A couple weeks ago we looked at the best breweries in the SEC and now it’s time to move to our friends in the Big Ten. The Big Ten isn’t just big in name. It’s big in enrollment with the average school having approximately 9,000 more students than the average SEC school. The schools are also located in bigger cities, which mean we’re completely spoiled for choice. The only thing more divisive than this list might be the conversation between Big Ten alumni over whose college town is the best. (It’s Madison and it’s not close. Sorry to everyone else.) Here’s the list of best breweries in the Big Ten because you’ll need a few to wanna talk to girls who went to some of these schools.
Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
If I tell you the Jolly Pumpkin is the best brewery in Ann Arbor, your first response might be that it’s not actually in Ann Arbor. Yes, the main brewery is in Dexter, but the Jolly Pumpkin Café & Brewery is right in Ann Arbor and Dexter is less than a 20-minute drive away. Jolly Pumpkin is known as one of the best in the business when it comes to sour beers and the accolades have been pouring in ever since they won a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival for their Oro de Calabaza beer. They’re still serving that medal-winning wild ale, including at the Ann Arbor location, but you want to throw down their fruity Bière De Mars in the Spring because that very well may be their best. The brewery in Dexter is open seven days a week, but so is the Café & Brewery in Ann Arbor if you don’t feel like going too far.
Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University
Upland Brewing Co
Upland wins the battle of Bloomington because of its incredibly diverse selection. They only produce five beers year-round, but their creativity has led to 75 different types since they started back in 1998. There are many different ways to try Upland whether it be the brewpub in downtown Bloomington, the West Side Beer Bar at the main brewery just outside Bloomington or their Carmel Tap House and Broad Ripple Tasting Room in other parts of Indiana. The Coastbuster, an Imperial IPA offers the most enjoyment of the regular production with its tropical and fruity notes. Their latest ventures have been heavily into the sour variety with their downtown Bloomington location churning out favorites spicy and fruity Cauldron. You can go for brewery tours at either location in Bloomington, but the one outside of downtown is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
College Park, Maryland: University of Maryland
Franklins Restaurant, Brewery & General Store
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Some may’ve thought I’d use the proximity of Washington D.C. to College Park and really open up the options, but instead I’m staying local. Once a hardware store, Franklins quickly became a local favorite upon its opening and its 200-seat brewpub keeps the fans coming back. You can drop into Franklins, located a quick 10-minute drive from campus, every day of the week starting at 11 a.m. for their 11 rotating taps. The beers coming out of those taps have wonderfully creative names like Twisted Turtle, a citrusy English Pale Ale that continually competes for awards, and Outa-Space, a sour blonde ale aged in wine barrels from France.
Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University
Columbus Brewing Company
There’s major competition in Columbus between Columbus Brewing Company (CBC) and Seventh Son Brewing Co. Honestly you can’t go wrong with either one, but we’re going to focus on CBC because of its history. The brewery isn’t open for tours yet, so thankfully there’s a flagship CBC Restaurant in downtown Columbus to get you what you need. The Bodhi, a Double IPA, won the Bronze Medal for best American-Style IPA at the Great American Beer Festival in 2014, so that’s obviously what you’re going to reach for first. Their German-Style lager, Summer Teeth, is also the perfect easy-drinking beer for the summer.
East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University
Eagle Monk Pub and Brewery
There are a few breweries closer to campus, but you’ll want to make the 10-minute trip west to get to Eagle Monk. It’s closed Mondays, but that leaves six other days to try out Red Eye Rye, their signature beer. The hoppy aroma in Annie’s IPA, a standard English IPA, is worth a few sips as well. The real winner, however, might be their ESB (Extra Special Bitter), the English Pale Ale that pairs great with their barbecue chicken pizza. It’s family friendly, so come back in 10 years and bring your kids if you didn’t move too far away from campus.
Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University
Temperance
Like with College Park, I could’ve sold out and gone with Chicago instead of Evanston, but that’s not why we’re here. Evanston was a dry town until 1972, but a few breweries have popped up in recent years. Temperance, started by a departed member of Goose Island, is the local king. Gateceasher IPA, one of Temperance’s year-round beers, is the headliner here with its light and fruity taste. Those looking for something else should try their Might Meets Right, an Imperial Stout with a nice balanced flavor and hints of Coffee, Vanilla, and Coconut. Thankfully their taproom is open six days a week and you can bring kids there before 8 p.m. in case one of your ex-girlfriends shows up with a surprise that you need to drink off. With growlers to take away and the location being a short seven minute drive from campus, what’s not to like?
Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa
Backpocket Brewing Company
There aren’t that many breweries in the Iowa City area as a couple have failed to get off the ground and a couple more are just kicking off. The oldest player in the game is Backpocket Brewing and it’s the reigning champion for now. Having opened less than ten minutes away from campus in Iowa River Landing back in 2012, Backpocket has a pretty enjoyable space for beer drinking. They have an outdoor patio to go with a typical indoor tap room. Free tours of the facility start at 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and end in the taproom, where you’ll end up trying a few of Backpocket’s German-inspired products. You’ll want to take down a few Slingshot Dunkels, Backpocket’s German Dark Lager, but maybe you’ll be lucky to catch one of their Cane Blades as well. The Double IPA with a slight Grapefruit lager is generally seen as Backpocket’s best.
Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska
Zipline Brewing Co.
Zipline’s expansion to double its capacity back in 2015 was a power move to assert its dominance in the Lincoln area. The capacity increase obviously was to meet the increased demand for their five year-long beers and conveniently one of them is a medal winner. The Copper Alt, a combination of ale and lager, won the Gold Medal at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival and shows you can that these guys mean business. Head on over to their taproom from Wednesday to Sunday, but it’s always more fun during happy hour (3-6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays). Their various IPAs go down even smoother when they’re a $1 cheaper.
Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin
Karben4 Brewing
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I’m a big fan of New Glarus Brewing Company, but that’s a little further away from Madison than we’re looking for her. There are plenty of quality options within city limits, but our nod goes to Karben4 over Capital Brewing. Karben4 exploded in 2015, producing more than double the beer it had produced in previous years and that’s for good reason. The beer is damn good, especially their citrusy and soft tasting IPA named Fantasy Factor. We don’t normally discuss Irish Red Ales, but Karben4’s Lady Luck has been getting recent buzz for its caramel flavor. Karben4 is totally prepared for life in a college town as it is open from 11 a.m. every day of the week. The food on site is pretty great too assuming you love Reubens and pretzels as much as this guy. It may be close to the airport, but it’s worth the trip.
Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota
Surly Brewing Co.
Another major city brings another wealth of choices, but how do we not support the brewery who brought us true #Merica! Beer. It brings memories back to the pre-prohibition days with corn being used as an important part of the flavor profile. What better beer to drink in the Minnesota area this summer? Surly also has numerous awards like best brewery in the state, a top 100 brewery in the world, producer of a top 100 beer in the world, and a medal winner in the Dark Lager, IPA, and Imperial IPA categories. Tours for Surly’s seven year-round beers and 40 other beers take place every day except Monday with at least three tours happening a day. There are usually over 20 beers on tap at the Beer Hall & Restaurant onsite, which serves Gopher students well being only a four mine drive from campus.
New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University
Harvest Moon Brewery & Café
You likely won’t see many Harvest Moon beers in stores, but the purpose of this list is to highlight the top breweries even if they’re only serving up their own stuff in their restaurant. Harvest Moon takes a well-rounded approach to beers, always complementing their year-round Kolsch with a Belgian Witbier, an IPA, and a few creative options. Besides, how to you turn your back to a brewery who gives their spent grain back to Rutgers so that it can be used to feed the cattle of Animal Science Department. (No, I’m unfortunately not referring to the fat chicks at Delta Gamma…) Walk down the street to Harvest Moon, throw down a few of Jimmy D’s Firehouse Reds and then maybe you’ll be finally able to jump over your buddy’s Ford Focus. We just wouldn’t recommend attempting it.
State College, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University
Happy Valley Brewing Company
Unlike a lot of Big Ten schools, Penn State is in the middle of nowhere. I literally mean the middle of nowhere. Being a 75 minutes from Harrisburg doesn’t make it somewhere. It’s nowhere. But it’s ok because these kids love their football and they love to drink. The aptly named Happy Valley Brewing Company offers up 12 beers on tap, the best of which is its Craftsman. The American Brown Ale combines six different malts to bring a toffee taste to every sip. The price of the food might run a little high for the college kids, but at least it’s good and open seven days a week.
Champaign, Illinois: University of Illinois
The Blind Pig Brewery
Our next stop on the Big Ten brewery tour takes us back to Illinois where blind and pigs are usually two words put together when describing what it takes to hook up with some of the girls on campus. There is, however, the Bling Pig Brewery, which looks a lot better. It has piled up the accolades with recognition on lists of the top 50, top 100, and top 150 bars or beer drink spots in the country. The sour ales won the Bling Pig some awards when it originally opened, but it’s held up over time with help from beers like Hattori Hanzo, an American Pale Ale with aromas of lemongrass and dill. The brewery and the taphouse are in different locations, so don’t get the two confused or do because that’s more fun and they both serve up Champaign’s finest beers seven days a week.
West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University
People’s Brewing Company
It’s a really tough call in West Lafeyette between Lafayette brewing Company and People’s Brewing Company, but we’re giving the edge to the People. People’s Brewing Company has been so popular in the area that they recently renovated the place to include an expanded bar area and a new outdoor patio. It’s a short eight-minute drive from campus for the seven flagship beers served year round. Mr. Brown, an American style brown ale, is the winner of the group with its combination of malts creating a warming sensation during those cold winter months. People’s also releases a different IPA each season along with a rotating schedule of other season releases. Brewery tours are available to walk-ins between 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays or at any time on other days by appointment. If you don’t think to call ahead, you can always go from 2-9 p.m. on weekdays and 12-9 p.m. on weekends, but you’re missing out if you’re not going on Thursday for $3.50 pint night.
Related: It’s Not ALL About The Football: Here’s The Best Brewery In Every SEC Town