The history of beer stretches back thousands of years, all the way to Mesopotamian women who first mixed cereal grains with herbs and water. Since then, human beings have been experimenting with beer’s wide array of flavors, colors, and textures. If you love craft beer, don’t limit yourself to local breweries. Get out and explore these top five cities to visit for craft beer lovers.
San Diego, CA
Most famous for the Double IPA (sometimes called the San Diego Pale Ale), San Diego is an internationally recognized hotspot for beer enthusiasts. With over one hundred craft breweries in the region and the annual San Diego Beer Week, it’s not hard to see why. Regional flavors include pine, citrus, and plenty of hops.
Don’t Miss These Breweries:
- Karl Strauss Brewing Company
- Stone Brewing Company
- Modern Times Beer
- Ballast Point Brewing Company
Portland, OR
Also known as “Beervana,” Portland boasts over 70 local breweries and is famous for IPAs. But there’s also plenty of variety here—you can expect to find rich dark porters and stouts and even sour beers.
Don’t Miss These Breweries:
- Steeplejack Brewing
- Little Beast Brewing
- Culmination
- Cascade
Denver, CO
Did you know that Colorado has the fifth-highest number of craft breweries in the U.S.? This makes it a fantastic destination for beer lovers. Visit the Great American Beer Festival and enjoy over 70 breweries in the Denver Beer Triangle (between Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins).
Don’t Miss These Breweries:
- Jagged Mountain
- Wynkoop
- Great Divide
- Woods Boss Brewing
Asheville, NC
If you travel to Asheville, be sure to visit the South Slope neighborhood and West Asheville for most of the brewery action. You’ll find a wide variety of breweries, thanks to the 20,000-acre protected watershed just outside town.
Don’t Miss These Breweries:
- Oyster House Brewing
- Highland
- Green Man
- Catawba Brewing Co.
Cincinnati, OH
The last of our top five cities to visit for craft beer lovers is by no means the least. Cincinnati has a long historical connection to beer, thanks to German immigrants who moved there in the nineteenth century. The city is even home to the second-largest Oktoberfest in the world after Munich.
Don’t Miss These Breweries:
- Moerlein Brewing
- Rhinegeist
- Taft’s Ale House
- Braxton Brewing Company
Wherever you decide to travel, we recommend staying in a hotel as close to the action as possible. You don’t want to waste valuable time commuting when you could be drinking beer!
