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[Tuff-Stuff]

10 great beers that you can find just about anywhere

Published: May 15, 2015 11:27 a.m. ET

In the U.S. beer industry’s three-tiered system, that second tier of distribution can’t be overrated.

Yes, it takes a brewer to make beer, and it takes bars and shops willing to set aside taps and shelf space to sell it, but the folks who cover the ground in between have a lot of say in whose beer appears where. It’s why Kentucky just prevented Anheuser-Busch InBev BUD, +0.22% from owning distributors in its state, why North Carolina beer is being debated in its halls of government, why Pennsylvania beer law evolves at a glacial pace and why Florida took three years to debate the merits of the standard 64-ounce growler.

They may not necessarily be the best of the best, but they’re the best that you can find at most liquor stores


With more than 3,400 breweries in the U.S. and another 2,000 in the planning stages, according to the Brewers Association craft beer industry group, there’s something to be said for keeping your brewery’s reach small or at least regional. Broaden that reach, however, and your beer can be a go-to option everywhere. With a hat tip to reader Greg W. (who suggested this topic last week), we are giving you a list of beers that have reaped the benefits of extensive distribution to become some of the best widely available beers in the country.

Culling distribution information from Seek-A-Brew, ratings from RateBeer and BeerAdvocate and availability from the brewers themselves — along with a few of our own favorites thrown in for good measure — we’ve come up with 10 great beers that you can find just about anywhere. This is by no means a definitive list and some of your favorites may not have made the cut. However, availability by state factored heavily and led to some tough cuts of breweries missing 10 states or more from their distribution map. If you have suggestions, feel free to file them below:

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