*Bison Brew is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The Best Breweries In America

Updated on

Americans love beer, so it should come as no surprise that the country is home to roughly 9000 breweries. They’re pouring everything from imperial stouts to milkshake IPAs, sour beer, lager, and pilsners in traditional French and Belgian-inspired varieties.

Each of the best breweries in America is unique in its own right. From coming up with funny names to pushing past the boundaries of traditional craft beer, some of the best breweries on our list include names like Alvarado Street Brewery, City Built, Dovetail, and the Brewer’s Art.

Best Breweries In America By State

The Best Breweries In America

Do we have your attention? After our unpleasant experience with COVID-19, we’re ready to step out again, and what better way to finish the first half of 2022 than to go on an adventure-filled “beercation” across America!

Alvarado Street Brewery

Alvarado Street Brewery
426 Alvarado Street, Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 655-2337

Alvarado Brewery’s signature branch opened back in 2014 in Downtown Monterey on Alvarado Street – hence the name. From cranking out the best IPAs and pub grub to Alvarado’s on merch, such as shirts, it is undoubtedly one of the best breweries in America. It now boasts three branches in the county, the dedicated Salinas Taproom, the Caramel Brewery, and the Monterey Brewery and Grill, made famous by the acclaimed Chef Delfino.

The best drink to try at this iconic brewpub is the Mai Tai, and no, we don’t mean the cocktail. Alvarado’s Mai Tai is the multi-award-winning tropical IPA that has racked more GABF awards – 2018 GABF Gold, 2016 GABF Silver, and 2015 GABF Gold – than any other IPA in the past decade! In tune with the true West Coast spirit, it has a dry finish and is brewed with 100% Mosaic hops. Deliciously dank, it has intense dark aromas of lychee, guava, and passionfruit – a true summer drink!

City Built Brewing Company

City Built Brewing Company
820 Monroe Avenue N.W. #155, Grand Rapids, MI 48503
(616) 805-5755

Hailing from Beer City USA, Grand Rapids, City Built is genuinely one of the best breweries in America. Not only do CEO Edwin Collazo’s fermenters pump out classic beers but also “drinkably complex” ones brewed using experimental styles and an array of exotic fruits and spices. Something that stands out about City Built is its knack for coming up with award-winning labels, such as the Prague Underground and Look Ma! No Hands. The latter is how Collazo has paid homage to the rap duo Run The Jewels.

While City Built is famous for complex imperial stouts, pilsners, and pilsners, their signature IPA is a must-try. The Fifth St. Hooligans is a hazy IPA, double dry-hopped with Citra, Befuddlement, Eldorado, and Sabro hops. The refreshing drink relays rich aromas of mangos, grapefruits, and fresh ripe pineapples!

Cloudburst Brewing

Cloudburst Brewing
2116 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121

This compact Seattle brewhouse is famous for its cloudy beers and specializes in IPAs and Old World Styles, such as Helles lagers and pilsners. Although many taphouses feature the label’s famous beers, visiting the original Cloudburst establishment is one of the best ways to take your pick from its many rotating options. Their clear lagers have won bronze and silver prizes, and Cloudburst was also named one of the Breweries of the Year at last year’s Great American Beer Festival.

Since Cloudburst specializes in IPAs, try their Cosmic Lust IPA, voted back by fans in 2021. It’s modestly hazy and famous for a super smooth and slightly bitter finish, with light citrusy notes. The famous IPA gives rich aromas of orange and passionfruit and is brewed using Chinook, Amarillo, and Citra hops!

Bierstadt Lagerhaus

Bierstadt Lagerhaus
2875 Blake Street, Denver, CO 80205
(720) 570-7824

Denver is the hosting city of the annual Great American Beer Festival, and no brewery would better represent the famous city than the Bierstadt Lagerhaus. It is one of the best breweries in America and specializes in authentic German-style lager, which is brewed using a traditional 84-year-old copper brewhaus. Unlike many other breweries in America, Bierstadt is famous for its traditional slow pour style, which means ordering a beer will require patience!

Although some people want a quick service, ordering a glass of the famous Helles or Slow Pour Pils will be worth the wait. The northern German-inspired Slow Pour Pils are pale, bitter, and crisp. The German pilsner is softly malty, crushable, and aromatic. It takes 30 hours to brew but is easily one of the best drinks on tap!

Dovetail Brewery

1800 W Belle Plaine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 683-1414

Dovetail is one of the best breweries in America and an excellent option to represent the beer-loving people of Windy City. Think of it as the passion project of owners Bill and Hagen, who met in Munich while attending beer school! The brewery is famous for turning classic European-style lagers into American favorites. They even specialize in brewing lagers across various other styles.

Visit Dovetail in North Center and enjoy its dog-friendly outdoor patio and the German-inspired Biergarten with its delectable food. One of the best drinks to try is the well-balanced signature Helles. It’s specially brewed for baseball season but is available year-round. The beer is refreshing, malty, and relays floral notes, which you will love in the summer heat!

Great Notion

Great Notion
2204 NE Alberta Street #101, Portland, OR 97211
(505) 548-4491

When talking about the best breweries in America, it is considered blasphemy, not to mention Portland, Oregon. Portland is the most famous city in the U.S regarding the craft beer scene, and what other brewery to represent Portland than Great Notion Brewing. It was started by three friends and neighbors and is famous for producing world-class New England-style, hazy, fruit-forward IPAs, sours, and stouts. Their numerous accolades include Gold and Silver medals at the GABF, Oregon Beer Awards, World Beer Cup, and the number 1 IPA in America spot on in 2018’s Paste Magazine.

Try their award-winning Ripe; a hazy New England-style IPA brewed exclusively with Citra hops. It’s an easy-to-drink beer, loaded with tropical notes of ripe mangos and papaya!

HOMES Brewery

HOMES Brewery
2321 Jackson Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
(734) 954-6637

HOMES is loved by Michigan beer geeks and is considered one of the best breweries in America. Its highly sought-after hazy IPAs, fruited sours, and tart IPAs have made it a favorite. HOMES boasts two branches. One is the fan-favorite brewpub, and the other is dubbed “HOMES Campus,” a creative community of businesses around HOMES’ beer production facility.

Although you could choose from a wide variety of lagers, triple IPAs, and cream ales, the best drink to try is the Smooj. Smooj launched in the summer of 2020 and took the seltzer market by storm. Challenging conventional clear and bubbly seltzers, HOMES produced a heavily fruited hard seltzer smoothie that comes loaded with lime, pineapple, and coconut. Of course, it has a foamy head and a hint of carbonation, but this drink is as unique as a blue diamond, and you need to try it!

The Brewer’s Art

The Brewer’s Art
1106 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 547-6925

Brewer’s Art, aptly named, can be found inside a Victorian townhouse in the Baltimore art district. It is one of the best breweries in America and can also pass as a sophisticated fine dining restaurant. Some of the best menu items include hearty continental meals, funky Belgian-inspired beers, and creative meals created by chefs, such as the harissa braised Berkshire pork shank.

Try the brewery’s signature abbey brown ale, Resurrection. The Belgian-inspired dark amber drink is brewed using five types of malt and three hop varieties, resulting in a rich, dank, and flavorful taste with a dry finish. Pair it with a hearty meal of Steak Frites made with an 8 oz Roseda Farm Dakota range steak, rosemary garlic fries, and a fresh arugula salad.

Leave a Comment