Being partial to the heavily hopped varieties, Deschutes Hop Trip still holds
#1 in my book, followed very closely by the Glacier Brew House's IPA.

Todd, spectacular summary, but in your mention of incredibly bad beers from the midwest, how could you omit Old Style? Hands down the worst attempt at beer I have ever encountered. To the credit of the midwest, Summit in MSP makes a pretty robust pale that is very similar to Sierra Nevada's but without a few of the flaws.