Not all cities are created equal. Some are great havens for beer and others are bleak, ghost towns without many quality beer choices. There are dozens of cities with large amounts of beer bars and breweries, but these five stand out above all the rest.
Best Beer Cities in America
Denver
Photo: denvergov.org
The Mile High City has long been one of the most popular destinations for beer fans. With beer bars like Falling Rock Tap House (85 plus taps), Rackhouse Pub (20 taps with 19 devoted to Colorado beers), Freshcraft (20 taps and over 100 bottles) and Wazee Supper Club (Breckingridge Brewery owned restaurant with 32 taps), it’s no surprise that Denver is a beer lover’s paradise. The area is also home to amazing breweries including Great Divide, Wynkoop, TRVE Brewing, Breckinridge Brewery, Crooked Stave, Renegade Brewing Company, Bull & Bush, Denver Beer Company, Dry Dock as well as nearby Odell (Fort Collins), New Belgium (Fort Collins) and Oskar Blues (Longmont).
San Diego
Photo: optumhealthsandiego
This Southern California paradise is home to over 100 breweries (in the county), many of which are consistently ranked on lists of best craft breweries in the US. The city also had 6 beer bars listed on Draft Magazine’s list of America’s 100 Best Beer Bars in 2014. The bars listed were: Toronado, Tiger! Tiger!, Hamilton’s Tavern, O’Brien’s Pub, Blind Lady Ale House and Encinitas Ale House. Famous breweries in the San Diego area include: Ballast Point, Alesmith, Green Flash, Stone, Lost Abbey, Pizza Port, Alpine and Latitude 33.
Portland
Photo: socialventurepartners
Portland is one of those cities that just looks like it’s be a beer lover’s dream. Unsurprisingly, it is. It’s home to some of the best beer bars in the country including: Apex (50 beers on tap), Bailey’s Tap Room (24 taps, mostly west coast brews), Saraveza (10 taps, 250 bottles), Belmont Station (200 plus bottles) and The Beer Mongers. There are over 50 breweries in Portland including: Widmer Brothers, Hopworks, Cascade, Gigantic, The Commons, Ecliptic, Hair of the Dog and Breakside.
Seattle
Photo: wikimedia
A few hours north of Portland sits the Emerald City. No, not that one from The Wizard of Oz, the one saturated with as much beer as rain. Seattle is flooded (pun intended) with great beer bars including: Elysian Fields, Reubens, Stoup, Beveridge Place, Two Beer, Urban Family, Hales, Prost, Chuck’s Hop Shop, Toronado, Black Raven and Pine Box. The city is also home to a booming brewing market with stalwarts like Pyramid, Fremont, Standard, Elysian, Pike, Epic, Georgetown and Redhook.
Asheville
Photo: Amplified Media
This city that sits at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains is fairly new to the craft brewing game. One of the fastest growing cities in the US, Asheville is home to great beer bars like, Bier Garden, Thirsty Monk, Pack’s Tavern, Jack of the Wood, Funkatorium, Buffalo Nickel, Lexington Avenue Brew Pub and Pour Taproom. Asheville is also home to a ton of breweries including: Wicked Weed, Twin Leaf, Hi-Wire, Green Man, Wedge, Burial, Highland and the East Coast facilities for Sierra Nevada, New Belgium (opening in 2016) and Oskar Blues.
Later this summer, California craft stalwart Sierra Nevada will debut its first East Coast brewery. Our advice: Buy tickets for its August 3 kickoff party and beer blast.
