I Love Beer. A Lot.

Beer is one of those things that you either love or hate. No, I don't care what you think. You either drink it like it's the greatest thing on earth, or you don't. And no, Budweiser and Miller products don't count. Beer also illicits strong feelings - not opinions. I personally judge people on what they drink, especially when it comes to beer. I consider myself a beer snob, but not because I won't drink certain beers - see above comment regarding Bud and Miller. I just classify them differently. They can all be classified into so many different categories and frankly, it can change from day to day - shit, even sip to sip depending on how deep I am. I could go on and on about classifying beers, but that's not really why I'm here. I'm here after a discussion with a friend of mine, in which he said some things about beer that I disagreed with. What good breweries are, what's a mircrobrew, how great Schell's is. Instead of doing what I always do - ripping him a new one because he thinks he knows about beer, but I don't trust him in that aspect - I simply put up a number of breweries that I really like. I don't know if this will become a regular thing or not, as my attention span is roughly 15 seconds, but here's a peak into some breweries you may or may not have heard of or tried. Keep in mind while you're reading this that I live in Minneapolis

Anchor Brewing Company - San Francisco, CA
I discovered this brewery last summer when I bought some on a whim. The Lady Luck really likes the porter which is also one of my favorites, and I'm not usually a big fan of porters.
Where to get it: It's on tap at a few places around town and available at most liquor stores
Recommended: Anchor Steam, Anchor Porter

Bell's Brewery - Kalamazoo, MI
I've had a fair amount of Bell's in the past couple years, as it became my bailout beer when I couldn't decide what I wanted. After I took a tour of the Summit Brewery, I gained a whole new respect for Bell's. The tourguide we had used to work for Bell's, back when it first started. He said that they had a very renegade attitude when it came to brewing beer. They didn't make it so YOU liked it. They made it so THEY liked it. They were also run by alcoholics and crazy people, so the beer was very inconsistant batch to batch. Rumor has it that, on occasion, they'd use marijuana instead of hops or just pour a bunch of scotch into a batch - you know, just to see what would happen. They've since cleaned up and their beer has become much more consistant across the board.
Where to get it: Also on tap around Minneapolis and available at most liquor stores
Recommended: Two Hearted Ale, Oberon, Amber Ale

New Glarus Brewing Company - New Glarus, WI
If you even mention this one to The Lady Luck, she'll try to coax you into driving to Hudson to grab some of this brewery's prize deserving beer. They began brewing in a barn using "retired" dairy farming equipment, and have since grown their operation to where they could start distributing in other states. Their claim to fame, in my book, is their special brews. They'll come up with a recipe and brew one batch, and that's it. When it's gone, it's gone, and we're all left crying in the rain. They made a Cherry Stout which was one of the great surprises of my beer-drinking life. It's stuff like that that keeps me coming back to Wisconsin.
Where to get it: It's only distributed in Wisconsin, but that's only a short drive from Minneapolis
Recommended: Spotted Cow, Fat Squirrel, any special brew

Lake Superior Brewing Company - Duluth, MN
Buy. This. Now. I only wish Duluth wasn't so damn far away because I'd really like to know how this tastes on-tap. The Lady Luck took a tour of the brewery when she was up there last summer and walked away very impressed. It's a small operation, also run with retired dairy equipment. It's family owned, if I remember correctly. If you're in Duluth, venture out there, I'm sure they'd be happy to take you on a tour. This is the best brewery in Minnesota, in my opinion.
Where to get it: Many places in Duluth have it on tap and Minneapolis area liquor stores carry it
Recommended: Kayak Kolsch, Oatmeal Stout, Mesabi Red

Four Peaks Brewery - Tempe, AZ
When The Lady Luck and I were in Tucson, we tried our best to dive into the local beer scene, even trying to work in a brewery tour while we were there. I grabbed the Kiltlifter, almost as a joke, and it turned out to be the winner of that nights selections. We tried a couple others from this brewery as well.
Where to get it: As far as I know, you can only get it in Arizona. Tucson area liquor stores should have it
Recommended: Kiltlifter, Kolsch

Nimbus Brewing Company - Tucson, AZ
This was definately the highlight of the trip to Tucson. I'm sad that we didn't tour the brewery, but I'm sure on the next trip, we will. Where to get it: Also only available in Arizona, maybe only in Tucson Recommended: American Red Ale, American Brown Ale