Paste Magazine compiled a list of the top 25 american breweries with the help of  The Brick Store Pub, Atlanta’s best beer joint. The list is a who’s who of american breweries, but I’d have some serious edits. I  think Weyerbacher and Lagunitas are way too high, Bell’s and Stone are too low and I can’t for the life of me understand why Sam Adams would be ahead of any of the breweries between 16 and 20. What do you think?

The 25 Best American Breweries of the Decade

This great article by John Linn from the New Times Clean Plate Charlie blog reveals the reasons why Florida is so behind in the craft beer movement.  The real root of the problem? Florida’s beer packaging laws:

“Up until 2001, Florida law prohibited any beer that wasn’t of a set size (8, 12, 16, or 32 ounces) from being sold in stores. The restriction meant odd size import bottles as well as “bomber” bottles typically used by craft micro brewers were unfit for shelves. ‘[The law] limited what kinds of beers were available, and as a result consumer interest just wasn’t there,” says Fine. “After it was changed the people that tried to come into the state to take advantage of the market didn’t really know how to handle the product.’”

Read more here.