ENTERTAINMENT

South Dakota near bottom of America's best beer states? Come on!

Alexa Giebink
Argus Leader

Despite its recent craft beer boom, South Dakota ranks near the bottom of America’s best beer states.

At least according to thrillist.com.

In their list, which published earlier this month, South Dakota is the 44th best state for craft beer.

We understand the Mount Rushmore State was a little late to game, but Thrillist didn't mention a single Sioux Falls brewery in their brief assessment of the beer scene. 

More:A Decade of Draft Beer: Monk's House of Ale Repute turns 10

How can you judge the value of our breweries without trying a barrel-aged stout or a seasonal sour from WoodGrain?

And where was the review of Fernson Brewing Company, well on its way to being the largest brewery in South Dakota?

Defining list methodology as a mixture of quality and quantity — with quality being “a bit more important” — here’s the reason for rank:

"There are some great breweries in SoDak, but look: You try telling some road-scarred biker or leathery rancher that they should ditch their go-to $1 lager for that bottle of from Crow Peak or a $5 pint of Firehouse."

More:Brew of the Week: Fernson Brewing Company

Yes, South Dakota is known for sweeping fields of corn and the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, but not all of us are roaming the wild west.

I invite the writers at Thrillist to take a stroll down brewers row in downtown Sioux Falls and reconsider their assessment.

And as far as the 'road-scarred biker' is concerned, throw him a Morning Star Berliner Weisse from Hydra and tell him to shut up.

And, hey, at least we’re better than North Dakota at 48th...

If you have an event or story idea that fits into the Sioux Falls dining or entertainment theme, Alexa Giebink can be reached at agiebink@argusleader.com. Follow her on twitter @ArgusAGiebink