Brian Nagele
There’s nothing like enjoying an afternoon at a brewery. With craft beers, a relaxed atmosphere, and mostly outdoor seating, they’re the perfect place to get together with friends with craft beers, a relaxed atmosphere, and primarily outdoor seating!
Most of the time, breweries will have on-site restaurants to accompany their drinks or feature local food trucks or vendors, so you can grab a bite to eat while sipping your beer!
Luckily, now you can find craft breweries in every state that feature beers with the unique tastes, ingredients, and stories of the brewmasters that make them. Cities like Portland, Denver, and Cincinnati have upwards of 11 breweries per 100,000 residents–that’s a lot of craft brews!
With the explosion of breweries across the United States, finding the right one to visit can be tough. That’s why we’ve made this list of the top-rated breweries in the US. No more searching through endless Google results–we’ve found the best breweries for you!
Without further ado, here are the best breweries in the US. For more information on each of them, check out our full descriptions below.
City Built Brewing Company
820 Monroe Ave NW #155, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone: 616-805-5755
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Located in downtown Grand Rapids, City Built Brewing Company is the place to be on a sunny afternoon! Opened by Edwin Collazo in 2017, this brewpub has already started raking in awards.
It was named one of the top-three brewpubs in the US and its beer, Prague Underground, won the prestigious “Best Beer Label” for its can artwork designed by local artist Elliott Chaltry.
You can find beers ranging from passion fruit sours to chocolate malt session porters and everything in-between!
For non-beer enthusiasts, they also serve hard seltzers, cider, mead, wines, and soda.
They also have an on-site kitchen featuring pub favorites like beer cheese and Puerto Rican-inspired dishes that pay homage to Collazo’s background.
Alvarado Street Brewery
426 Alvarado St, Monterey, CA 93940
Phone: 831-655-2337
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Alvarado Street Brewery is the ultimate California experience.
They have three locations: the original brewery restaurant in Downtown Monterey, a chic tasting room in Spreckels Junction in Salinas, and their newest venture, a brewpub in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Their beer is classic West Coast with hazy IPAs and hoppy West Coast IPAs, but they don’t shy away from traditional lagers and fruity sours.
Instead, they pull from their local environment with quality native ingredients to put their signature taste in every sip.
Both their main location downtown and the Carmel-by-the-Sea location serve delicious fresh food made with local produce and ingredients on a seasonal menu.
Dovetail Brewing
1800 W Belle Plaine Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
Phone: 773-683-1414
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The story of Dovetail Brewery, while founded in Chicago, actually starts in Munich, where the two owners, Hagen and Bill, met while studying for their Master Brewer Certifications.
Both lovers of traditional brewing methods created Dovetail to make high-quality beer in the spirit of Bavaria.
While they base their craft on traditional methods, they aren’t afraid to mix things up when the time calls for it.
Their menu reflects this with a list of conventional beers like Pilsners, Maibocks, and Hellespont, alongside fun brews like their Chardonnay beer, which is re-fermented with Chardonnay grapes for a citrusy note.
They have a taproom and traditional Biergarten, but both are “BYOF” (bring your own food).
Lazy Magnolia Brewery
7030 Roscoe-Turner Rd, Kiln, MS 39556
Phone: 228-467-2727
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Mississippi’s oldest brewery, Lazy Magnolia, was first opened in 2003. Since then, they’ve been serving up Southern Style brews for locals and visitors alike.
They’re strictly southern, which is showcased in the Porch Series of beers.
They’re all perfect sippers for enjoying the breeze on the porch, the center of life in the South.
You can find something for everyone here, from the Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale to a Grapefruit Radler.
You can grab some to sip on your porch or join them on theirs at the on-site restaurant, The Porch. Alongside your beer, you can dig into some handmade brick oven pizzas.
HOMES Brewery
2321 Jackson Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Phone: 734-954-6637
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HOMES Brewery is proudly local to the Great Lakes area. Their name, HOMES, is an acronym for the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.
They’re so local that they don’t even distribute their beer. You can only have it from the brewpub.
Their beers are mainly full hop and sour. With new drops of beer twice a month, you can always find something new and exciting to try.
If beer is not your thing, you can still hang out at HOMES with a hard seltzer, local spirits, cider, and wine.
Repeat customers come back for their beer and their street food style dining. It’s mainly Asian fare, but you can also find dishes like pastrami tofu burritos and Brussels sprouts Caesar salads.
Cloudburst Brewing
2116 Western Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
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Cloudburst Brewing is an institution in the world of Seattle beer.
Don’t take my word for it–they’ve got a long list of awards to back them up, including the 2022 World Beer Cup Bronze for American Style Pilsner and the 2021 Great American Beer Festival Brewer of the Year.
If you want to sample some of this award-winning beer, you can visit their tasting room on Western Ave in the loading zone of a 100+-year-old building.
Or head over to their beer garden on Shilshole Ave, which has a delicious food truck serving up good eats.
Bierstadt Lagerhaus
2875 Blake St, Denver, CO 80205
Phone: 720-570-7824
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Located in the downtown of one of the craft beer capitals of the US, Denver, Bierstadt Lagerhaus is all about tradition.
They make lager in the traditional Reinheitsgebot process, and that’s it.
Their beer and taproom are rooted in the traditional German beer hall-style.
If you don’t love lager as much as they do, you won’t find any other type of beer here, but you can find wine, cider, and cocktails.
Their food includes traditional pub and German classics like hearty Mac and cheese and bratwursts like their beer.
Great Notion
2204 NE Alberta St #101, Portland, OR 97211
Phone: 503-548-4491
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Based in the other craft beer capital of the US, Portland, OR, lies Great Notion, a fun, unique brewery made for and by beer enthusiasts.
They’re won almost every award, including #1IPA in America, as well as, numerous gold and silver medals at the World Beer Cup, Great American Beer Festival, and more!
They have five different locations around the Pacific Northwest region, where you can find their hazy, fruity IPAs and experimental sours and stouts.
People love their creative beers like the Key Lime Pie Sour or Luminous 11 IPA.
Their brewpubs in Portland and Seattle serve burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and tasty small plates.
Fossil Cove Brewing Company
1946 N Birch Ave, Fayetteville, AR 72703
Phone: 479-445-6050
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Located in the Ozark Mountains of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fossil Cove Brewing Co. is all about celebrating the local culture and ingredients through their Belgian and American-style beers.
Using water from Beaver Lake, they make delicious brews like the La Brea Brown Belgian-style Brown Ale with coriander, citrus, and chocolate.
If you’re in the mood for a lighter sip, the Paleo Ale is a citrusy pale ale perfect for a sunny afternoon sip.
Their tasting room is open seven days a week with beers on tap, wine, cider, and non-alcoholic drinks, so everyone can find what they’re looking for.
Plus, you can enjoy Wicked Wood Fired Pizza on the patio.
Pig Minds Brewing Company
4080 Steele Dr., Machesney Park, IL 61115
Phone: 779-423-2147
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Pigs Mind Brewing Company in Machesney Park, IL, is the place to be on the weekend.
They serve their amazing brews with live music every weekend.
You can find classic beer styles like their Hey There Hef Hefeweizen or try their one-of-a-kind styles like the Japanese River Lager Mountain Whale.
If you want to try a little of everything, they also offer flights where you can sample 10 of their beers.
Vegans, rejoice! Pigs Mind is the first and only vegan brewery with a 100% plant-based food menu that will satisfy even the most carnivorous folks.
Founders Brewing Company
235 Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone: 616-776-1195
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Known as Beer City, it’s no wonder that Founders Brewing Company adds another Grand Rapids mention to the list of the best breweries in the US.
What began as a project between two friends in 1997 grew into an icon in the craft beer world with two taprooms, over 340 employees, and a partnership with Mahou San Miguel in Spain.
They have classics like the iconic “All Day IPA” Session Ale and exciting new brews like the Nitro RubAEus draft. Any beer lover (and even the non-beer lovers) can find a new favorite brew at their taproom in Grand Rapids.
Alongside their beers, you can enjoy bar classics like hot pretzels with beer cheese, Caribbean smoked chicken wings, and deli-style sandwiches.
Brooklyn Brewery
79 N 11th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Phone: 718-486-7422
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Aptly named Brooklyn Brewery is located in the heart of Brooklyn, NY.
Their brewmaster is James Beard Award winner Garrett Oliver, who makes incredibly complex and delicious brews from fruited sours to hoppy IPAs to pumpkin ale.
They’re big supporters of the local community with beers supporting local organizations like The Stonewall Inn IPA, which supports The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative for the local and global LGBTQ+ community.
You can bring food or snack on their packaged chips, but they’ll also allow local restaurants to deliver to your table, so you can taste even more of what Brooklyn has to offer!
Hudson Valley Brewing
7 E Main St, Beacon, NY 12508
Phone: 845-218-9156
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Hudson Valley Brewing is the center of the craft beer world in upstate New York.
You can enjoy their beer at their location on Churchill Street where they have a taproom and partnerships with Groundlings Pizza.
With names like “Transient Atmospheric Phenomenon III” and cans that belong in the Metropolitan Museum, their beer is meant to be enjoyed and savored.
The Transient Atmospheric Phenomenon is a four-part series of south double IPAs for the hops lovers out there.
The taproom is only open Thursday-Sunday in the afternoon and evenings, so make sure to plan your visit around their schedule.
Schilling Beer Company
18 Mill St, Littleton, NH 03561
Phone: 603-444-4800
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Located in the small town of Littleton, NH, Schilling Beer Company is a fanatic spot to stop for delicious brews, good food, and river views.
Created by a team of three brothers, their dad, and their best friend, the brewery has created a community space where families and friends can enjoy local treats.
Their riverside location is one of the most beautiful spots to sip one of their Czech and German-style lagers and ales.
They also have a line of American ales with a focus on IPAs with tastes of the local microflora near Littleton. They also have non-alcoholic drinks.
You can pair their drinks with a wood-fired pizza or tasty starters.
Revision Brewing
380 S Rock Blvd, Sparks, NV 89431
Phone: 775-331-2739
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Revision Brewing, based in Sparks, NV, is another small town brewery with national reach.
Despite brewing their first batch in March of 2017, they won both Gold and Silver at the 2018 World Beer Cup Awards for the IPA and double IPA-pretty impressive!
Best known for their classic IPA, they also brew crisp blondes, hazy IPAs, west-coast doubles, and lagers.
You can sample their award-winning brews at the 30,500-square-foot brewery located just outside of Reno, NV, complete with a pool, patio, and lots of group games.
The Alchemist Brewery
100 Cottage Club Rd, Stowe, VT 05672
Phone: 802-253-6708
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Husband and wife team John and Jen Kimmihc opened The Alchemist back in 2003 as a brewpub in Waterbury.
In 2011, they started their small-batch brewery, and the rest is delicious hop-forward history.
Their cans are works of art, but the real craft is the liquid inside. From classic ales to American Imperial Stouts to Irish Style Ales, they have something for everyone.
They have a lot of fun with their brewing, and the beer shows it.
They have a beautiful beer garden open Thursday-Sunday afternoon, where you’ll have a backdrop of the stunning Vermont countryside as you sip your brew.
Halfway Crooks
60 Georgia Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312
Phone: 678-705-5530
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Located in Atlanta, Halfway Crooks is a metropolitan brewery with a bier cafe and bar, open-air (dog-friendly) rooftop and full Biergarten all for your drinking pleasure.
Their brew list is extensive and features the light Summertime Lemon Radler, Zero Zero German-Style Helles, and Merino New Zealand Pale Ale. With all of the variety and creativity, you’ll be sure to find a new favorite!
Their beers aren’t the only thing creating repeat customers.
With truffle fries, homemade hummus, falafel burgers, and BBQ pork sliders, the food is delicious and perfect for pairing with beer.
Check out other top-rated Atlanta breweries!
I think you missed a great one- Equilibrium Brewery, Middletown, NY. Out of the way perhaps but a) a beautiful place, b) incredible variety of beers (Farmhouse ales are awesome) and c) the food is also creative and fantastic.