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The Daily Meal, the world’s largest food and drink lifestyle site, just recently unveiled the 2015 edition of its “50 Best Craft Breweries in America” To arrive at this definitive ranking, The Daily Meal did something a little different this year. Rather than having craft beer bloggers/experts narrow the list down and then have beer fans cast votes, The Daily Meal went directly to the fans themselves, asking readers and craft beer lovers to weigh-in with a survey unlike any other they had curated before.
“With hundreds of American craft breweries to choose from, it felt like an impossible task to determine the best,” said Lauren Gordon, managing editor at The Daily Meal, who spearheaded the project. “It’s like asking folks to choose their favorite star in the sky or their favorite petal on a flower; each is beautifully unique and appealing in its own way.”
The list started with last year’s roster of best craft breweries, enhanced with more than 4,000 write-in submissions from Daily Meal readers for breweries that didn’t make the list. The Daily meal then cut the number down to 585 breweries from more than 20 states. Some 2,200 beer lovers then cast votes on their best brewery choices, with an eye to taste and variety. When the results were tabulated, California was still king of craft brews, as it was last year, but there was a rise in Michigan spots, as well as those from Ohio and Colorado. Another cool trend?- Out of the five New York-based breweries, three of them call Brooklyn home.
Did your favorite American brewery make the cut? You can let The Daily Meal know which brewery on the list is your favorite — or if we missed one that you love — by tweeting @TheDailyMeal using the hashtag #50bestbreweries.
Here are the top 50 breweries, as selected by craft beer fans:
Final Ranking:
RANK
BREWERY 2015
50
Tallgrass Brewing Company, Manhattan, Kan.
49
Toppling Goliath Brewing Co., Decorah, Iowa
48
Abita Brewing Company, Abita Springs, La.
47
Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City
46
Yuengling, Pottsville, Pa.
45
Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle
44
Terrapin Brewing, Athens, Ga.
43
Prairie Artisan Ales, Tulsa, Okla.
42
Alaska Brewing Company, Juneau, Alaska
41
Dark Horse Brewing Company, Marshall, Mich.
40
Smuttynose Brewing Company, Hampton, N.H.
39
Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Md.
38
Jester King Brewery, Austin
37
AleSmith Brewing Company, San Diego
36
Sixpoint Brewery, Brooklyn
35
Tröegs, Hershey, Pa.
34
Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland
33
Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, Mo.
32
21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco
31
The Bruery, Anaheim, Calif.
30
Bear Republic Brewing Company, Healdsburg, Calif.
29
Evil Twin Brewing, Brooklyn
28
Ninkasi Brewing, Eugene, Ore.
27
Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver
26
Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn
25
Odell Brewing Company, Fort Collins, Colo.
24
Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, Ill.
23
The Alchemist Brewery, Waterbury, Vt.
22
New Glarus Brewing Company, Green County, Wis.
21
Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, N.Y.
20
Green Flash Brewing Company, San Diego
19
Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, N.Y.
18
Left Hand Brewing, Longmont, Colo.
17
Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, Ind.
16
Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, Colo.
15
Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown, Pa.
14
Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, Maine
13
New Belgium Brewing Company, Fort Collins, Colo.
12
Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, Fla.
11
Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, Calif.
10
Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, Colo.
9
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, Calif.
8
Ballast Point Brewing Company, San Diego
7
Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, Calif.
6
Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, Mich.
5
Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.
4
Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Ore.
3
Stone Brewing Co., San Diego
2
Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, Calif.
1
Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, Del.
About The Daily Meal
The Daily Meal covers all this food and drink, creating a complete epicurean experience for cooks, food lovers, wine, beer and spirit connoisseurs, discerning diners and everyone in-between. Comprised of original content and video from Award winning editors, industry insiders, tastemakers and the user community, features range across the site’s multiple channels: Cook, Eat/Dine, Drink, Travel, Entertain, Best Recipes, Holidays, Lists and Community. The Daily Meal also produces much anticipated annual reports including the 50 Most Powerful People in Food, America’s Most Successful Chefs, 101 Best Restaurants in America and 150 Best Bars in America. Helmed by editorial director Colman Andrews, The Daily Meal is one of the largest food sites on the Web and the first property of Spanfeller Media Group, founded by Jim Spanfeller. Visit The Daily Meal on Facebook; follow us on Twitter..