Top U.S. Cities for Beer Lovers

How long ago did you live in the city? Given the current beer landscape, I think not putting NYC in the top 20 seems a bit ridiculous.

 

Just a personal opinion. Been to plenty of places in NYC and to me they don't stack up against the best bars in other US cities I've visited.

 

You'll enjoy looking at the map in this link.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/vintage-new-york-city-map_us_55bf7fc7e4b06363d5a2acdd

 

I still vote for Haw River Farmhouse Ales in Saxapahaw, N.C. as a truly remarkable place. It's a "very" little beer town at a river crossing, back in the woods. Bend is huge by comparison. Check it out. Great natural beauty, wonderful people, out in an old Quaker territory close to Chapel Hill and Greensboro. The old back road between Chapel Hill and Greensboro is stunning and I never use I-40. It takes a few more minutes maybe, but soaking up the history and beautifully undeveloped countryside simply makes me feel good. We often think of relocating to the area, but where we now live is perfect. Our daughter just moved to Chapel Hill, so my wife is more inclined to reconsider the notion of moving at some point.

 

Oh boy! You're poking the cult of New Yorkers who believe everything in NYC is bigger and better than anywhere else!

I agree with you that there are better beer cities than NYC, but I will say that their local brewery scene has evolved a lot in last couple years. Also a big plus for NYC bar-hopping is their public transit system, which is arguably the best in the US. Interestingly, NYC's new beer scenes are mostly developing outside of Manhattan, but visitors/tourists often do not explore beyond Manhattan.

 

I have not had the fortune to drink beers from NYC breweries like Other Half (Brooklyn), Grimm (Brooklyn). Finback (Queens), etc. but it sure reads like things have really improved over the past few years. I hope to try these beers someday. I know that Other Half made an appearance as part of Philly Beer Week last year but I was not able to make it to any of those events.

Cheers!

 

Add SingleCut in Queens (Astoria) to that list too.

My wife and I did a 3-day beer-cation to NYC last summer. We had a great time and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a brief beery get-away. We went to 12 different breweries, ate great food, and did a lot of other fun stuff along the way. We never stepped foot in Manhattan.

 

Good list, but after visiting Portland ME last year I would have to give it some consideration.

 

I lived in Asheville for 6 months and it really lives up to the hype as a beer city. There are so many excellent microbreweries compared to it's relatively modest population. It's a shocker that it is not on the list.

 

San Diego!

 

Not to mention Almanac and Rare Barrel right across the bay! Bay area killing it! Cheers

 

Almanac is somewhat hit or miss for me - I love some of their beers and really detest others - but Rare Barrel is crazy-good. Amazing stuff. Still can't believe there was no love for Cellarmaker. I had heard a little buzz about them, so the wife and I stopped in on a whim and we're totally blown away. Amazing brewery.

 

Yeah, some of Almanac seems unnecessary. I am making a point of going to Cellarmaker next time I go. Cheers!

 

You won't be sorry. Make sure to try Coffee and Cigarettes, their imperial porter, and Mt. Nelson, their Nelson-hopped IPA. Both are world-class.

 

*writing...down...at my bucketlist*

 

Well they did include Philadelphia, so they got something right.

 

Portland, Denver, San Diego...

 

Portland, Oregon!