After a busy day of exploring, there’s little more satisfying than sipping on a nice cold beer.
Intimate watering holes, inventive brews and craft culture is rife across the States. And if that sounds like heaven to you, then you’ll love exploring these beer-centric cities on the East and West coasts.
1. Portland
When a city has a motto like ‘keep Portland weird’, you know a couple of days here could get interesting. And with 60+ breweries, you’ll be spoilt for choice. To get a real taste of the beer culture here while working off those hops, jump aboard a BrewCycle tour and explore ‘Beervana’ in all its glory.
Our faves: Widmer Brothers, Upright Brewing, Hair of the Dog, Gigantic Brewing Company
2. Asheville
Okay, you might not have heard of it – but Asheville, North Carolina, is in the top three U.S cities in terms of breweries per person. In 2009, Asheville was first named ‘Beer City USA’, and has beer styles to suit every taste – from hoppy IPAs to quirky stouts.
3. Seattle
Seattle is one of the top destinations in northern USA, and there are so many amazing things to do in Seattle. It’s not just Starbucks and Nirvana that made their name in Seattle – in recent years, craft beer has become more and more popular, with plenty of creative ales from all over the world, as well as close to home.
4. New York
As well as being excellent for just about everything else, New York, unsurprisingly, has a brilliant beer scene. Mix sightseeing with tastings as you see the city, staying in the hip Brooklyn neighbourhood, where craft beer is king.
Our faves: Brooklyn Brewery, Brouwerij Lane, Circa Brewing Co., Covenhoven
Need more ideas? View our top things to do in NYC for first timers.
5. San Francisco
The ‘City by the Bay’ is home to one of the most famous breweries in craft beer’s history – Anchor Brewing, the country’s first and oldest craft brewery. Explore the hip streets of Haight Ashbury (one of the best free things to do in San Fran), and take a stroll along the stretching seafront – with plenty of sipping stops along the way!
Our faves: Anchor Brewing, Cellarmaker, Toronado, Thirsty Bear, Seven Stills
