barbecue and country music.
We’d love to hear from you. Which beer do you think best represents your hometown?