If narrowed down by city in Colorado, I would give up every brewery in Denver and keep those in Boulder and Fort Collins. I’ve yet to visit Portland, so I can’t make a head to head comparison…but, I do think it’s rather silly to compare an entire state to one valley…bad comparison by an un-credible media voice.

As far as which town is better, well… Belgium has about the same area as we’re talking about for Denver or Portland. Not everything is roses in Belgium but still, I’d say both Denver and Portland have a long way to go.

Still, as a resident of Denver, I have to agree that Portland wins out. I can’t say Denver is the mecca of beer while gems like Flying Dog move their operation to Maryland and franchise disasters like the Rock Bottom Brewery occupy prime real estate downtown.

That said, Portland doesn’t get my vote based on hops.

And deferring to Jeff’s later post perhaps this is a silly discussion to have. You know Portland might be the best beer city for the majority of people living in Portland (and one I prefer) but the front range is best for the population living there.

Anyway, I guess I’m not sure what distinction is being claimed. Rogue and Avery are probably in the same ballpark, and when you look at the product lines of Deschutes, Full Sail, BridgePort (much less Widmer or Pyramid) I don’t think there’s a pattern of massive hops, even on a relative basis. I see product lines that, like those of the Denver area brewers, are much more balanced than those of, say, Green Flash or Stone. What am I missing?

A few beers such as Titan get, and deserve, attention. But they aren’t the ones you routinely find on tap.

But as for “mean IBUs” I have to agree you’re spot-on. Our average gets crushed when you factor in Coors, or even Fat Tire. And it falls even further when you include Sandlot’s lagers, the Odell porter Stan mentioned, and La Folie. Is that the point?

(Wait–don’t answer that. This is all the state pride I have energy for. Send me a case of very fresh Brutal Bitter to refresh myself, and I’ll keep up the fight. And maybe some of that Victory harvest pils would give me the strength to take on Philly after that.)

It’s relative. No one believes that the mean IBUs in Denver beers begin to approach those in Portland. In fact, I’ve watched a heated exchange between a Portland and Boulder brewer in which the latter accused Oregon of having lost all sense of proportion with regard to hops. The Oregon brewer pointed out that ours was a regional proclivity, not a failure of brewing.

Yikes. Tell that to Avery, Great Divide, Odell, Oskar Blues, and whoever else I’m forgetting.