Thanks to RateBeer users for declaring NABC's Pizzeria & Public House the top brewpub in Indiana.

Congratulations to our comrades in the list above.

I'm fairly ambivalent about beer ratings, but there are two things about such rankings that I always find pleasing.

First, just being included as part of any conversation about best beer bars and/or brewpubs is reward enough for me. I've always felt we deserve to at least be mentioned, and I'll leave the exact numbers to the calculation of others.

Second, it's wonderful to see New Albany's name alongside New York, Chicago, New Orleans and San Diego in accountings of the best of anything.

Obviously, we could not do any of it without our workers and without you, the customer. Your patronage is much appreciated, and we thank you.

In 2012, we marked 25 years for the business overall (founded 1987), 20 years for me at the Public House, and 10 years as a brewery. Once upon a time, I sat down at a bar somewhere with a pint of Guinness in hand, and the next time I looked up, a career seemed to have found me. Problem is, I still don't know what I'd like to do when I grow up.

Here's the press release.

RateBeer Best 2013 -- AWARD RESULTS

By RateBeer's Joe Tucker, Executive Director, 2001-present

(Santa Rosa, CA) First and foremost, I'd like to raise a glass to the people who make the beer we drink. These men and women are the artists, engineers, visionaries, chefs, CEOs and of course janitors and many other roles combined that are today's craft brewer. I've had the pleasure of listening to many in my role here and there are no more passionate, skilled, brave and hard working people on the planet. The great success of craft beer around the world proves this.

It's my great pleasure to honor them, and all those in the craft beer industry, with the results of this year's RateBeer Best.

Over 4.5 million times, RateBeer beer reviewers worldwide have raised a glass to review a new beer. We have tallied those scores and now present them as our competition results. For our summaries, a particular emphasis was placed on tastings made in the last twelve months. Additionally, brewpubs, bottle shops, restaurants and bars from around the world were awarded prizes. Cheers to all the winners and to everyone who keeps the world of craft beer growing as a fun, cooperative community devoted to artfulness and excellence.

How I spent my Friday afternoon at the Statehouse.

Pictured are Indiana State Representative Ed Clere, the Publican and Indiana Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. The rationale behind the award is explained here.

Rich O's/NABC and the LEO Readers' Choice winners: Best Beer List, and ...

Look, we all know that reader polls are, shall we say, unscientific. They're fun, and also wonderfully stuffable, usually at the urging of the bartendress whose bra isn't. I don't take them too seriously apart from passing annoyance (can a brewpub with 10 taps ever have a better beer list than what I've offered for the past decade?), although at times they might prove useful while composing advertising copy ... which we tend not to purchase.

Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO), for whom I write twice monthly columns, released the results of its annual Readers' Choice poll while I was in Europe. This one is hard to fathom:

Best Restaurant Overall (S. Indiana)
1) Rocky’s
2) Rich O’s
3) La Rosita

This one is precisely as it should be, but occasionally has not been in recent years:

Best Beer List
1) Rich O’s
2) Flanagan’s Ale House
3) Old Chicago

One can at least make a case for all three of the "best beer list" finalists, especially Flanagan's. As for the "best restaurant" voting, while flattered at the inclusion, I don't think we're even the best in New Albany. Call it a beer list effect if you will. La Rosita's is a phenomenon of rare excellence, and Jeffersonville's Come Back Inn does better job than Rocky's, at least in my opinion, although the latter's post position on the Ohio may have influenced the voting.

An accolade for Rich O's Public House: RateBeer's Best Beer Bar list "gold" for 2007.

Something akin to a press release ...

Rich O’s Public House has achieved gold status for the second consecutive year in RateBeer’s annual list of Best Beer Bars. According to the popular web site’s 2007 rankings, we finished in sixth place out of 93 establishments worldwide that were awarded gold certification.

I'm a realist, and grains of salt always come in handy at times like this, but it's very flattering just the same, and we’re sincerely appreciative of the honor. The list in its entirety can be viewed here: Best Beer Bars 2007. I've been to some of the other gold-medal beer bars mentioned, and they're high-powered, indeed.

For those just tuning in:

Rich O’s Public House, founded in 1990, is the pub arm of the New Albanian Brewing Company, which also incorporates Sportstime Pizza, which predates the Public House by three years and will be celebrating its 20th anniversary later this summer on July 14. The pub and pizzeria offer 34 taps pouring NABC house beers and rotating guest beers from America and around the world; 650+ beers have been on tap at one time or another since 1987. The bottle list includes 225+ hand-selected brands of beer, cider and mead. Our food menu specializes in pizza, lasagna, sandwiches and salads.

RateBeer is an on-line forum for beer drinkers to exchange information and share opinions of beer. In addition, users can write opinions of cider, mead and sake. RateBeer has more than 1,112,000 ratings, lists nearly 60,000 beers from 7,270 breweries, and has grown to become the largest beer information web site in the world in addition to serving as a forum for discussions about the craft brewing industry (the preceding is courtesy of Wikipedia).

Thanks to Steve Hall for tipping me. Crossposted at NA Confidential for maximum propaganda value.