30 breweries worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All United States guides.
Monkish Brewing ★ 4.8 · Los Angeles
20311 S Western Ave, Torrance, CA 90501
Monkish Brewing in Torrance, Los Angeles County brews some of the most-sought-after hazy IPAs in California. Bottle releases sell out in minutes online.
Jester King Brewery ★ 4.7 · Austin
13187 Fitzhugh Rd, Austin, TX 78736
Jester King Brewery in Austin is the Hill Country farmhouse brewery on 165 acres of Fitzhugh Road land, a world-renowned maker of wild ales, sours and barrel-aged farmhouse beers.
Tip: The brewery is a 25-minute drive from downtown; bring a designated driver, the visit is half-day with the pizza kitchen.
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project ★ 4.7 · Denver
3350 Brighton Blvd, Denver, CO 80216
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project in Denver is Chad Yakobson's RiNo wild-ale brewery, a Brettanomyces specialist and a national craft benchmark.
Cerebral Brewing ★ 4.7 · Denver
1477 Monroe St, Denver, CO 80206
Cerebral Brewing in Denver is the City Park neighborhood brewery on Monroe Street, a 2015 hazy-IPA specialist with rotating barrel-aged stouts and a tight taproom.
Black Project Spontaneous and Wild Ales ★ 4.7 · Denver
1290 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80210
Black Project Spontaneous and Wild Ales in Denver is the South Broadway lambic-style coolship brewery, a national specialist in barrel-aged spontaneous ales.
Creature Comforts Brewing ★ 4.6 · Atlanta
athens · 271 W Hancock Ave, Athens, GA 30601
Creature Comforts Brewing in Athens, an hour east of Atlanta, opened 2014 and supplies the Atlanta market with Tropicalia IPA. The Athens taproom remains the only beer-only stop.
Tip: Distribution covers Atlanta well; the brewery is in Athens (a day-trip drive). Tropicalia IPA on draft is the canonical Atlanta-served pour.
Great Divide Brewing ★ 4.6 · Denver
2201 Arapahoe St, Denver, CO 80205
Great Divide Brewing in Denver is the Ballpark district pioneer since 1994, the brewery that put Yeti Imperial Stout on the national craft map.
TRVE Brewing Company ★ 4.6 · Denver
227 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203
TRVE Brewing Company in Denver is the South Broadway dark-vibes brewery since 2012, a heavy-metal taproom with mixed-fermentation wild ales and house lagers.
Bierstadt Lagerhaus ★ 4.6 · Denver
2875 Blake St, Denver, CO 80205
Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver is the RiNo German-lager specialist in the Rackhouse, a decoction-mashed brewery with one of the country's best Slow Pour Pilsners.
Highland Park Brewery ★ 4.6 · Los Angeles
1220 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Bob Kunz's Highland Park Brewery in Chinatown, Los Angeles brews crushable lagers and west-coast IPAs from a 5,000 square-foot taproom and brewhouse.
Surly Brewing Company ★ 4.6 · Minneapolis
saint-paul · 520 Malcolm Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
Surly Brewing on Malcolm Avenue has run a destination brewery and beer hall in Minneapolis since 2014. The Furious IPA and Bender brown ale; cathedral-scale taproom.
Fremont Brewing ★ 4.6 · Seattle
1050 N 34th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Fremont Brewing in Seattle's Fremont is the 2009 craft brewery anchor: a beer garden under the Aurora Bridge, Interurban IPA on draft and the Dark Star stout in winter.
Cloudburst Brewing ★ 4.6 · Seattle
2116 Western Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Cloudburst Brewing in Seattle's Belltown is the Western Ave taproom two blocks from Pike Place: a constantly rotating tap list, hazy IPAs and wild ales, no food but BYO welcome.
Holy Mountain Brewing ★ 4.6 · Seattle
1421 Elliott Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119
Holy Mountain Brewing in Seattle's Interbay is the 2014 Lenfesty and Murphy mixed-fermentation room: oak-influenced farmhouse ales, hop-forward IPAs, train-track industrial vibe.
Scofflaw Brewing Co ★ 4.5 · Atlanta
west-midtown · 1738 MacArthur Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
Scofflaw Brewing in West Midtown, Atlanta opened 2015 with a focus on hazy New England IPAs. Basement IPA became the cult Atlanta double IPA and put the brewery on the map.
Tip: Basement IPA is the canonical pour; rotating fruited sours run as second pours. Patio is dog-friendly.
Live Oak Brewing Company ★ 4.5 · Austin
1615 Crozier Ln, Del Valle, TX 78617
Live Oak Brewing in Del Valle is the Austin-area Czech-and-German lager brewery since 1997, relocated in 2015 to 20 acres near Bergstrom airport with a tap room and biergarten.
Tip: The Pilz is the Austin staple; the brewery is a 15-minute drive from downtown but has tap-only releases worth chasing.
Aeronaut Brewing Company ★ 4.5 · Boston
somerville · 14 Tyler St, Somerville, MA 02143
Aeronaut on Tyler Street in Union Square Somerville has run a science-themed craft brewery in Boston since 2014. Saturday Aeronaut food market runs in-house, plus a Wednesday trivia and live-music programme.
Tip: Saturday food market 12:00 to 17:00 has 12 vendors; pair with the day's Aeronaut taproom pour. The barrel-aged saison is the under-ordered beer.
Edmund's Oast Brewing Co ★ 4.5 · Charleston
north-charleston · 1505 King St Ste 115, North Charleston, SC 29405
Edmund's Oast Brewing Co in Charleston runs the city's flagship craft brewery and pizza taproom on King Street Extension since 2018. Mixed-fermentation, IPA and lager focus.
Tip: Hoppy Hour Mon-Fri 16:00-18:00 drops draughts to half-price. Kitchen runs pizza and snacks late.
Westbrook Brewing Co ★ 4.5 · Charleston
mount-pleasant · 510 Ridge Rd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
Westbrook Brewing in Mount Pleasant has run sours, IPAs and the Mexican Cake imperial stout since 2010. South Carolina's most-distributed craft brewery, founded by Edward Westbrook.
Tip: Taproom open Wed-Sun. Mexican Cake imperial stout releases sell out fast; check the calendar.
Half Acre Beer Company ★ 4.5 · Chicago
2050 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
Half Acre Beer Co. in Chicago is the Bowmanville brewery on Balmoral since the 2021 consolidation, with the Daisy Cutter pale ale at its core.
Tip: Daisy Cutter cans are everywhere, but at the taproom you can order it on cask, which is the way the brewers themselves drink it.
Spangalang Brewery ★ 4.5 · Denver
2736 Welton St, Denver, CO 80205
Spangalang Brewery in Denver is the Five Points jazz-quarter brewery on Welton Street since 2015, a Black-owned brewery with Belgian and English-style ales.
Saint Arnold Brewing Company ★ 4.5 · Houston
2000 Lyons Ave, Houston, TX 77020
Saint Arnold Brewing Company in Houston is the Lyons Avenue brewery from Brock Wagner, since 1994 the oldest craft brewery in Texas, with a beer garden, hall and food menu.
Tip: Order the Art Car IPA on draft. The beer hall is family-friendly and has a kid menu; the beer garden has skyline views.
Smog City Brewing ★ 4.5 · Los Angeles
1901 Del Amo Blvd, Torrance, CA 90501
Smog City Brewing in Torrance, Los Angeles County brews a wide stylistic range from sours to coffee porters, with a family-friendly taproom and food trucks weekly.
Indeed Brewing Company ★ 4.5 · Minneapolis
northeast · 711 NE 15th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Indeed Brewing on 15th Avenue NE has poured craft beer in Northeast Minneapolis since 2012. Day Tripper pale ale, Pistachio Cream Ale; large indoor-outdoor taproom.
Modist Brewing ★ 4.5 · Minneapolis
north-loop · 505 N 3rd St, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Modist Brewing on North 3rd Street has poured experimental beer in the North Loop Minneapolis since 2016. First fully mash-filtered brewery in the country.
Fair State Brewing Cooperative ★ 4.5 · Minneapolis
northeast · 2506 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
Fair State on Central Avenue NE has poured cooperative-owned craft beer in Minneapolis since 2014. The country's first cooperatively-owned brewery.
Bearded Iris Brewing ★ 4.5 · Nashville
germantown · 101 Van Buren St, Nashville, TN 37208
Bearded Iris Brewing's Germantown flagship in Nashville pulled out of the East Nashville origin site and now anchors Van Buren Street with hop-forward IPAs and DIPAs.
Tip: The Homestyle IPA is the constant on tap; the Greenway from this side of the canal is a 15-minute walk to downtown.
Tired Hands Fermentaria ★ 4.5 · Philadelphia
35 Cricket Terrace, Ardmore, PA 19003
Tired Hands Fermentaria in Philadelphia is the Ardmore flagship taproom on Cricket Terrace from Jean Broillet, the city's defining saison and hazy IPA brewery since 2011.
Human Robot Beers ★ 4.5 · Philadelphia
1710 N 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Human Robot Beers in Philadelphia is the South Kensington brewery and taproom from Daniel Endicott, with crisp German-style lagers and the city's most-decorated pilsner.
Breakside Brewery NE Dekum ★ 4.5 · Portland
alberta-arts · 820 NE Dekum St, Portland, OR 97211
Breakside's flagship NE Dekum pub in Portland, the 2010 brewery that grew into one of the Pacific Northwest's most decorated craft houses with IPA-led lineup.
Tip: Wood-fired pizzas from the kitchen pair to the IPA. Free street parking is easier than the Slabtown brewery.