12 Destination Breweries Across the United States

I’m not exactly a craft beer aficionado, but I adore breweries, especially when I travel. Like coffee shops, late-night diners or strip clubs, breweries offer a window into the soul of a destination. Their unpretentious and communal ambiance make them fantastic venues to meet locals and pick-up travel tips. Whenever I visit a brewery in an unfamiliar locale, I leave with tidbits of regional lore and suggestions for restaurants, hikes and museums.

Beer styles vary across America as delightfully as cuisines, accents and musical traditions. Zach Mack, a booze writer and owner of Alphabet City Beer Co., sees regional beer as history in a bottle. “Local styles develop based on what ingredients are available in the nearby fields and are intrinsically linked to a locale’s demographic quirks,” he says.

The 51 Best Father’s Day Gifts for Every Dad

Gifts for every type of father imaginable

California-style lagers, for example, came about when German immigrants invented a method to cool their beer without the lagering caves they left behind in the Old World. Classic Texan brews allude to the Lone Star State’s rich Mexican and German roots. And in the Pacific Northwest, brewers sometimes infuse beers with wild blueberries or huckleberries.

Below are a dozen breweries that showcase the wondrous diversity of American regional beer. Each brewery is worth a trip in its own right, but the surrounding destinations are just as compelling.

Bonesaw Brewery (Glassboro, NJ)

As a pizza nerd who’s made the rounds across New York City, I planned a weekend road trip through New Jersey to sample the Garden State’s storied pizzerias. A buddy of mine — a proud New Jerseyan — tipped me off to the Jersey Brew Trail, a string of renowned breweries dotting the state from the Shore to the western forests. The highlight of my Jersey beer odyssey was Bonesaw Brewery in Glassboro, a hamlet in the southern part of the state.

Beer connoisseurs will tell you that the acid test of a brewer’s chops is his lightest brew, where flaws can’t hide behind heavy hopping. Bonesaw’s Crimson Skull, a featherweight Viennese-style lager, is both crushable and complex, the ideal session beer for sipping on a sunny fall afternoon on their spacious patio. Their New England- and West Coast-style IPAs are equally well-executed.

This is Jersey, so you’re never far from a classic diner. After a round of brews, soak up the suds with a chicken parm or cheesesteak at Angelo’s Glassboro Diner.

Freedom’s Edge (Cheyenne, WY)

Once a rough-and-tumble railroad workers’ camp dubbed Hell on Wheels, Cheyenne still carries the gritty charm of a genuine cowboy town. In some saloons, it’s not uncommon to see horses hitched outside. And every July, the city hosts Frontier Days, the world’s largest outdoor rodeo. It’s a weeklong spectacle of bull riding, country and rock concerts, and rootin’-tootin’ cowpoke revelry.

Rub shoulders with cowboys, buckle bunnies and rodeo stars at Freedom’s Edge, a brewery founded by two military veterans. Grab a seat at a picnic table on the patio to admire downtown Cheyenne’s stately brick architecture while listening to the lonely whistle of passing freight trains. The 1890 IPA packs a hoppy wallop as potent as a bronco kick, but adventurous palates should order the High Noon Chili Ale. Brewed with jalapeño, habanero and serrano peppers, it’s a fiery sipper that’ll put some hair on your chest, pard’ner.

Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, MO)

Smack dab in the heart of America, Kansas City has long been a bustling railroad entrepôt, the crossroads of the South, the West and the Midwest. This is the city that gave us Charlie “Bird” Parker and a constellation of jazz and bebop legends. It’s also one of America’s great barbecue capitals.

And as you’d expect from a city that treats smoked meat with near-religious reverence, Kansas City also brings serious heat in the craft beer game. Housed inside a historic railroad facility, Boulevard Brewing Co. treats guests to nonpareil pints paired with sweeping views of KC’s skyline. Their Barrel Quad, a Belgian-style quadrupel aged in ex-bourbon barrels, hits as hard and skillfully as a Metallica riff. For something funkier and lighter, Jam Band — a fruited sour loaded with ripe berries — packs a tart and (as the name implies) jammy punch.

Whiskey lovers should make a stop at J. Rieger & Co., a small-batch distillery next to a working rail line. As the barrels age, the vibrations from the trains help coax the spirits deeper into the oak, yielding a bold, smooth whiskey that’s as quintessentially Kansas City as a burnt end sandwich at Joe’s.

Founders Brewery (Grand Rapids, MI)

Grand Rapids — a Western Michigan town of tree-lined streets, mom-and-pop diners and warm Midwestern charm — feels like it was plucked from a movie set (it was the setting for American Pie). Thanks to its deep Dutch and German roots (and some of the purest brewing water in the country), it also ranks among America’s most legendary beer cities, right up there with Asheville, NC, Portland, OR and Fort Collins, CO. You could spend a weekend checking off legendary breweries, but Founders is the crown jewel; I’d say their Breakfast Stout is my all-time favorite stout. Brewed with coffee and chocolate, it’s luscious, comforting and rich, like a stack of flapjacks on a cold Michigan morning.

Fall River Brewing Co. (Redding, CA)

My perception of California was once defined by Los Angeles and San Francisco. But Redding, perched at the northern end of the Sacramento Valley, offers a wildly different portrait of the Golden State. This is cowboy country, a slice of Texas transplanted to NorCal. It hosts one of the largest rodeos on the West Coast and is the final resting place of country legend Merle Haggard. Redding is also a haven for fly-fishers, hikers and boaters, with Lassen Volcanic National Park and Lake Shasta just a stone’s throw away.

After a morning on the trails or paddling through alpine waters, kick back in the spacious taproom at Fall River Brewing Co. Redding boasts more sunny days than any other city in the Lower 48, and Fall River excels at crisp, heat-quenching brews. The Kölsch-style ale is a showstopper — clean and refreshing like a good pilsner, but with just a hint more fruit and funk. For malt lovers, the Red Ale is a smooth, slightly sweet session sipper.

Burial Beer Co. (Asheville, NC)

Proudly offbeat and brimming with artists and musicians, Asheville feels like a pocket-sized Austin, TX, dropped into the Blue Ridge Mountains. The town’s pristine water and deep brewing tradition have lured heavyweights like Sierra Nevada and New Belgium to establish East Coast outposts nearby. The South Slope, just off downtown, is Asheville’s unofficial brewery row.

You Are Here: Asheville

All the sweetest parts of the Land of the Sky, according to someone who lives there

After conferring with chefs, bartenders and local barflies, I gleaned that most locals esteem Burial Beer Co. as one of their city’s finest houses of hops. Burial purveys both classic and experimental beers inside a rustic wooden taproom adorned with local art. The Shadowclock, a crisp German-style pilsner, is crushable with just enough hoppy snap. For something unorthodox, try the Bolo Coconut Brown, an American brown ale brewed with toasted coconut.

Casey Brewing and Blending — Casey Brewing & Blending

Visit Glenwood Springs

Casey Brewing & Blending (Glenwood Springs, CO)

Roughly 2.5 hours west of Denver, Glenwood Springs was once a notorious frontier Alsatia, a remote Rocky Mountain outpost haunted by gunslingers, gamblers and sex workers. The grave of Doc Holliday, the gentleman outlaw immortalized in Tombstone, rests on a bluff above the town. These days, Glenwood is known for its hot springs, dramatic alpine views and the Hotel Colorado, a stately 19th-century retreat once favored by Teddy Roosevelt.

Troy Casey, formerly a brewer for Coors, opened his namesake brewery here in a cozy taproom overlooking the railroad. Casey Brewing & Blending specializes in small-batch, mixed-culture beers, especially sours made with fruit from Colorado’s sun-soaked Western Slope. Every pour is seasonal, local (99% Colorado ingredients) and masterfully crafted, be it a farmhouse ale or hazy IPA.

Oskar Blues (Longmont, CO)

A short drive from Fort Collins, Longmont sits where the prairie meets the Rockies, and it’s home to one of the pioneering forces in American craft beer. Oskar Blues helped ignite the canned craft beer revolution back in the ’90s with their flagship Dale’s Pale Ale, a hoppy, no-nonsense brew.

The Longmont location has the feel of a Western roadhouse, with live music, pub grub and a beer list that leans hard into bold flavors. From the rich, boozy Ten FIDY Imperial Stout to crisp pilsners and rotating seasonals, there’s something for every palate.

Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner, TX)

All my exes live in Texas, but even that doesn’t stop me from returning now and then for an ice-cold draught of Shiner Bock at Spoetzl Brewery. About 90 miles east of San Antonio, Shiner is a sun-drenched Hill Country town founded by German and Czech immigrants. With its wide streets, friendly locals and rolling countryside, it’s an archetypical small Texas town. Just down the road from Spoetzl Brewery stands Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church, a twin-spired Catholic church built by 19th-century Bohemian immigrants.

Spoetzl Brewery, founded in 1909, is the oldest independent brewery in Texas. Its taproom — a salon of weathered wood and whitewashed walls — pours classics like Shiner Bock alongside rotating seasonals. If it’s available, don’t miss the Shiner Prickly Pear, a tart and subtly fruity lager brewed with cactus fruit from the Texas plains. The brewery also slings solid barbecue, and if you’re willing to drive a bit, legends like Black’s, Snow’s and City Market are all within striking distance.

Elysian Brewing Company (Seattle, WA)

No list of destination breweries would be complete without a standout from Washington state, that mossy, rain-washed corner of America famous for coffee, cloudy skies and grunge. Alice in Chains and Soundgarden composed the soundtrack of my adolescence, so Seattle will always hold a place in my heart. Beyond the nostalgia, I come back for screaming-fresh oysters, smoked salmon and sweeping views of Puget Sound.

Elysian Brewing Company, founded in 1996 in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, blends punk-rock edginess with razor-sharp brewcraft. IPA aficionados across the country covet Space Dust IPA, a citrusy hop monster sparkling with tropical notes. In the Seattle taproom, you’ll also find their more experimental brews like peppercorn saisons and barrel-aged sours.

Sierra Nevada (Chico, CA)

Chico, a small city at the base of the Sierra Nevada foothills, is a blue-collar California burg that brings to mind the small-town setting of American Graffiti, the classic coming-of-age film. Outdoor enthusiasts know Chico as a hotspot for mountain biking and hiking, and downtown Chico thrums with buskers, indie bookstores and lively coffee shops.

Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is one of the OG’s of American craft beer. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale — piney, floral ambrosia poured from an iconic green can — served as the blueprint for countless hazy, hop-forward ales from later American craft breweries. Brewery tours offer catwalk views of the brewhouse and pours of rare releases and barrel-aged marvels.

BriarBrothers Brewing Company (Buffalo, NY)

Football madness, apocalyptic winters and deep German and Central European roots: Buffalo’s quirks are a perfect storm for a great American beer town. It’s also a city of contrasts — Gilded Age and art deco splendor linger alongside Rust Belt grit and the skeletons of factory towers and grain silos.

Just steps from the Hydraulics District, BriarBrothers Brewing Company is tucked inside a retrofitted firehouse. Like many of Buffalo’s reimagined spaces, the taproom blends industrial charm — exposed brick, concrete walls, communal tables — with laid-back warmth. The beer list is short and deliberate. Ghost Limousine, a hazy IPA with lush tropical hop notes and a piquant bitterness, is a standout. So is Basic Cable, a crisp American lager built for easy sipping. Soak up the booze with the brewery’s Hot Hen Sandwich, a Nashville-style spicy chicken bomb. Or call an Uber to Anchor Bar, a shrine to Buffalo sports teams and allegedly the birthplace of the city’s eponymous wings.