Oregon pays their bet after losing football wars to the state of Michigan
"GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) -- Remember when KGW in Portland made a bet with WZZM over a football war between the state of Michigan and the state of Oregon?
Well Michigan State edged out Oregon and the Michigan Wolverines thumped Oregon State. After that, it had been a few days and we hadn't heard from them. We were wondering if they'd make good on their bet.
Thursday they finally got back to us and let us know their "awesome" Oregon beer was on its way. In the meantime, it was fun to watch those anchors eat their words, and all the nasty things they said about our state, our beer and the Big Ten.
Cheers, KGW!"
http://www.wzzm13.com/story/sports/college/ncaaf/2015/09/18/kgw-pays-up-after-bet/72386688/
September 18th, 2015 at 8:27 AM ^
That delayed "Ohhhhhhhh... snap"
September 18th, 2015 at 8:28 AM ^
Why, when you're in Craft Brew State, USA, would you want beer from a buncha hippies?! They cannot compare with Bells, Founders, Arcadia, Motor City, and all the others. Bah!
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September 18th, 2015 at 8:32 AM ^
Actually I spend two months every year in Oregon for work and they are right up there with us in craft beers
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September 18th, 2015 at 8:34 AM ^
BOO THIS MAN!
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September 18th, 2015 at 9:00 AM ^
Sorry M folk, Oregon is the national, if not international leader, in craft beer, and has been for years. Yes Bells is outstanding, Founders quite good, but until you come out here you have no idea what the real beer revolution is. Granted it's been many years since I weaned myself from Third Coast -- I left M in 1991, but my regular returns to M (I'll be in A2 to see if Harbaugh can put a bigger scowl on Dantonio than I ever thought possible), has not dissuaded me.
Beyond Ninkasi, Bridgeport, Full Sail, Double Mountain, and the heavenly, heavenly makings of Hair of the Dog, there are pubs everywhere in almost every town in Oregon, and more pop up everyday. As soon as it makes it to you, buy every bottle of Pfriem you can, elixir is the only way to describe it.
I love M to death (7 years and two degrees), Ufer CDs a blazing, my 8 year old had an intervention w/me this week to discuss my M obsession, and I'm proud to say I saw Harbaugh don the winged helmet at every home game in his career... Oregon does beat M in beer, and it's a blowout.
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September 18th, 2015 at 9:03 AM ^
I suggest you find another team to root for. We will be just fine without you.
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September 18th, 2015 at 9:06 AM ^
Do you mean " another team to root-beer for"?
September 18th, 2015 at 9:28 AM ^
Flawless Victory
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September 18th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^
another team to drink for....
September 18th, 2015 at 9:14 AM ^
You lost all credibility for with the "Bells is outstanding" comment.
September 18th, 2015 at 9:25 AM ^
Seriously?
For my money it's probably the best "big" craft brewery in the country. They do pretty much every style well.
September 18th, 2015 at 9:44 AM ^
...Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, and Blue Moon, then yes..... Bell's is great.
Don't get me wrong. They offer some very good limited releases. Hop Slam is one of my all time favorites but, other than Two Hearted, all of there common beers are nothing more than just above average.
September 18th, 2015 at 10:20 AM ^
Absolutely couldn't agree with this statement more. I would say that their year round selections, other then two hearted, are actually below average. And Oberon is garbage.
September 18th, 2015 at 10:45 AM ^
Makes Bell's fantastic. Might have been the best beer I've ever enjoyed.
September 18th, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
I'd take Stone and maybe Deschutes over Bell's in the top ten and definitely Founders, Firestone, and Dogfish Head over Bell's in the top 20. But I still really like Bell's.
Top 50 Breweries by production with percent increase:
September 18th, 2015 at 11:59 AM ^
I love Two Hearted and love fly fishing so double win for me.
September 18th, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/oregon-pays-their-bet-after-losing-football…
You seriously don't think any of their other beers are any good? Expedition, Third Coast, their Lagers, the more limited stuff?
September 18th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
Bell's Porter is fantastic as well, imo.
September 18th, 2015 at 9:19 AM ^
Plus, we apparently spell "Hi" at least one other way, too.
September 18th, 2015 at 11:11 AM ^
Two Hearted is great and I'm a big fan of Deschutes Mirror Pond. However, having moved from MI to CO and all the great breweries that are everywhere in CO, I gotta vote for CO. There's a reason the GABF is held in Denver every year!
September 18th, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
Coors is the reason for the GABF, and I'd not brag about that so much...
September 18th, 2015 at 12:19 PM ^
Haha, Touche...but you can't really hate on all the other breweries in CO. Breckenridge, Ska, Odells, Oskar Blues...list goes on!
September 18th, 2015 at 9:28 AM ^
Citing Bells as Michigan's craft beer shows you have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to Michigan beer.
Since you left Michigan there have been tons of breweries that opened. Besides bells, which imo is just okay, we have founders, shorts, New Holland, Arcadia, Dragon mead, vivant, and griffen claw. Those are beers you'll find in a grocery store and does not include hundreds of other smaller ones.
But yes, if we are comparing Michigan beers in 1991 to Oregon beers in 2015, after the craft beer revolution you are correct, Oregon wins and its not close. But what do I know, I'm a whiskey drinker.
September 18th, 2015 at 9:44 AM ^
Man, everyone shitting on Bell's in this thread.
I think people associate Bell's with Oberon, which definitely feels generic and "macro-y", but they brew a ton of styles, and almost all are great:
Two Hearted: One of the best widely-available IPAs in the world
Expedition Stout: Maybe the best non-adjunct imperial stout made in MI, and one of the best-aging beers in the world.
Black Note: World class BBA stout
Uranus: By far the best Black IPA I've ever had.
Saturn: Cheapest BBA Barleywine I've ever bought, and it was great to boot
Mars: I don't typically like malt-forward IPAs, but this blew me away.
Jupiter: Great exapmle of a rare style (imperial brown)
Hopslam: Not my thing, but widely regarded as a world class DIPA
Hopsoulution: Not well known, but one of my favorite MI DIPAs
Third Coast Old Ale: Great, vintageable barleywine
Batch X Series: Many of these are legendary in the community
And they do styles that many other breweries won't even touch:
Wild One: A great wild ale
Lager of the Lakes/QFalls/Third Coast Beer/Consecrator: Great stable of lagers, most craft breweries don't even make lagers.
Intangibles: 1) They have one of the best bottle-dating formats in the industry (seriously Founder's, get it together here) 2) they are one of the only breweries to stick almost exclusively to 6pks, which usually provide the best value, 3) They always have a ton of interesting offerings in the brewpub, which is more than I can say for many MI brewers
September 18th, 2015 at 9:44 AM ^
Two Hearted is widely available? Weird I've never seen it in the places I've lived, which has been Kansas and Missouri.
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September 18th, 2015 at 10:01 AM ^
I travel for work and I can regularly get it in most places I go. Hell, I've been to bars all down the east coast and found a lot who have two hearted on tap. Even one in rural North Carolina.
September 18th, 2015 at 10:47 AM ^
Love that I can get me some Two Hearted at several places near my place in Venice Beach. I have no idea all the places it's distributed but it does well in an area dominated by west coast IPAs.
September 18th, 2015 at 11:12 AM ^
Found some last weekend and tried it for the first time during the game. It definately lived up to the hype it gets on this here blog. They had a couple other Bell's in stock as well and I plan on grabbing one of the others on the way home tonight.
September 18th, 2015 at 12:01 PM ^
We finally got Two Hearted in so cal.
September 18th, 2015 at 9:45 AM ^
HOPSLAM
September 18th, 2015 at 9:56 AM ^
Bells is first class. Two hearted, Hopslam, and 3rd coast...yum.
September 18th, 2015 at 10:04 AM ^
limited releases = great
common beers = meh
unfortunately for most, the limited releases aren't very available.
September 18th, 2015 at 10:08 AM ^
mobile app formatting. my apologies.
September 18th, 2015 at 10:49 AM ^
Dragon mead and founders limited releases occasionally show up in Oakland CA and match up extremely well with the best the west coast has to offer. I've never seen Bells here, strangely.
Also, "Dear Oregon, your beer is good, but no better than anywhere else that has great beer culture. Get over yo' nasty self!"
September 18th, 2015 at 9:47 AM ^
they know a little about craft beer.
September 18th, 2015 at 10:47 AM ^
Logged in to upvote and comment.
I agree, they have some great stuff. DRIPA might be my favorite beer ever. Their mead is good too. It's a shame they don't produce their stuff on a huge scale like a lot of other places mentioned.
September 18th, 2015 at 1:16 PM ^
They're opening a new distribution center and tasting room up by Macomb/Clinton Twp area, so maybe soon!
September 18th, 2015 at 9:30 AM ^
Oregon certainly beats us on sheer number of craft breweries, and probably has better "little" guys, but it's definitely pretty close in terms of overall quality, and Michigan probably distributes more good beer to other states than Oregon.
As for some data, beer rating sites obviously have their flaws, but check the Top X lists on whatever site you choose (BA, RB, etc.) - Michigan is far better-represented than Oregon, and that's not nothing.
September 18th, 2015 at 9:58 AM ^
Quit drinking your sh*tty beer and go to bed.
September 18th, 2015 at 10:06 AM ^
Very well said. Visited Oregon last year, and there are so many good microbrews there it's ridiculous. If you have never visited, I would highly recommend it. Great trip!
September 18th, 2015 at 10:07 AM ^
According to ratebeer.com users:
3. Founders Brewing Company - Grand Rapids, Michigan |
5. Bells Brewery - Kalamazoo, Michigan |
11. Kuhnhenn Brewing - Warren, Michigan |
20. Hair of the Dog Brewing Company - Portland, Oregon |
29. Dark Horse Brewing Company - Marshall, Michigan |
31. B. Nektar Meadery - Ferndale, Michigan |
42. Rogue Ales - Newport, Oregon |
64. Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales - Dexter, Michigan |
65. Upright Brewing - Portland, Oregon |
67. Deschutes Brewery - Bend, Oregon |
91. Pelican Pub & Brewery - Pacific City, Oregon |
Blowout, huh?
September 18th, 2015 at 10:16 AM ^
Sweet list bro. Again, Michigan has two good to great breweries, maybe 3 and that's it. Oregon has hundreds that would fall into that category. He's right that most people have no idea what it's like out here. The competition is so insane that it makes all the breweries step up their game. Only the best survive out here. So yes, Oregon wins and it's not close.
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September 18th, 2015 at 10:20 AM ^
To clarify, it would be close at the top. But the depth would give Oregon the edge. California is the only state that may be better. I'd also probably put Colorado and Washington right up there with Michigan in the top 5 states.
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September 18th, 2015 at 11:25 AM ^
Thank you Mr. Beer expect, but I'll refer to Ratebeers as being a more credible source than your opinion of which state is better.
September 18th, 2015 at 11:54 AM ^
Sounds good fellas. Just stating my opinion like everyone else. Have not been to all 50 states, but I do check out the craft beer scene everywhere I visit. Probably hit 25 or so states plus what I've been able to buy from stores. Always interested to see what other places are offering.
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September 18th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^
California is the only state that may be better. I'd also probably put Colorado and Washington right up there with Michigan in the top 5 states.
Have you actually been to all 50 states and investigated their beer scene?
September 18th, 2015 at 12:43 PM ^
They were late to the party and a lot of the beer laws are not craft beer friendly.
September 18th, 2015 at 10:52 AM ^
I will literally send beer to anyone who can tell me how I can get some of this fantastic Michigan beer, plus Brewery Vivant and Atwater sent to Oklahoma.
September 18th, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
Replace Atwater with Greenbush and you will be much happier.