Thrillist: Arizona cracks top 40 in local beer ranking
Dec 10, 2017, 8:00 AM
(Public domain photo)
PHOENIX — With breweries like SanTan, Four Peaks and Huss, Arizonans have quite a few options in deciding what beer to drink.
Well, according to Thrillist, those breweries, among others, helped Arizona earn its ranking of No. 39 among the 50 states.
Arizona’s beer scene has been steadily rising, and it makes sense, considering the heat’s so hot that all the $1 iced tea in the world can’t quench the average thirst. Tempe’s Four Peaks still reigns supreme, but it’s found great company in the likes of Huss, SanTan, Arizona Wilderness, and more than 70 others.
The criteria for the ranking was simple; quantity and quality are both counted, but quality carries more weight. The rankers also took into account historical roles states played in American beer.
The worst local beer ranking went to Mississippi. Partially because it only recently legalized homebrewing in 2013, so there isn’t a lot to go off of in terms of microbreweries.
The best local brew honors went to Oregon with Deschuttes, Breakside, Hair of the Dog, Crux, Great Notion and Boneyard breweries backing the state’s No. 1 rank.
Although Arizona did get beat out by states like Alaska and Wyoming, Thrillist did say it believes the “beer scene is steadily rising” in the Copper State.