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President of Beers: #14

Alpha King Pale Ale: Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Indiana

We're drinking the flagship craft beer from every state in the Union, counting down from 50-1, to find which is home to the President of Beers.

#14 Alpha King Pale Ale: Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Indiana

State: The Hoosier State has been a member of the Union since 1816. Despite its long tenure, the rest of the country knows little about the state outside of sports and rednecks. Larry Bird—and until recently, Peyton Manning—comes behind only Almighty God in the hearts and minds of the natives. Every year, hundreds of thousands make the annual pilgrimage to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to watch Formula 1 cars drive in 200 laps around an oval track. Indiana also played host to two of the most popular sports movies, Hoosiers and Rudy, as well as Bobby Knight. The state’s success in sports distracts outsiders from wondering what the hell a “Hoosier” is.

Brewery: Three Floyds began in 1995 when Nick, Simon, and their dad, Mike Floyd decided to open a brewery due to the "fairly bleak craft brewing scene in the region." They've since expanded several times, eventually opening a brewpub in 2005.

Beer: The Alpha King Pale Ale is hoppier than your average pale ale. In fact, most drinkers would probably call it an IPA. Whatever kind of beer you want to call it, it's damn good.

Difficulty of obtaining in Oregon: Moderate. They don't distribute in Oregon, but it can be found in select stores in neighboring California. If you're desperate for Three Floyds, you can find Axes of Evil, their collaboration with Gigantic Brewing, in Oregon.

Rating: 71.16

quoted in the Chicago Tribune
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Chicago Tribune
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WWeek 2015

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