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(Munster, IN) – Three Floyds Brewing just claimed its fourth title in five years.
RateBeer.com announced its annual awards today, naming the Indiana regional brewery #1 in the world for 2010. The designation is part of an analysis of nearly three million ratings by site members, according to RateBeer’s Joe Tucker.
The last time Three Floyds was ranked outside of the top two was 2003.
Founders Brewing out of Michigan replaced California’s AleSmith Brewing as the #2 brewery and Cigar City Brewing repeated in the #3 slot among U.S. brewers.
Russian River Pliny the Younger replaced Cigar City’s Boubon Barrel Aged Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout as the #1 beer in the United States. Pliny the Younger was not even in the top 50 last year so its appearance among the top beers comes as a surprise. It will be released just in time for Super Bowl Weekend.
Grabbing top positions in the new brewery category were Vermont-based Hill Farmstead Brewery and Maryland-based Stillwater Artisanal Ales.
Sweden’s Närke Kulturbryggeri was named the top international brewery and also grabbed the title for the world’s best beer with its imperial stout, Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter. Westvleteren 12 held the top spot last year. Närke is currently not available in the U.S.
Similar to the 2009 results, 35 of the 50 top-ranking beers in the competition are imperial stouts.
Indiana, you mean.
Fixed, thanks!
Three Floyds Brewing is the perfect example of what Internet hype can do for you. I grew up a stones toss away and drank their beer from the beginning. Not bad beer at all – but definitely not great.
What you won’t read on Ratebeer.com:
There is a very common flavor-profile across most of FFF ale offerings and most tend to be on the heavy/cloying side.
The last time I was in town – they wouldn’t refill their own growler. They want you to buy a new one every time.
They don’t do a great job of providing their beer to their local following – yet are interested in a colloboration with a Japanese brewery?
They may very well be – the most arrogant beer establishment in the country.
Ratebeer.com is a failure
Yeah, I also like how they will only growler their regular offerings (alpha king, robert the bruce, pride and joy, gumballhead), and nothing else. I also feel they’re quite arrogant, and though some of their beers are fantastic, don’t feel they should be #1–and 4 out of 5 years in a row? Ridiculous. I love ratebeer, but this is a fail. I don’t know who the hell voted for them.
Also–you can only be my favorite brewery if you date your friggin’ bottles, which they don’t, and which is why I will never pay $12 for an old bomber of Dreadnaught ever again. Waste of the $.
It’s about the beer, not whether they’ll fill your growler or date their bottles. It’s very simple…they extract the most flavor out of the ingredients in the brews and even their year-round six packs beers are stellar, not to mention awesome bombers. Great beers from a great brewery…all the guys I’ve dealt with from 3F have been cool and deserve their status. Any bitching is just sour grapes.
No one voted for Three Floyds. This list was compiled based on the ratings over the last year. So even if people don’t like the people that work for Three Floyds or their stance on growlers or whatever you want to complain about, clearly people like the beer. Ultimately, that’s what matters most.
That is the biggest problem with Ratebeer.com – People rate beer with their eyes.
And Jones – I challenge you: Visit FFF brewpub so you can at least speak from first-hand experience.