After a pint of your own? There's sure to be a locale that you've missed on your rounds. Here are some of the top beer destinations, from big-time American factory cities to major European pub hubs.
Munich, Germany
First on our list is Oktoberfest, Munich's 16-day festival dedicated to everything beer. A whopping 7 million liters are served annually in a multitude of tents, alongside Bavarian specialties like bratwurst, dumplings, and mackerel, all to the tune of clinking steins and pounding bands. If you can't make Munich in your destination, brewery tours abound year-round; check out the popular Paulaner and Erdinger tours.
Oktoberfest may get 6 million visitors at once, but Munich's beer gardens are world-renowned as well. Pull up one of the 5,000 seats at Augustiner-Keller Biergarten, one of Munich's oldest, and soak up some Bavarian sunshine outdoors.
Beer fests have evolved over time, but nothing compares to the Queen Mother of them all. Oktoberfest can be described as part pilgrimage, part state fair and part family reunion with a dash of medieval revival. But even after the tents are packed, is there be a better place in the world to enjoy a stein of liquid bliss than Munich?
The original Seven Sisters of Munich breweries have effectively been reduced to three blended families, but the brewing tradition endures. There is even an aptly named Munich toasted malt that is used in Munich Dunkel, Marzen, Oktoberfest and Doppelbock, all classic beer styles with roots in the city. Helles, a close cousin of Pils, also can also be traced back to Munich. Bavarian Weizen flows year round and small breweries with a knack for innovation have returned.
Whether your choice is to grab a bench in a traditional beer hall in the old city, to take a seat on a glorious summer day in a well shaded outdoor beer garden in the city center, or a stool at a trendy beer bar, your stein will never be empty. Traditional, modern, or a unique mixture of both, Munich never disappoints.
Denver
Disappear into the Denver Beer Triangle. This area, from Denver to Ft. Collins to Boulder, is nicknamed the "Napa Valley of Beer" for its eclectic assortment of microbreweries and beer celebrations. Check out October's Great American Beer Festival, where a mix of all-American brewers compete in 84 categories, including best gluten-free and best coffee beers. Nearby Golden, Colorado, is home to Coors, the biggest brewery in the world. Go on a tour of the factory, which produces 1.5 million gallons of beer daily.
Prefer to party-hop rather than to stay in one place? Pedal Hopper Denver, a group-oriented "party bike" that will pedal you and 15 friends from bar to bar, provides the opportunity to add some exercise into your pub crawl. For those who wish to remain stationary, Wynkoop Brewing Company, founded by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, will bring together both sides of the aisle with a crew of inspired beers including Patty's Chile Beer, rich with Anaheim chiles and smoked Ancho peppers.
A yearly beer pilgrimage from Belgium brings you to Denver for plenty of reasons. Each fall, the Great American Beer Festival gathers beer lovers and professionals under one huge roof, allowing each to stand shoulder to shoulder and sample the best of U.S. craft. There’s a number of examples of any imaginable beer style.
During the same period, the city is awash with hundreds of super interesting and novel beer events, many including live music. Then, you have the brewery and brewpub scene, getting more and more vibrant and crowded over the years.
Craft beer bar Falling Rock, an icon when it comes to multi-tap quality serving, was the first and is now joined by plenty others. Many of these pub stops are serving beers brewed in Denver by Crooked Stave, Dry Dock, Great Divide and Breckenridge in addition to nano brewpubs working on one-barrel systems.
Montreal
In early summer, Mondial de la Biere presents hundreds of international and Canadian brews, alongside events, seminars, and pairing workshops for the intellectual beer buff. Sample a colorful array of ales, bocks, and lagers plus ciders and honey wines from giants like Molson and Labatt as well as from dozens of Montreal-based brasseries. When hunger inevitably kicks in, visitors can nosh on everything from French-Canadian sweets to exotic meats on a stick.
For the past 20 years, Montreal has been a brewpub mecca. See where it all began at quirky Le Cheval Blanc, one of the city's first, which serves a handful of insanely popular, handcrafted beers.
Within this mostly French Canadian metropolis thrive more than 20 breweries, the majority of which are within walking distance of each other – that’s when winter winds aren’t howling, of course. Icons like Dieu du Ciel! serve as a beacon around which more discreet brewers of equal quality such as L’Amère à Boire, Benelux, Le Cheval Blanc and Hopfenstark share their wares at their respectively warming locations.
Specialty beer bars like Vices et Versa, Brouhaha, Isle de Garde and Le Saint-Bock are also proud of their roots and allow the wandering visitor to sample beers from dozens of faraway breweries nestled in hard-to-reach corners of Quebec. Nowhere in Canada can one taste so much variety in a unique cultural setting without driving hundreds of kilometers from one corner of a province to another.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
With its proximity to the brewing hub of Belgium and canals that have long functioned as major shipping avenues, Amsterdam has a history soaked in the production and export of beer—most popularly, the city's own Heineken and Amstel brands, and Grolsch, with roots in nearby Groenlo. Take a trip to the Heineken Experience, a slick, self-guided tour that includes interactive displays and a peek at the old brewing stills. Brouwerij 't IJ, a brewery that offers unfiltered, top-fermented libations, has a less touristy tasting room and pub.
Amsterdam is famous for its bruin cafes, or "brown bars," traditional Dutch dives that are best when dark, carpeted, candlelit, and crowd-free. Linger for hours over a newspaper and a pint at centrally located Cafe de Wetering or at the art nouveau Cafe 't Smalle. The bartenders will leave you undisturbed, and a slow pace is even appreciated.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
With a baseball team called the Brewers, is it any surprise Milwaukee is so crazy for beer? Milwaukee was once home to the "Big Four:" Pabst, Schlitz, Miller, and Blatz. Now the city houses a sophisticated craft-beer scene that builds on its rich brewing heritage.
You can still visit the MillerCoors brewery, which features a free walking tour, but don't miss the Sprecher and Lakefront microbreweries.While most tours promise a frosty draft only at the end, Lakefront offers you a beer—and a souvenir pint glass—the minute you walk in the door.
Insiders say that Sugar Maple, in Milwaukee's hip Bay View neighborhood, caters to the serious beer geek and with more than 60 beers to sample, a soup menu, and a retro environment in which to enjoy both, we agree. Draft Magazine names nearby Palm Tavern one of America's best bars for its 250-some artisan beers, including a few rare brews.
Dublin, Ireland
The Guinness Storehouse, Ireland's top tourist attraction, takes you inside the world's largest pint glass for a history lesson and to the "cooperage" to see how the beer barrels are transported. You won't see the famous stout brewed on-site, but you will get a taste at the top-floor Gravity Bar, where a perfectly poured and free pint of the good stuff awaits.
It may have the most name recognition, but a Guinness isn't the only glass to drain in Dublin. Drink local at The Porterhouse in Temple Bar, a cheeky brewpub that serves its own gold-medal-winning stout, Plain Porter, alongside traditional pub grub.
Face it, when you are lost in a new city with no destination in mind you gravitate to the Irish Pub. Dublin is the greatest city in the world to enjoy a beer precisely because you would never run out of Irish pubs in a lifetime. There are quiet watering holes, neighborhood sports houses, multi-level craft beer meccas, quiet writer pubs, and live music venues to choose from plus variations on all of these. Dublin is an excellent walking city due to the density of statuary, bridges and architecture that invoke Ireland’s political and literary history in addition to memorable gardens and markets.
Stopping for a pint is always easy and what better place to enjoy a stout, that delicious black elixir, than its birthplace? More than 800 years old, the Brazen Head is the oldest in Ireland and still offers Dubliners and tourists alike pints, food, poetry and live music within walking distance of Guinness Brewery at St. James Gate. If you want to be totally swept away by a beverage and a city, enjoy a pint or three in Dublin. Sláinte!
Boston
Beantown is the home of the Samuel Adams brewery, named after the American revolutionary and malt producer. Take a $2 tour, during which you can smell hops, taste malts, and sample some seasonal suds. The smaller Harpoon Brewery has tastings and tours, as well as Boston's annual Harpoon Octoberfest, a festival celebrating beer, music, and New England fall foliage. Oh, and keg bowling.
Fight the Boston University students for a seat at Deep Ellum or Sunset Grill & Tap; both curate lengthy, highbrow beer lists and employ servers with sommelier-like skills. Boston Beer Works features a winning, seasonal selection of homebrewed drafts named after Boston landmarks, including Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale and Fenway American Pale Ale.
It wasn't the Boston Tea Party, It is the Boston BEER Party! Boston celebrates with 16 breweries and brewpubs in the region and boasts the Bull & Finch, where tourist shtick lives on at the Original Cheers Bar. Boston’s celebrity includes Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing and Jim Koch of Sam Adams Beer fame. Sam Adams Boston Lager debuted at 25 Boston taprooms in the spring of 1985, closely followed by Harpoon Brewery in 1986.
In Boston’s Publick House, takes on a whole new meaning with a Taza Stout in hand, or grab the world’s best lobster roll at Row 34. Like most big cities, there’s a beer fest for every season, but how about Beantown’s Bacon and Beer Fest?
Portland, Ore.
With an almost endless list of local producers, Portland's craft-beer scene has been hopping with creativity since the 1980s. Tours and tastings are aplenty, but the Brewvana experience offers a little bit of everything: transportation to and from Portland's breweries, a sit-down lunch with beer pairings, and a tasting lesson. Festivals throughout the year also celebrate Portland's unique beer culture, including Feast Portland, the Oregon Brewers Festival, and the Portland International Beer Festival.
For the young, hip, and bicycled, there is no end to options for Portland-area libations. Check out Rogue Distillery & Public House, which serves up its own ever-popular options including world champion Dead Guy Ale alongside haute pub fare. Eco-friendly brewpub Hopworks Urban Brewery serves organic beer and sustainable eats in an old tractor showroom.
Density makes Portland the craft beer capital of the world. Not just that we have more breweries than any other city – about 85 in the metro area, a number that increasesPhoto by Lisa Morrison monthly. But craft beer is everywhere. The diviest dive bar has a couple of craft taps.
Fried-chicken mini marts are growler fill stations, as are some Safeways all 49 of them easy to find on the latest growler-fill map. There's a Chinese restaurant that brews its own rice lager. We have taprooms, tasting rooms, bottleshops and brewpubs by the bushel. We have beer tour buses, walking pub tours and pedal lounges powered by enthusiastic beer tourists.
In short, good beer has gone viral: Portland has long had a great pub culture,how else to deal with a gray Portland winter?and we have a wealth of resources great water and some of the world's best hops within an hour's drive. Plus, the brewing infrastructure, maltsters, stainless steel fabricators, yeast suppliers, a bottle plant and more, was already in place from the days of Blitz Weinhard and other industrial brewers.
All these things made Portland ripe for revolution, beer drinkers take credit too, because they are willing to try that funny cloudy hefeweizen or those first banana-y Red Hook beers, or BridgePort's shockingly hoppy India Pale Ale. Portlanders' love of artisan coffee, bread and chocolate and our passion for this amazing place for community and local ingredients are all reasons why the beer here flourishes.
Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine's beer scene germinated during the craft brew revolution, with pioneers like D.L Geary Brewing, Shipyard Brewing, and others sowing the seeds. Now, the little “city by the sea” is enjoying an effervescent beer revival with new breweries opening monthly, each with a unique style.
Vibrant, diverse beer ecosystem is populated by wild-fermented Belgians (Allagash), fresh-hopped, floral canned ales (Bissel Brothers), farmhouse Ales (Oxbow), continental lagers (Bunker Brewing) and stylistic outliers like alcoholic kombucha, hopped cider and mead (Urban Farm and Fermentory).
This ecosystem is nurtured by a huge swath of bars, pubs and fine-dining restaurants that know a tap line-up is just as important as the wine list. Better still, Portland nurtures new brewers, encouraging collaboration, experimentation, unique flavors and plenty of special events. Perched on the shores of scenic Casco Bay, most bars, restaurants and breweries are a short walk from a compact downtown.
Brussels
Trappists, lambics, dubbels, and Flemish reds: Belgium has been churning out beer since the Crusades. And while the celebrated monk-made Trappist ales are brewed in countryside monasteries, the city of Brussels is oft-considered the capital of Belgian beer culture. Cantilllon Brewery listed in Patricia Schultz's 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, has been producing its own traditional beer since 1900 and still uses much of its original equipment. Join a public brewing session and sample the sweet, sour lambics that have made Cantillon famous.
Brussels marries cafe culture and beer snobbery quite well at its estaminets, or small cafe-bars. Usually found at the top of experts' lists, the two outposts of Chez Moeder Lambic stock dozens of small-batch Belgian beers. For a nighttime nip, lively Delirium Cafe lists a record-shattering 2,000-some beers from 60 countries to enjoy.
Prague, Czech Republic
Her you find Budweiser. You can thank the Czech. Pilsner, a type of pale lager, was invented in the town of Pilsen, near Prague. Try a freshly brewed cold one at the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, one of the few places you can sample a cask-conditioned, non-pasteurized beer similar to what 19th-century drinkers tasted.
If you want to taste more than the Czechs' most famous export, visit during Prague's 17-day Czech Beer Festival for traditional fare, live music, and costumed servers pouring more than 70 brands of domestic beer.
Nightlife hot spot Prague is as famous for its brewpubs and beer halls as it is for its dance clubs. U Fleku, which earns top marks from BeerAdvocate.com, is a sprawling tavern that serves its own dark, hoppy lagers. It's been in business since 1499, and insiders say the service is as surly and the beers as as wonderful as ever.
You're in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. You won't have to walk more than a couple of blocks to find an old school pub where about $ 1.50 can buy you half a litre of perfectly tapped, unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell. But before going in you notice another pub maybe around the corner, across the street or almost next door to the first one that sells Pale Lager you've never heard of. It’s not only cheaper than Pilsner Urquell, but maybe even better.
Maybe it’s not a bar, but one of the 20 or so brewpubs in the city? Or perhaps one of the growing number of restaurants, cafés and even bookstores specialised in craft beers from the whole country, and beyond? The best of these nooks, by the way, are outside the center of the city, away from the tourist crowds. It’s almost Kafkaesque in terms of intrigue, but it's a more immediate and palate friendly quest. That's Prague, a place where the classic and the new live side by side, often in the same room.
San Diego
Is there a locale in the U.S. that has more impact breweries than San Diego? The brands of Stone, Ballast Point and Green Flash along with The Lost Abbey, Karl Strauss, AleSmith and Pizza Port can all be found in San Diego County. For foodies, it’s a similar story starting with the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, which is ground breaking in more ways than one given its own nearby farm.
If you can’t get to the breweries, O'brien’s Pub is known as the hoppiest place on earth, which is saying something given the perennial sunshine in southernmost California and the love of West Coast hops in these environs. From 15-barrel breweries like Pizza Port Ocean Beach to tap houses like Churchill’s Pub or upscale eateries such as The Grill located at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, there’s plenty of imaginative dishes and excellent pairings to match.
Here a determined enthusiast could spend a full week of continuous tours of breweries, brewpubs and alehouses in San Diego County, yet still not cover the rapidly growing beer scene.
Bamberg
This most photogenic epicenter of a dense brewing scene has it all to seduce the traveling beer lover. Not only does this UNESCO Heritage city have stalwarts of the German import scene like Schlenkerla, Mahr’s and Spezial, but it also serves as the gateway to nearly 300 other traditional village breweries, all within a few kilometers from the center.
Biking from brewery to brewery is often too fast a means of transport; there are just too many to try in every direction. Add to that a few beer bars, stunning viewpoints, and the exquisite Weyermann Maltings, and you start to understand the scope of this beer-centric city and region now known for its smoke beers. Simply put, Bamberg is a gem from a time forgotten where nearly every neighborhood and village in Germany had its own brewery.
Philadelphia
These days, Philadelphia boasts a grass-roots reputation as the life-blood of Philly Beer Week, Philly Beer Geek, and a flash-mob of award-winning breweries, festivals, and beer clubs. Its location near the coast marries the beer-rich culture of the Northeast with the diversity of European and Scandinavian traditions.
Through an appreciation for out-of-the-box thinking, big names like Tom Peters, Fergus Carey, Joe Sixpack and William Reed have turned Philly into The City of Brotherly Suds, where pairing your favorite Yard’s, Iron Hill, or Victory brew with a Philly cheesesteak wit or wit-out is a regional must. While you’re at it, look out for ALEiens.
New York City
Beer Week in New York City has all the flash and dance of Times Square, bottled into the likes of Jimmy Carbone, Garrett Oliver, Jeremy Cowan, Susan Greene and a host of heavy-hitters that make this beer scene one of the hottest on earth. From the Brooklyn Brewery with its Local 1 and secretive Black Ops to the Coney Island series and He’Brew Jewbelation of Schmaltz Brewing, New York’s neighborhoods scream with in-your-face diversity.
Want Belgians? BXL East, Markt, Spuyten Duyvil and Vol de Nuit serve a masterful list, blended with cuisine a la Biere and flavorful snacks. For the meat lover, go with The Cannibal in Midtown East. But don’t miss the Blind Tiger Ale House, Ginger Man and d.b.a. where beer is bigger than the Big Apple itself.
Tokyo
Hiding somewhere around zooming trains, blinding neon and millions of minions walking to and fro are dozens of minuscule bars serving ji-biru. That is, Japanese artisanal beer. Service here is as courteous as it gets in the brewing universe and the import scene tends to bring in some of the West Coast superstars quite often.
Some bars like Popeye’s seem to be stuck in time, imitating brown bars from old Europe, while newcomers such as Goodbeer Faucets take the thirsty to futuristic realms with its shiny decor and tapline setup.
Reservations are recommended at most of them because of limited seating that is the reality of such a dense megalopolis but a little planning can take you from one memorable closet-size standing room-only bar to a dizzyingly high skyscraper tasting room.
Seattle
A day spent walking around the city‘s renowned market, peeking into Pike Brewing’s beer history museum, leaning into a pint of one of the city's many friendly brewpubs, is much more refreshing than any coastal rain shower. Dazzling craft beer establishments such as Brouwers’ Café deserve to grace many of the world's best lists while a plethora of other beer bars manage to stand out by showcasing under-the-radar breweries from across the state.
It’s a state which houses over 200 breweries completely unknown to the rest of the country. From the Beveridge Place Pub's annual Barley Wine fest to Über Tavern's amazingly deep year-round selection, there is enough in the Emerald City to keep your tastebuds going till the next ray of sunshine. Don't be disappointed if you don't find time to go up the Space Needle
Chicago
It took a while for the Windy City to outgrow its first dominating brewsters, but it has now emerged as one of the most exciting brewing scenes in the USA. From rocking specialty bars like Local Option and The Map Room to talented microbreweries like Revolution and Half Acre, this bustling megacity has it all.
Most of it is easily accessible through the inner-city train system; as if you were being constantly tempted to indulge a bit more than you usually do. As if all of this weren't enough, you also know you are a few moments away from Indiana's most renowned brewery, 3 Floyd's, and their hordes of devilishly delicious Double IPAs. You'll probably need to breathe it all in on the shores of Lake Michigan, honestly.
Scotland - Edinburgh
Edinburgh breathes beer as surely as bonny gales blow across Scotland. The founding of Holyrood Abbey in 1125 spawned an entire center of brewing, building a foundation for the Edinburgh Society of Brewers by 1598. Affectionately nicknamed "Auld Reekie”, Edinburgh arose from shadows and fog as the legendary home to Heriot Watt’s International Centre of Brewing and Distilling, spewing out world-class brewers like dragons throwing fire.
Edinburgh hosts CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Scotland Competition, the Scottish Real Ale Festival and Independents’ Beer Festival Celt Experience, with a focus on innovative styles. For an authentic Scottish pub experience, the Victorian-styled Guilford Arms and classic Bow Bar will surely tilt your kilt … or go high-def with a crawl to BrewDog, The Hanging Bat, and Holyrood9A.
Bruges
With a Medieval city center, Bruges, the Venice of the North, attracts millions of tourists. For most, gastronomy is high on the agenda, and in Belgium this includes beer. That is why the first Belgian specialized “artisanal beer café” saw the light here over a quarter century ago – the world famous Brugs Beertje.
Meanwhile there are literally hundreds of specialized beer bars, from easy going pubs to beer restaurants such as De Garre, Erasmus, Cambrinus, etc. There is only one brewery though, Halve Maan, well known for its Brugse Zot and Straffe Hendrik range, but in walking around town old brewery relics can be discovered as well.
An interesting and interactive beer museum, covering all aspects of brewing and beer, opened its doors recently in the old post office. Finally, the second largest Belgian beer festival is yearly in February, with 80 plus Belgian breweries attending.
San Francisco
One doesn’t usually connect The Haight district with beer, but the ground-shaking cultural changes emanating from San Francisco in the 1960s eventually found their way into the foundation of craft brewing. Two years before the Summer of Love, Fritz Maytag took over the Anchor Brewing Company on Potrero Hill and brought some counter-cultural ideas to brewing.
Among those good ideas,was to be open-minded, to value creativity and to try new things and not be afraid.” Is there a better way to sum up the craft beer movement? In addition to a chance to visit ground zero at Anchor, a visitor can also take in the nearby Toronado pub, where brewers meet.
Although another ground-breaking brewery, New Albion, crashed early, one of Anchor’s offshoots was Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in not-too-distant Chico, where Ken Grossman employed some of Maytag’s inspiration.
While in The City, head over to the 21st Amendment brewpub or grab some Almanac beers to sample the local gypsy brewing scene or stop in at the Monk’s Kettle, where the kitchen and menu are directed by Adam Dulye, the Brewers Association’s pairings guru.
Rome
Italy’s craft beer renaissance started 20 years ago in the country’s north, i.e. Piemonte, Lombardia and Veneto. Rome is, however, where the beer passion exploded, boosted by Birra Del Borgo’s hoppy ales and Baladin’s incredible concoctions. Currently, the Italian capital boasts an ever increasing number of beer lovers, wanting more than the industrial pilsner brands, leading to literally hundreds of good pubs and plenty beer shops.
Just two great recommendations: the tiny, often very crowded beer-only “Ma che siete venuti a fa’ which means What the Hell Are You Doing Here?; And Open Baladin, run by Baladin and Del Borgo breweries, offering around 40 taps of Italian craft beers and a selection of excellent food. But keep wandering, and you will find hidden beer gems everywhere you go.
Tourism Observer
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