Cool “Spotting a brewpub in the land of Bud” (1991) image

How did he stumble upon the brewery? You cannot miss it, as they, once you have found White River Junction. What Barrie was doing in that far-flung town he must tell us one day.

Sadly for him, his trip to nearby Burlington (whose socialist former mayor has now been elected to Congress) failed to register the equally unmissable Vermont Pub and Brewery. Barrie would have enjoyed that spot, where beer-writer, publican and brewer Greg Noonan makes not only an Irish ale but also the occasional Berliner-style Weissbier.

To avoid such omissions in the future, let me provide the address: 144 College St.

People are always telling me they have just returned from a tip to the United States and found nothing but Budweiser. They invariable turn out to have been staying in a town with a wonderful micro-brewery or brew-pub.

“Why didn’t the locals tell me about it?” they sigh. Well you could go to many a town in Britain and not find a soul who knew there was an excellent micro up the road.

“Why didn’t you write about it in What’s Brewing?” I probably did, a year or two ago. I have enough material to profile an American brewery every month, but that might be deemed excessive.

As a compromise, since this is also the time at which to settle down with travel brochures, let me review some of my favourites.

I should warn you that there are about 250 brew-pubs and micros forever opening and closing, so this is just a sampler. There are more in my Pocket Guide to Beer.

This is a V-shaped trajectory, from East to Mid West. I hope it will be followed at a later date by a “Best of the West”.

Boston
The Commonwealth brewpub (138 Portland and Merrimac, near Boston Gardens) has decorative Burton Unions, good Bitter, Porter and Stout, and an excelled Old Ale/Winter Warmer.

Across the river, the Cambridge brewpub, on Kendall Square, has fairly mainstream Pale and Amber ales and Porter, and folk music. The widely available Samuel Adam’s Boston Lager is very good, but also look out for the same brewery’s seasonal specialties and its Stock Ale , or call 522-3400 for a tour and a taste.

Nearby is the splendidly multi-cultural Doyle’s Nar (3484 Washington St, Jamaica Plain), which also sells the ales from the local Mass Bay micro-brewery.

New York City
The Manhattan brewpub (40-42 Thompson Street and Broom, between 6th Ave and W. Broadway) has a tasty Amber and Stout, and seasonal specials, brewed by Yorkshire-man Mark Witty (ex Sam Smith’s).

For American micros, British and Belgian beers, visit The Peculiar (as in Old) Pub at 145 Blecker Street and W. Broadway. Or drink in the East Village at Brewsky’s (41E. 7th St, at 2nd Ave).

This is a few doors down from the historically interesting McSorley’s (15 E 7th) At 93 South Street Seaport, the North Star Pub has British ales and single malt scotches.

Philadelphia/Pennsylvania
Two new brewpubs, which I hope to visit for the first time in April. Dock Street was already known for a contract-brewer golden ale, but is now making further British and German styles in its own premises at 2 Logan Square.

The Sansom Street Oyster House makes extract brews in its pub, which is operated by Sam Adams. Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, there are outstanding German-style lagers at the Stoudt (route 272, Adamstown, between Reading and Lancaster) and Allegheny (Troy Hill Road and Vinial Street, Pittsburgh) brewpubs.

Baltimore
The malty Oxford Class Ale made by the British Brewing Company of Baltimore is available cask-conditioned, weekends only, at Bertha’s Mussels, 734 Broadway, Fell’s Point.

Hoppy English-style ales are made by actor Hugh Sisson at his South Baltimore Brewing company in a neighbourly pub. (36 E. Cross Street, opposite the covered market, which is also worth a visit.)

Baltimore Brewing (run by a scion of the Dutch Grolsch family) produces excellent German-style lagers at 105 Albermarle Street, right in the city centre. Both brewpubs have good food.

Washington DC
Despite challengers, the biggest selection of beers anywhere in the US is probably the one at Brickskeller, 1523 22nd Street NW, on the edge of Georgetown. George Washington made beer, but modern DC has no breweries; the local Olde Heurich is contact-brewed in Pittsburgh, but none the worse for that.

Head for the Union Street Public House in surburban Alexandria for its Virginia Native. This is an unfiltered version of Dark Horse, a bock made by a micro in Virgina Beach.

Southern States
Lots of dry counties, but look out for the following: The Weeping Radish mini-chain of brewpubs makes some good lagers, especially the one at 115 N. Duke Street, Durham, N. Carolina.

Nashville, Tennessee, has the new Bohannon micro brewery, making a good Pilsener and seasonal specials under the Market Stret label. It is an elegant old whiskey warehouse at 134 2nd Ave N. Not a brew-pub, but it has a tasting room. Call (615) 242-8223 for a tour.

Near Atlanta, Georgia, the mock-Alpine town of Helen has a new brewery. I tasted a prototype of the beer, a malty lager called Helenboch (sic) at Taco Mac, in the Atlanta suburb of Roswell.

Florida is full of brewpubs. I have heard good things about the Sarasota brewpub (6607) Gateway Avenue in the town of the same name, and McGuire’s (600 E. Gregory Street, Pensacola) and greatly enjoyed the hearty British Red ale at Tampa Bay Brewing (10330 N.Dale).

There are others at Clearwater, Grainesville, Tallahassee and in Louisiana at Baton Rouge. Look out for the Mill Brewery and Bakery chain.

In Louisiana, New Orleans is a great drinking city, less for beer than whiskey and cocktails, but a new brewpub is opening round about now: The Crescent City Brewhouse, on Decatur Street in the French Quarter.

Beer lovers should also head to a bar called Carrollton Station (8140 Willow, at Dublin, next to the tramshed) for the local Abita Springs brews. Cooter Brown’s (509 S. Carrollton) is noteworthy for the sheer size of its collection. The Dixie brewery is a Victorian delight, with an enthusiastic brew crew but mainstream beer.

Midwest
Cincinnati was once a great brewing town. Its lone brewery, Hudepohl-Schoenling, makes Little Kings Cream Ale and Christian Moerlein (Reinheitsgebot) lagers, but beer lovers will also want to take a cab across the river to visit the Oldenburg brewpub, at Fort Mitchell.

Columbus, Ohio, has an outstanding brewpub in a tramshed (‘trolley car barn’ in the American language): Hoster’s (550 S. High Street) makes excellent lagers and wonderful Bologna sandwiches.

Just across the street, in old brewery buildings, a micro called Columbus Brewing makes a strongish, malty, Nutbrown Ale, available at Gibby’s Tavern, Pete’s steak restaurant and Dom’s oyster bar, all in the same block.

Cleveland has a brewpub in an 1860s saloon (complete with genuine bullet holes): Beers at Great Lakes Brewing (2516 Market Street) include a Vienna-style lager called Eliot Ness.

Detroit gives its name to an amber ale brewed at Frankenmuth, Michigan. The city is not known for good beer places but Tom’s Oyster Bar, 15016 Mack Avenue, in the near suburb of Grosse Pointe Park, is a delightful spot.

A brewpub is planned at the Traffic Jam restaurant, sausage shop, cheese dairy and bakery (470 W. Canfield Avenue, nr Wayne State University). Also in Michigan, Kalamazoo Brewing makes outstanding ales in the town of the same name.

Chicago has several brewpubs. Near the blues clubs of Halsted Street, head for Goose Island (1800 N. Clybourn), for well-crafted brews in a wide range of styles. In trendy River North, the revived Sieben brewpub (436 W. Ontario) is about to reopen under the auspices of the Berghoff family, famous for the old tavern of the same name at State Street and W. Adams.

In the near suburb the Weinkeller makes some good beers at 6417 W. Roosevelt Berwyn, on the edge of Capone country. The Bohemian-tasting Baderbrau lager, from a local micro, can be found at Jameson’s Tavern 118 S. Clinton (next to Union Station). Look out, also, for the local Legacy Lager. There’s a big selection of imports at Quenchers (Fullerton Avenue and Western).

Milwaukee has robust German-style beers from the Sprecher micro (272-2337). Look for them and Up and Under (1216E Brady Street, between the downtown and university) or Gasthaus Nurnberg (3450 E. Layton Avenue, near the airport).

The tiny, part-time lakefront micro makes flavour-packed ales and lagers, available at the nearby Tracks (1020E. Locust). The Water Street brewpub uses extract but makes well-regarded products (1101 Water Street, near the Old Blatz brewery). There is a long beer-list at the former Schlitz brewery tap, the Brown Bottle (221 W. Galena Court).

Indianapolis gives its name to malty lagers brewed in the city and available at the Corner Wine Bar, 6331, Guildford Avenue. A brewpub is scheduled to open at Broad Ripple 840 E. 65th Street.

Kansas City has a newish micro called Boulevard. Forty miles west, at Lawrence, Kansas, is a well-regarded brewpub called Free State (636 Massachusetts).

Minneapolis and its twin city St Paul have hoppy-fruity ales from Summit and nutty lagers from James Page, both micros. In the suburbs, cask-conditioned ales, under remarkably unintrusive blanket pressure can be found at Sherlock’s Home, 11000 Red Circle Drive (Crosstown and Shady Oak Road), Minnetonka.