Where does Illinois rank in the craft beer world?

There are few things in the beer world that generate more controversy than RateBeer and BeerAdvocate. Some love 'em. Some hate 'em. Some (many?) love one and hate the other. Regardless of your personal feelings, there's no doubt that--much like Pitchfork does for music--these sites can really boost a beer or brewery with their ability to drum up hype.

Every year RateBeer comes out with their annual RateBeer Best list. The excellent site Michigan Beer Buzz recently profiled how Michigan breweries did in the Best competition, both with respect to top beers and top breweries. There's no doubt that Michigan has some awesome breweries, and the results bore that out. However, being the proud Chicagoan that I am, I figured I'd take a look at the results and see how the Land of Lincoln did.

And how did we do? Well... it could have been worse. We've certainly got bragging rights over North Dakota, but we've got a ways to go before we catch up to the likes of Michigan, California and Colorado. In the Best Breweries list, we only came away with three recipients: Goose Island (#26), Flossmoor Station (#75) and Piece Brewpub (#96). As for the Best Beers list, Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout came in at #11, and, well, that's it. The only other Illinois shout-out went to Chicago's own Half Acre, which took fourth-place honors in the American pale ale category of the Best Beers by Style list with its Daisy Cutter.

The good news is that the Chicago beer scene seems to be growing every day. Half Acre is turning out more seasonal/specialty releases. Metropolitan has started rolling out their seasonal offerings. Revolution Brewing just opened its doors (as picture to the right).

However, I think there's one interesting thing to note in reviewing RateBeer's lists. There are some clear style biases that may work against Chicago's beer scene. Seventeen of the twenty top beers in the world are imperial stouts. And while I'm too lazy to count all the rest, most of the top 100 that aren't imperial stouts are either hop bombs, sours, or other "extreme" beers.

Now, we certainly have some innovative brewing going on here in Chicago, but I also think that we have a Midwest vibe here (possibly tied to the German heritage of our old-school breweries?) that turns out incredible session beers. Goose Island's flagship Honker's Ale is incredibly drinkable, and their IPA--one of my favorites--is in the more modest English tradition. Half Acre's two main offerings are its Lager and the aforementioned pale ale. Metro is devoted to German-style lagers (and the occasional German-style ale). Revolution is starting out with its Workingman Mild at 3.5% ABV.

Now I wouldn't be surprised if the beer geek's pendulum of "in" beers swung back towards session beers in the next few years, but until then the Chicago area's breweries may continue to be overlooked. Fortunately, those of us who live here know what great beers we have at our disposal. And if you're looking for a little kick in the teeth, you can still grab a Half Acre Big Hugs or a Two Brothers Hop Juice. It's the best of all worlds here.