Over the course of last week RateBeer came out with their annual best ratings. Our brands that we sell here in Grand Rapids (and in Barry County, as is the case with Goose Island) did quite well on the RateBeer  Best lists for 2013.  Although it's just a list, it is fun to see how tastes evolve, year to year and it is especially exciting to see some personal favorites on the list, as well. Below are the results.

The Top Brewers in the World

• Boston Beer Company
• Brooklyn Brewery
• Goose Island Brewery
• Oskar Blues Brewery
• Smuttynose Brewing Company
• Stone Brewing Co.

The Best Beers in the World

• Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine
• Goose Island Carolus Cuvee Van de Keiser Blauw/Blue
• Sam Adams Utopias
• Stone Brewing Co. Enjoy By IPA
• Stone Brewing Co. Russian Imperial Stout

The Best Beers by Style Category

• Double IPA: Stone Brewing Co. Enjoy By IPA. 7^th place
• Stout: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. 3^rd place
•             Goose Island Bourbon County Stout – Coffee. 9^th place
•             Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Proprietor’s 2013. 13^th place
• Strong: Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine. 1^st place
•                 Samuel Adams Utopias. 4^th place
• Imperial Baltic Porter: Smuttynose Baltic Porter. 6^th place

Top Releases of 2013

• Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine
• Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Proprietor’s 2013

Breweries by Subregion

• Illinois: Goose Island Brewing – Best Brewery. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout – Best Beer
• Maryland: Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter – Best Beer
• New Hampshire: Smuttynose Brewing – Best Brewery. Smuttynose Baltic Porter – Best Beer

Smuttynose Brewing Co. Coming to MI 

As we happily announced this past Tuesday, we will be adding Smuttynose Brewing Co. to our craft portfolio in October. Keep checking back for updates on what we will be doing to celebrate being the 23rd state in the Smuttynose distribution footprint. Until then, here’s the official press release announcing their plans to distribute to Michigan. 

Smuttynose Brewing Co. expands distribution to Michigan with West Side Distributing 

Posted on September 10, 2013 at 3:25 pm by Press Release      

(Portsmouth, NH) – Smuttynose Brewing Company is delighted to announce their new partnership with West Side Distributing, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who will bring New Hampshire’s leading craft brewer’s beers to the Wolverine State starting in October, 2013. The deal with West Side makes Michigan the 23rd state (plus Washington DC) where Smuttynose beers are available. 

The relationship between West Side and Smuttynose didn’t develop over night, but over several years of courtship by the largest beer distributor in Michigan. “Whether it was at big beer events like Craft Brewers Conference or just an email here and there, West Side politely and casually let us know they were interested whenever we were ready,” said Peter Egelston, Smuttynose’s President and Founder, “but being at capacity for the last four or five years meant entering a large, craft beer-loving state like Michigan was impossible. With our new brewery project almost ready to come online, I was excited to talk to West Side about moving forward.” 

Michiganders will see Smuttynose beer in four key markets; Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing and Romulus/Detroit. Initial shipments of Finestkind IPA and Big A IPA will be exclusively on draft for the on-premise trade, while shipments of bottle packages will begin in early 2014. Egelston cited West Side’s plan for building the Smuttynose brand in Michigan as a key factor in making the decision. “We’re really excited to add such a wonderful beer state to the list of places Smuttynose is sold and we can’t wait to grow with West Side.”Initial roll-out events will take place October 9,10,11 when several key Smuttynose employees will make the rounds to introduce themselves and their beers to Michiganders. Details will be announced over Smuttynose social media.

Founded in 1994, Smuttynose is New Hampshire’s leading craft brewery. In 2012, its 50 employees worked to brew, package and sell nearly 41,000 barrels of beer across 22 states and Washington DC. After nearly 20 years in their original home in Portsmouth, the international award-winning brewery will move into its new, LEED Gold-registered brewery and visitors’ center on the historic Towle Farm in Hampton, NH in 2014. 

Family-owned West Side Beer Distributors is the largest beer distributor in Michigan. The Klopcic Family’s roots in the business began in Detroit when Don Klopcic, Sr. opened Don Lee Distributing in 1965. They expanded west to Grand Rapids in 1981, with the acquisition of West Side and have since added the Romulus (2008), Kalamazoo (2009) and Lansing (2012) territories. In addition to their beer distribution responsibilities, all branches of the business are very active in their communities and are proud to support responsible beer consumption and education efforts