4KD Crick Brewing | TheBeerProfessor

So another year is about to draw to a close. And with that, it is time to look back on my brewery and taproom visits for the year. At the start of the year, I set myself a goal of 52 breweries/taprooms, an average of one per week. By the middle of March, I had visited 17 breweries and 5 taprooms, so I was well on course to meet my target. And then, as we all know, large parts of the United States started to go into lockdown mode in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. I was one of those individuals who took the threat of Covid-19 seriously, its appearance severely curtailed my brewery and taproom visits. Indeed, in the period since mid-March I have only visited 3 breweries and 1 taproom (all in my home state of Ohio). So, in total, I visited 20 breweries and 6 taprooms during 2020 – exactly half of my original target. This compares with 46 in 2017, 66 in 2018, and 63 in 2019.

Before providing more statistics on my 2020 visits, let me explain the difference between a brewery and a taproom. The difference is quite simple. A brewery is an establishment where beer is produced, whereas a taproom is an establishment owned by a brewery that sells but does not produce beer on-site.

Of the 20 breweries that I visited 5 were in Ohio and 15 were in the United States but outside of Ohio. All of my non-Ohio brewery visits were in California, Florida, Michigan, and Nebraska – states that I had the opportunity to visit before Covid-19 lockdowns were implemented. Of the 20 breweries, I had visited 4 before (all in the Toledo metropolitan area and indicated by italics in the list below). Of the 6 taprooms that I visited 4 were in San Diego, CA, 1 was in Omaha, NE, and 1 was in Hudson, OH.

Unfortunately, there are no international breweries or taprooms on this year’s list. For the first time since 2003 I did not venture outside of the United States. With several vaccines now available hope that I will be able to resume my travels and brewery/taproom visits during 2021. Due to the uncertainty that still exists with regard to the impact that Covid-19 will have on our activities during 2021 I will not set myself a target.

As is my tradition, I have provided one photograph from each of the breweries/taprooms that I visited during 2020. To me they capture the beauty and diversity of the world of craft beer. I hope that you enjoy them.

Ohio Breweries (5)

4KD Crick Brewery, Defiance, OH
Black Frog Brewery, Holland, OH
Blue Monkey Brewing Company, North Royalton, OH
Inside the Five Brewing Company, Sylvania, OH
Patron Saints Brewery, Toledo, OH

Non-Ohio US Breweries (15)

3 Daughters Brewing, St. Petersburg, FL
Brickway Brewery & Distillery, Omaha, NE
Cigar City Brewing Company, Tampa, FL
Coronado Brewpub, Coronado, CA
Coronado Brewing Company, San Diego Tasting Room, San Diego, CA
Cycle Brewing, St. Petersburg, FL
First Magnitude Brewing Company, Gainesville, FL
Green Bench Brewing Co., St. Petersburg, FL
Pizza Port, Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Salt Springs Brewery, Saline, MI
St. Pete Brewing Company, St. Petersburg, FL
Swamp Head Brewery, Gainesville, FL
Thorn Brewing, Barrio Logan, San Diego, CA
Upstream Brewing Company, Omaha, NE
Ypsi Alehouse, Ypsilanti, MI

Ohio Brewery Taprooms (1)

The Brew Kettle, Hudson, Ohio

Non-Ohio Brewery Taprooms (5)

Border X Brewing, San Diego, CA
Iron Fist Brewing Co, San Diego, CA
Mike Hess Brewing, Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Pure Project, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA
Thunderhead Brewing Company, Omaha, NE

Green Bench Brewing Co., St. Petersburg, FL

Inside The Five Brewing Company, Sylvania, OH

Brickway Brewery & Distillery, Omaha, NE

Blue Monkey Brewing Company, North Royalton, OH

First Magnitude Brewing Company, Gainesville, FL

St. Pete Brewing Company, St. Petersburg, FL

Coronado Brewing Company, San Diego Tasting Room, San Diego, CA

Mike Hess Brewing, Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA

Pure Project, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

As has been my tradition for the last couple of years, my final blog entry for the year reviews my brewery visits during the previous 12 months. This year I visited a total of 63 different breweries. That is an average of one brewery every 5.79 days. Overall, I visited three less breweries in 2019 than I did in 2018. Of the 63 breweries, 14 were in my home state of Ohio, 46 were in other parts of the United States (excluding Ohio), while three were outside of the United States. In addition to Ohio, I visited breweries in 10 different states – California, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Of the 63 breweries I visited, I had been to 15 before (indicated in italics in the lists below). Late in the year, I did manage to visit some breweries outside of the United States. A late-November trip to the Netherlands afforded me the opportunity to visit three breweries in Amsterdam, two of which I had been to before. The most breweries I visited in one day was six – when I participated in The Napa Beer Mile in Napa, CA in February. The city where I visited the most breweries was Charlotte, NC. During a trip there in October I visited nine breweries. At the start of 2019, I set myself a target of visiting 52 different breweries during the year. I easily hit that target. I will set myself an identical target for 2020.

Below you will find a list of all the craft breweries that I visited during 2019. Following this list, you will find one photograph from each of the places that I visited. I hope that you enjoy these. They are intended to capture the beauty and diversity of craft beer and the places that brew and sell it.

Ohio Breweries (14)