The 24 Best Craft Beer Destinations Around The US

901 N. 2nd St.

Food: 23
Decor: 18
Service: 19
Cost: $27

It’s all local, all the time at William Reed and Paul Kimport’s Northern Liberties original. On two floors throughout multiple wood-filled rooms, 20 taps pour a rotating selection of the best area brews, and everything’s as fresh as can be, since there are no bottles offered.

Opened in 1999, credit this spot with defining what a gastropub could and should be. For good local beer alongside good local music, visit the partners' Johnny Brenda's, just up the street in Fishtown.

1410 Mt. Vernon St.

Food: 25
Decor: 25
Service: 22
Cost: $28

Italian drink is no longer just about wine. At this Vetri Family birreria on North Broad, a gorgeous custom tap system pours 20 drafts, including unique European finds and specially created house brews.

General manager and beverage director Steve Wildy goes wild with another 50 classy options in bottles and cans, best enjoyed next to pork-filled kitchen bites in the spacious, graffiti-filled room.

1337 14th St. NW

Atmosphere: 25
Decor: 23
Service: 22

Located just above Logan Circle, ChurchKey offers a mind-boggling 555 labels from around the word, some 50 rotating drafts and a staff that knows its beers.

It's a primo place to experiment, or just enjoy a brew in hip company.

3282 M St. NW

Atmosphere: 23
Decor: 22
Service: 24

A recent makeover at Birreria Paradiso, one of the area’s pioneering craft beer venues, added open seating at high-top communal tables and some intimate two-tops, making the cozy Georgetown basement space even better suited for enjoying top-flight brews and ‘za.

3400 11 St. NW

Food: 20
Decor: 19
Service: 21
Cost: $24

Meridian Pint, a Columbia Heights saloon, fills its draft lines with American beers, some of which are specially brewed for the venue.

Indeed, Port City just brewed MP two kegs on its pilot system for release during the Craft Brewers Conference.

547 Haight St.

Atmosphere: 23
Decor: 19
Service: 21

While this divey Lower Haight bar has retired tap handles on the walls and cranky bartenders on the sticks, it also has an absurd number of hard-to-find brews. On any given day, you'll find 46 craft beers on tap plus another 30 in bottles.

It regularly hosts special single brewery evenings with cult brewers such as Russian River and Eclipse and just celebrated its 20th Barleywine Festival showcasing 50 craft-brewed barleywines on draft. Bonus points for being able to bring in a gourmet sausage from Rosamunde next door.

1168 Folsom St

Overall: 25

This SoMa retail shop and tasting room may fly under the radar, but beer aficionados know it houses of the best specialty beer collections in the city. You’ll find over 300 specialty brews (in bottles and draft) available to go or enjoy in their newly enlarged storefront tasting room, paired with a sausage sandwich from neighboring Citizen’s Band or Belgium waffles courtesy of Suite Foods.

The bartenders are always informative but you can glean even more knowledge during its Tuesday afternoon tappings (which showcases a specific brew) and monthly tasting sessions. Sign up for their newsletter for future events. Open Tuesday-Sunday noon-10 PM.

1398 Haight St.

Food: 22
Decor: 20
Service: 18
Cost: $29

Forget Budweiser, Dave McLean is the real King of Beers in this town and his Haight-Ashbury alehouse continues to be the leading player on the artisanal beer scene.

A big draw is the selection of handcrafted ales that are produced in a seven-barrel brewery located beneath the restaurant but the gastropub taps local cult classics such as Lagunitas, Drakes, Marin Brewing and Firestone Walker.

It's also a great place to get schooled - the pub hosts regular educational events such as Strong Beer Month and exciting food-and-beer pairing dinners.

1949 N Hoyne Ave.

Atmosphere: 27
Decor: 20
Service: 21

Sure we've heard of BYOB but how about BYOF, aka bring your own food. This laid-back bar has a carefully crafted selection of draft beers with daily and weekly specials along with the convenient "you bring it, you eat it" policy that allows guests to just worry about what's in their glass.

737 W Randolph St.

Food: 18
Decor: 18
Service: 19
Cost: $22

Beer brewed in-house a stone's throw away from the hottest restaurants in Chicago? What more can a beer connoisseur ask for?

Some sweet potato tots perhaps? In addition to a draft menu of beers brewed at Haymartket, they brewpub serves a selection of bar snacks that rival other Randolph Street spots.

1102 W Webster Ave.

Overall: 24

Whatever you do, do not walk in here and order a glass of water. This is a no shenanigans, heavy metal, beer nerd paradise with a draft list as no-nonsense as the motley crew working behind the bar.

In addition to local beers on tap, they occasionally acquire European barrels rarely seen in Chicago.

615 Manhattan Ave.

Serious beer geeks have found a new home at this way-serious Greenpoint bar, which takes its name from the Danish word for thirst. Owner Daniel Burns tasked Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø of Denmark's Evil Twin Brewing company to come up with some custom labels for the no-frills watering hole.

He's also curated a selection of rare offerings with bold flavors that you're unlikely to find anywhere else in the city. There are 21 draft lines pouring out unique suds for the hipster crowds, and right now a small menu of charcuterie and bar snacks is available if you need something to lower your tipsy quotient.

In a few months, a 26-seat eatery dubbed Luksus will open in the back of the space, but for now you can stop by and drink up.

222 W. Houston St.

Located on the west end of Houston Street, this industrial (and ginormous) beer hall gets it labels from the Greenpoint Beerworks, which was founded to provide ales and porters to the branches of Heartland Brewery around town.

The joint was mobbed from the moment it opened - you'll find a room full of boisterous revelers at communal tables enjoying Belgian stouts and blondes that are served in small, medium and large sizes. Note: Order the large - the lines can be bad, so you'll want to load up before you have to do the waiting thing again.

Oh, and if you want to be the cool one in the group: It's a renovated garage. First-timers are sure to ask.

2344 Arthur Ave.

Sure to be popular with Fordham Students, this new beer hall in the Northern reaches of NYC wants to represent, Bronx style. That means they have a selection of craft beers from Jonas Bronck brewing company and labels like Yonkers lager on tap.

The bar actually sits inside the Arthur Avenue Market - so Manhattan dwellers who may think twice about heading this far uptown can easily make a day of it. Sausages and other pub grub are served, and guests looking for a tasting of what this borough has to offer should opt for one of the flights, served in inventive trays made out of logs.

231 San Saba Ct.

The Blanco-based brewery has been a staple since the ‘90s, and its Fireman’s #4 is basically the unofficial drink of Austin.

Find heavy-hitters like the Full Moon Pale Ryle Ale and seasonal favorites like the Oktoberfest and Coffee Porter at places like Hopfield’s, the Ginger Man and new hot spot Hi Hat. Or visit the tasting room and take a tour of the brewery on Fridays to get the royal treatment.

500 Calles St.

Owner Joshua Hare has been home-brewing beer since he was 17. Now in his thirties, the former triathlete and seventh-grade science teacher focuses on excellent small-batch beers like the Pale Dog ale and 2012 World Beer Cup Gold Metal winner Alteration Pilsner.

The sustainable brewery also makes Brew Biscuits from the spent grains, which you can check out at the East Austin brewery while you’re touring the taproom. Also try the “greenhouse tap” handle at places like the Draught House and Pinthouse Pizzeria to sample their “anti-seasonal” seasonal beers.

3301 E. Fifth St.

Overall: 26

The East Austin-based brewery’s HefeWeizen just ranked No. 1 on the Beer Advocate’s list of top beers in the Southwest. And for good reason. The microbrewery focuses on old-world-style beers using “a decoction mash, open fermentation and secondary lagering” to create rich flavors and maltiness.

Also popular are the Pilz and Liberation Ale. The brewery holds tours twice a month on Sundays, but be prepared for an un-air-conditioned and unheated beer experience.

216 S. Alameda St.

Overall: 18

We have a coffee resurgence in Downtown LA, and we suspect Angel City Brewing will help take the beer scene to a new level.

The brewery moved from Torrance to the Arts District in 2010, but new owners (formerly of Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing) took over and started releasing IPA and witbier from brewmaster Dieter Foerstner, a third-generation brewer most recently with Gordon Biersch, to mostly Downtown bars late last year.

You can sip Angel City beers at the brewery, located in the historic Roebling & Son’s building, on Thursday through Saturday nights, with a more formal tasting room and retail shop to open this fall.

3056 Roswell St.

Atmosphere: 24
Decor: 22
Service: 24

Hidden in a Glassell Park industrial park is the first brewery within the Los Angeles city limits in more than 60 years. Known for “Beers for the People,” brewmaster Jeremy Raub focuses on artisanal, high-quality beers like Solidarity, a dark-colored yet light-bodied malty beer, Populist IPA and Manifesto Wit Bier, among others.

Along with his wife, Ting Su, who started a women’s beer forum, and dad Steven, Raub has helped foster the beer community around LA and beyond. You can taste or buy their brews at more than 250 spots around LA, Orange and Ventura counties, but a visit to the ER tasting room yields a larger selection, or at least the chance to try something small-batch and seasonal.

5410 W. San Fernando Rd.

Overall: 22

Founded in 2011 by Tony Yanow and 30 Under 30 winner Meg Gill, Golden Road is committed to bringing fresh beer to the market in the most sustainable way possible - cans.

The Atwater Village brewery complex features a state-of-the-art brewery, plus the Pub at Golden Road, where you can taste any of the GR beers on tap or three (Point the Way IPA, Hefeweizen and Burning Bush) in a can, plus a slew of other top craft brews.

GR currently produces 14 beers, including two custom IPAs and 10 limited releases like the Hudson Porter and Berliner Weiss.

16 Water St.

Aptly named, this new Williamstown two-for-one takes its beverages as seriously as its French-accented New American cooking, offering cocktails, craft beers and boutique wines to match the moderately priced dishes; one half of the venue is a hopping beer hall with picnic-style tables and TVs, while the other half is a dressier, quieter brasserie, with wine hues and brick walls.

31 Stuart St.

Food: 18
Decor: 19
Service: 18
Cost: $29

Enter a time warp when you come to this bustling, high-ceilinged 1868 beer hall/Boston landmark in the Theater District doling out hearty German staples and some other New American foodstuffs, all at reasonable prices; quick and friendly staffers, a broad brew selection and unique Friday night piano sing-alongs ensure the atmosphere’s always fun and festive.

1 Kendall Square #100

Atmosphere: 22
Decor: 20
Service: 22
Cost:  $8

MIT and local biotech companies supply the customers, while this spacious, relaxing Kendall Square microbrewery supplies towers of real beer made on the premises, including cask specials on Tuesdays; some cite a slow  floor and patio staff, so it may be better to sit at the bar and banter with the knowledgeable bartenders.

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