The recent explosion of craft breweries in the U.S. has shifted the beer industry's attention to quality, not quantity. May 12-18 is American Craft Beer Week, which means it's the perfect time to discover a new artisanal brew.
We found the 24 coolest American craft brewers making waves in the industry, from a Latin American-style cervecería in Chicago to a sustainable brewery in Maui that uses local Hawaiian ingredients to make its brews.
A brewery is considered a craft brewery if it produces fewer than 6 million barrels a year, with 75% or more of the company owned by the craft brewer, according to the Brewers Association.
5 Rabbit Cervecería
Located:Bedford Park, Ill.
Located outside Chicago, the first Latin American-style brewery, or cervecería, in the country infuses its brews with ancho chili, piloncillo cane sugar, and other Latin flavors.
5 Rabbit was inspired by an Aztec myth, and the names of the beers all coincide in some way with the Aztec calendar.
The brewmasters believe in enjoying and savoring life, so every few weeks they publish a recipe on their website that would pair well with one of their beers.
Alchemist Brewery
Located:Waterbury, Vt.
Alchemist sells just one beer: Heady Topper, which is found only in Vermont. They say they'd rather focus on doing one beer perfectly instead of doing many imperfectly.
Heady Topper is a double IPA brewed with a proprietary blend of six hops that blend together to make a great beer.
Amplified Aleworks
Located: San Diego, Calif.
Amplified Aleworks isn't the only craft brewery in San Diego by a long shot, but it's one of the coolest.
Operated out of the popular California Kebab and Beer Garden, their best deal is on Sundays when you can pay $20 for four Amplified beer samplings and some thick-cut hickory smoked bacon. It's pretty hard to go wrong with bacon and beer.
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