A state of stunning landscapes and untamed wilderness, Alaska is often forgotten when surveying America’s craft beer boom. But from breweries approaching two decades in business to those that just celebrated their first anniversary, great beer and great people can be found in every Alaskan city.
Jersey City hasn’t always been a craft beer town—more of a “beer and a stab” town, a phrase used by beat cops during the rougher years. These days though, craft beer bars are popping up on every corner, and events organized by the local homebrew club aren’t hard to come by either.
Dutch beer culture has always lived in the shadow of the more flavorful Dubbels and Tripels from its famous neighbors. But over the last 10 years, there’s been a dramatic surge in small brewers and adventurous consumers in the Netherlands.
St. Louis has always been a beer city. In 1991, it started its transformation to a craft beer city. The metro area has added 10 new breweries since 2009; two dozen breweries now operate within a two-hour drive of downtown. Today, it’s one of the country’s top destinations for beer travelers.
Bend’s beer scene has built up around its marquee name. A city of only 75,000, it now boasts 10 breweries and some of the better beer bars and bottle shops on the West Coast.
As many brewers are quick to mention, fermentation is an ancient science, and is even referenced in the Bible. So, perhaps microbreweries are not such a new idea in Israel.
The Portsmouth Brewery and it sister brewery Smuttynose just a few miles away already made Portsmouth, N.H. a craft beer destination, but the scene has improved even more in the past few years. More adventurous tap lists also lie just across the river in Kittery, Maine.
Since Mayor Rudy Giuliani cut the ribbon on the first Brooklyn brewery in 20 years in May 1996, the borough has fully embraced the microbrew revolution, spawning five more breweries and scores of craft beer pubs.
Beer connoisseurs have long dismissed Africa as the lost land of Pilsners due to its proliferation of corporate breweries. But a burgeoning craft beer scene in Namibia and South Africa isn’t the only indication of the start of a new era.
Nearly 20 percent of Canadians live in the “Golden Horseshoe,” a region that wraps around the southern tip of Lake Ontario. In the last decade, drinkers here have slowly been undergoing a craft beer conversion thanks to the appearance of new breweries, beer bars, festivals and even Canada’s first brewing school.
Savannah is a European-influenced city that’s heavy on charm and good times. Stroll the cobblestone streets, explore the notable squares, and visit the quirky bars that dot downtown—all without having to be beer-less between stops, since open containers are permitted in the 2 square-miles of the Historic District.
Beneath a fairytale skyline of spires, domes and towers, a modern city of industry and commerce sits upon cobblestone streets and ancient bridges. Prague is a maddening riddle.
A connective spirit has fired up the Rhode Island craft beer scene; bars and bottle shops have revamped their offerings, happily joining the craft beer revolution. The following beer venues will keep a visitor busy for a long stay or multiple weekend trips.
Only 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, however, the autonomous port city of a half-million people is worthy of note, if not for its status as the most ethnically diverse city in the country, then for its recent growth into one of Southern California’s newest craft beer hubs.
Everywhere you turn in London, history is meshed together vibrantly with the modern world. This clash of old and new is also reflected in the beer scene.
In the wake of the declining tourism economy, the Biggest Little City is redefining itself and one element that’s been pivotal in Reno’s renaissance, unsurprisingly, is craft beer. From retail to bars, dinners to fests, and especially in online communities, Reno is awash in good beer like it’s never been before.
Slowly, but very surely, Akron is coming into its own as a beer town, with more establishments offering craft beers and Akron’s own breweries starting to emerge. It’s also worth noting—with appropriate irony—that Akron is the birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Today, Philly has upwards of 20 breweries within a 100-mile radius, including Yuengling, the oldest brewery in America, and nationally known brands like Victory, Flying Fish and Stoudt’s.
What used to be a place with literally no hometown breweries, and bars that only sold cheap, macrobrewed longnecks, has emerged as a great city for craft beer.
It’s still a well-kept secret that Albuquerque is one of the most prolific markets of local, craft-brewed beer. Part of the appeal of Albuquerque’s beer scene is that it isn’t trying to be the next Portland or San Diego.
Because the beer culture is still so young, finding quality local beer can be a real hassle if you don’t know where to look. Yet hidden behind the scenes, in between all the wine bars, osterias and pizzerias, there are some great spots to sit down and have a pint.
Québec’s artisan beer revolution traces back to the Belgian-inflected brewing of Unibroue, which opened in 1992; 20 years later, the movement is entering its adolescence with confidence.
The university town’s love of beer began more than 150 years ago, in the late 1860s, when seven breweries served a population of about 5,000 in Stearns County.
