In the decades following Prohibition, breweries came and went in California’s capital. More recently, the recession closed a few mainstays. But when the economy recovered, the beer scene exploded, reacquainting the city of saloons with its beer-soaked heritage.
The Black Sands concept, referred to loosely as “open source brewing,” invites people to visit the brewery, enjoy the atmosphere, drink the beer and then if they’re interested in homebrewing, go next door where customers will be given recipes to make a scaled down version of the same beer.
This 4,500-square-foot bottle shop and bar serves up a well curated mix of the best stuff available in The Volunteer State. Regulars pair their pints with wings from Thunderbird, a smoked chicken food truck, on the 50-seat front porch.
In a dark, “old bar” setting, Papago’s taps include locals like Dragoon’s Infringement Pils, buzzy newbies like Destihl’s Sour Apple Lambic, and classics like Green Flash’s West Coast IPA.
I didn’t need homebrewing and a love of craft beer to bring my son and me closer together, but because he suggested we make Wheaton’s Own Going To California Pale Ale, he ended up giving me the best Father’s Day gift of all time: something that brought me closer to my own dad.
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.
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.
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.
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.
