I think it’s pretty strange how some people get worked up about who makes the best beer, and other silly questions like that.  Obviously, it’s so subjective you’d never get people to agree.  On any given day, depending on the weather and what I was eating for dinner, I might have a dozen different favorites.  More than once, I’ve had a taste of a beer in one situation, and thought it was the best thing I’d ever tasted, only to pick up a bottle a few months later and find it pretty underwhelming.  You might as well argue religion and politics.

That post and the comments do talk about something a little easier to quantify though: actual availability of craft beer.  Within a mile or so walk of my house, I’ve got two grocery stores, a specialty wine/beer shop, and a handful of restaurants with beer on draft.  Of those, the specialty shop obviously has the best variety, with a decent selection of local and national craft beer, European imports, etc.  One of the restaurants has a couple taps from Swamp Head, brewed here in Gainesville (note to local restaurants: we go there all the time, in part because of this).  I’ve got two other specialty shops in town that I go to more often, mostly because they’ve got a better local craft beer selection, but also because their service is much better.

So I count myself lucky to have the selection I’ve got.  I’ve got friends in big cities with tons of options I don’t have.  But then again, lots of Americans don’t have anything within an easy walk of home.