New England Craft Beer HoF

It started with a tweet. It ended with a blog post. Well not ended I guess, because here I am keeping the "conversation" going here. Having come of age while in college in Boston (go Huskies!), I still  feel a strong connection to the beer in the region; it certainly helps being back in the northeast! So what would my New England Craft Beer Hall of Fame be? Hoo boy. That's quite the challenge. I'll start with the criteria listed by @HoppyBoston : 

1. The beer must be brewed by a New England-based brewery. I know that Sam Adams and Shipyard make some of their beer in other parts of the country but they are based in the region so their beers count.
2. The most important factor is the impact the beer had on the craft beer community in the region. While many of these beers still hold up today, I care more about the influence they had on a generation of beer geeks and aspiring brewers than how they would do in a blind tasting against current versions of their respective styles.
3. The beer must be a classic, I am thinking ~10 years old as a minimum (first brewed in 2008 or earlier). Mike Trout is the best player in the MLB and a clear cut Hall of Famer, but he won’t be elected this year because he is still early in his career (and there are a bunch of rules against it). Beers like Tree House Julius and Trillium Fort Point are Mike Trout, future Hall of Famers that get plenty of accolades but don’t make this list yet.

Cutting out young guns like Tree House and Trillium is helpful. They are too early in their "careers" for the HoF. And there are certainly others that have come before them to set the table. There's a key line in here too that will shape my first class of inductees: Breweries should be judged based upon the "impact the beer had on the craft beer community". Ooh yeah I've got some ideas now. 

Without further delay, here's my ballot for the first class to be inducted to the New England Craft Beer Hall of Fame. (Notes in parenthesis indicate comparison with the original posting by HoppyBoston)

1. Sam Adams Boston Lager (No Change) - Not my first Sam love--that would be the Winter Ale--but certainly the most revolutionary craft beer for the region, perhaps the country. 
2. Allagash White (No Change) - Honestly I did not like white beers while in Boston. This and Avery White Rascal were beers I tried but never really cared for. A change occurred over time--maybe it was the Texas heat---but either way I understand the impact this beer has had on the craft beer community. And of course I now love the beer.
3. Harpoon IPA (No Change) - This is honestly the biggest beer in this list for me personally. This became my go-to craft beer especially as a young guy on the town--it was priced the same as any other craft beer but packed a punch. This was the IPA on tap for the region.
4. Longtrail Ale (+3) - The iconic VT beer in a style you don't see much these days, yet it still stands tall. 
5. Smuttynose Old Brown Dog (No Change) - That label! A nice roasty, malty offering that was a perfect fall beer in New England. Even as brown ales fade in prominence, Old Brown Dog did it's part to usher in a generation of craft beer drinkers and hopefully will continue to be on our shelves.
6. Geary's Pale Ale (No Change) - Anyone who has been to Maine during the rise of craft beer knows Geary's. It's an institution. 
7. Alchemist Heady Topper (+1) - The original ugly NE IPA. Less "juice" than today's iterations, but incredibly crushable. It started a revolution in IPA that cannot be denied.
8. Shipyard Pumpkinhead (New Entry) - No one knows pumpkin like the northeast and to me this is one of the beers that set off a major shift in craft beer. No other pumpkin beer I knew was of this quality and it created quite the shift in fall drinking.
9. Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale (New Entry) - The organic implications are big, but simply this beer was toasty goodness. And they've evolved with the market to create incredibly juicy IPA and hoppy pilsners. But to go back to that organic point, Peak says it best: "In 2009, Peak helped Maine farmers cultivate commercial hops, the first such harvest since 1880.  We take great pride in the fact that these hops were organic." That's big. 
10. Magic Hat #9 (New Entry) - Seriously, how many people became craft beer drinkers because of this fruity, "not quite pale ale"? This beer's ability to convert beer drinkers results in Magic Hat locking up the last spot in the first class of inductees.

So who did I cut from the original list? 

• Narragansett - The "are they craft?" question is going to follow them. But for me, the question was primarily what did they do to impact the craft beer community? At this point I'm not yet sure. Perhaps influenced others to develop inexpensive lagers? But that's far too recent a trend to give them recognition for.

• Pretty Things... - I really wanted to keep them there. They are a NE favorite. But what impact did they really have? What beers stand out as game changers? Enough to be first ballot Hall of Famers? Only if inducting with emotion I'm afraid.

• Gritty McDuff's - I really wanted to replace them with Ipswich Oatmeal Stout which I felt was more impactful region-wide. Yet in the end, I picked neither. Gritty's contributions industry-wise I think are overshadowed by Maine counterpart, Geary's. Style-wise I'd give the nod to Ipswich. However, in thinking of overall impact on the craft beer community (read: converting folks to beer drinkers), I think neither did more than Magic Hat #9, the last entry on my list.

Who else was in consideration? Besides the three above, there were a few others that were close calls. 

• Ipswich Oatmeal Stout - sorta mentioned above

• Jack's Abbey - if they had been around a bit longer, they would have made it. The impact they are having for those living the #lagerlife is tremendous.

• Berkshire Brewing Company Steel Rail - I understand this to be the more impactful beer, but personally it would be their coffee porter. This beer revolutionized brunch for me.

• Cambridge Brewing Company - Heard more about them after leaving Boston than I did while there.

• New England Brewing Company Sea Hag -- First: The brewery name. Second: It's a kick ass IPA and NEBCO has had some staying power. They've gotten better yearly since I've known of them. Also: CT represent!
• Wachussett Blueberry - The novelty of the blueberries hooked many, but more than Magic Hat #9? I'm not sure there. 

Go ahead, tell me where I'm wrong!!

Cheers!!