3 favorite brewery taprooms

I havent been, but love their hop forward beers. it appears they are still open on Saturdays.

 

1) Faction Brewing in Alameda - Sitting back with a beer in my hand on the patio looking out on the bay watching the sun set over San Francisco is about the most relaxing thing in the world for me.

2) Speakeasy Ales & Lagers in San Francisco - Ordinary looking warehouse on the outside, wicked cool bar inside. Low lights, reclaimed wood paneling, "Push In Case Of Raid" button, and some of the coolest bartenders I've come across.

3) Russian River in Santa Rosa - Hard not to put this in my top 3. Killer beer and food. Sure it can get busy but it's worth the wait. Happy hour is a steal.

Honorable mention: Lagunitas Tap Room & Beer Sanctuary, June Lake Brewing, Drake's Barrel Room

 

Great thread! 3 I've recently visited in New England:

1) Medusa Brewing, Hudson MA. Flights & pints, BYO food (or have a pizza delivered.) Music, cornhole, and just a comfy festive place to hang. Fine brews of course.

2) Proclamation Ale Co., W. Kingston RI. Tastings and growler fills. Very friendly and superb ale.

3) Fort Hill, Easthampton MA. They brew lagers. Pints & tastings, music, festive atmosphere. And very close to New City Brewery & Abandoned Building Brewery, all along the came rail trail.

 

Prohibition Pig- Waterbury VT
Ommegang- Cooperstown NY
Ithaca Brewing- Ithaca NY

 

I'm partial to Stoudts brewery in Adamstown, PA... Nice bar, good food, good beer (particularly German styles), an open air biergarden, interesting antique items adorn the place, nice country surroundings. I don't get out there as much as I would like.

Also Church Brew Works located in a former Catholic church and retained much of the original look and architecture.

 

Great thread topic, so much to learn from everyone..

3+!

Hair of the Dog in Portland, OR
Pfreim and Double Mountain in Hood River
Edmund's Oast in Charleston, SC ( many unique taps from other brewers too)

 

1. Bauhaus Brew Labs - Great beers, very airy tap room.
2. Dangerous Man - Anchor Fish & Chips is just around the corner, perfect with any DM beer.
3. Surly - Beautiful tap room

 

Yup, that's the one. In Herrsching.
Love Casey, but I dunno if it's top 3 in the world or anything. Supposedly more open days and a tour are on the way, so maybe in the future!
The new Blue Moon location in RiNo might be a dark horse in this category from what I've been told.

 

I'll bite:
Stone in Escondido - great tour, great taplist, beautiful outdoor restaurant
The relatively new Avery brewery in Boulder - so many good beers to try, cool scene downstairs
The relatively new Smuttynose brewery in Exeter - love doing the sample card for $3 and then heading to the bar at Hayseed restaurant next door.

 

First off, I like my RI taprooms but no full pours so I did not include them in the top 3:

Night Shift: nice outdoor patio and great vibe
Harpoon: both locations, Boston is sometimes crowded but has the beer hall atmosphere, and Vermont is more laid back and has a patio and in a country setting.
Beer'd: favorite small taproom, free samples then full pours and a nice growler system. Inside an old mill building.

Honorable mentions
Medusa: I was here during their anniversary celebration when the crowds were crazy, not sure how their "typical" night is but seems great and Rail Trail Flatbread nearby is a big plus.
Troegs: Another good patio, like the interior deco.

 

Super surprised no one has mentioned Sierra Nevada in Asheville. Probably the nicest brewery in America.

1) Sierra Nevada Asheville - massive, the tour, good food, the grounds are amazing (I've been to a ton breweries in the US and abroad and this place made my jaw drop)
2) Cantillon - self guided brewery tour is awesome
3) de Garde - the people and the Oregon coast

Honorable mention: Hill Farm - doesnt really feel like you're at a brewery, more like on a farm.

 

Only open for bottle takeaway now. The place just got too overcrowded and they decided to close the taproom. The idea of closing due to overpopularity seems so strange, but they wanted to focus on producing the beer. They hope to eventually be able to reopen a taproom if they can find space and a way to organize it better.

 

Three current favorites

1) Night Shift--Great atmosphere and cool building
2) Two Roads--Really enjoy the historic building and friendly crowd.
3) Sly Fox--Really great tap variety with great food.

Honorable mention to Hobbs Tavern that I just came across last week. Some of the best food I have ever had at a brewery.

 

The Mills River location is the most beautiful brewery I have been to, US or Europe. I can't think of any other that rivals it.

 

1-The North Brewery--really relaxed, almost like a second home for me
2-Tired Hands Brew Cafe--The original spot is really cool, very extraterrestrial-type feel
3-Night Shift--only been here once, but I love what they're doing with it, great atmosphere, the food trucks are fun too

Honorable Mention-Forgotten Boardwalk--set in an industrial park in Cherry Hill, NJ, atmosphere is like being in an old NJ boardwalk arcade. Wish I could get there more!

 

Not sure why Night Shift gets recommended. I've only gone once on a Friday night. Its a relatively small taproom and therefore was super crowded (pretty much standing room only unless you camped out earlier for a table), loud, no food (but a truck outside), and there was always a line at the bar. Everything I try to avoid in a taproom. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

 

Haven't been to a ton of breweries across the U.S., but have been to some great local ones in Denver/Colorado.

*Avery Brewing- The old site was small but cool, and had a great taproom. Really miss it. But the new brewery is awesome, multi-level bars with a great restaurant. Tons of outdoor seating. I also like the walkway across the top of the brewery so you can observe the brewing process and lab.

*Post Brewing in Lafayette, CO - Really nice beer garden with tons of benches and cool outdoor atmosphere. the beer isn't great to be honest, but the food is really good and its a great spot to hang out.

*Boulder Brewing, CO- Really nice facility with the best tour I've ever been on- Very in depth and you get to see more areas than any other tour I've been on. At the end, we were sat down at the banquet area and brought about six pitchers of free beer to sample. Very generous and cool.

 

Jack's Abby - great vibe, good to great food, a bit pricey (food) but an awesome beer hall. Servers are friendly and helpful, but find that the bartenders can get overwhelmed sometimes. People at the retail counter are always fun to talk with.

Harpoon - haven't been to VT, but the Boston bierhall is fantastic. Where else can you get a panoramic skyline view of Boston and the Tobin Bridge from a men's room window? Can be crowded but always a great "buzz" to the place, perfect pretzels, and more than enough choices in beer. Parking usually blows.

Allagash - I can't say why, I just like hanging out there. No food except the really great food trucks, not a lot of space, but I just dig the place.

Honorable mentions - the "new" Smuttynose brewery even though I've never managed to get there when the restaurant is open. Always seem to get there on a Tuesday... Oxbow in Portland, ME - like the "industrial" funky feel of the place, but feel the beer is a bit over-priced and unless you parked elsewhere and walked, kinda rough on the parking.

 

Wicked Weed - Asheville
Service - Savannah
Church Brew Works - Pittsburgh

 

Sierra Nevada Mills River
Church Brew Works- Pittsburgh
Thirds a tossup- I live in Asheville