15 Best US Cities For Beer Lovers In 2024

International Beer Day is coming up on August 2 and we are celebrating America's craft beer culture by exploring what U.S. cities are the best for beer enthusiasts in 2024. It used to be that beer lovers would visit top European beer destinations if they wanted to experience true craft brews. But at this point, Europeans are looking at what American brewers are doing and taking inspiration. 

Our top beer destinations were scored and ranked based on four different metrics: the number of breweries per capita, bars per capita, beer-tasting tours offered, and the average cost of a beer. 

We wouldn't be surprised if this inspires you to hit the road and try the best beers all over the U.S. To that end, we've also put together a potential road trip itinerary to inspire your beer-fueled adventure. But in reality, this is only a glimpse of the full landscape of the American beer scene. While we've done our best to give you a taste of what each of these destinations has to offer, there's still so much more for all the beer lovers out there to explore in every one of these cities and throughout the rest of the country.

Topping our list is Asheville, North Carolina. This up-and-coming mountain town has more breweries per capita than any other city in the country and got the highest overall score in our ranking by a long shot. While there are big brands operating in the area – including Anheuser-Busch – the heart and soul of Asheville is its craft beer scene, which started in 1994 with Highland Brewing. Highland is now the largest independent brewery in North Carolina, paving the way for newer heavy hitters like Burial Beer Co. and DSSOLVR.

But just as there are mistakes you should avoid when visiting a brewery, you'd also be making a mistake in thinking that the only places to drink in Asheville are the top-tier taprooms. Don't miss out on great craft beer bars like The Whale, known for its unique, harder-to-find selections, or Foggy Mountain Brewpub, a mainstay for locally made pours with a highly-rated food menu as well. And for the hardcore craft beer enthusiasts, there's also the Jackson County Ale Trail that's worth checking out.

Asheville may have the most breweries per capita in the United States, but Pensacola has the most bars, which helped this panhandle Florida town earn the second spot on our list. Locals and visitors alike can enjoy curated beer selections at hangouts like Goat Lips Chew and Brewhouse and The Craft Bar, which boast dozens of rotating beers on tap. 

And there are several craft breweries worth stopping for. Odd Colony Brewery is a clear local favorite located centrally downtown (and you'll typically find a great food truck on site as well). But there are plenty of other great spots to try, including Florida's oldest craft brewery, McGuire's Irish Pub, which has been brewing beer since 1988. Pensacola Bay Brewing, located in the heart of the historic district, and Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, which offers unique international selections, are two other notable locations for hopheads to enjoy, though the list could go on for a while. And be sure to check out On Tap Brew Tours for a full beer experience of some of the best beers the city has to offer.

Coming in third place is the party capital, Las Vegas, Nevada. We may all associate Sin City with ritzy casinos and decadent cocktails, but the craft beer scene here is surprisingly robust thanks to the city's efforts to cultivate a beer community near the Arts District, called Brewery Row.

Per capita, the Las Vegas brewery lineup doesn't stand out, but the tap rooms that are there certainly live up to the city's impressive reputation. Las Vegas is home to community favorites like Able Baker Brewing (with vibes inspired by the Atomic Age), Beer Zombies (a horror film-themed brewery), and Tenaya Creek Brewery (which often features live music) as well as several bars, such as BrewDog and Aces and Ales, whose beer menus are so extensive they put the Svalbard Global Seed Vault to shame. Not to mention, the city offers 15 beer tours, the second highest number in our ranking behind Nashville. 

Portland, Maine, is very close to overtaking Asheville with the most breweries per capita, but this Northeast coastal town's beer is slightly less affordable and has relatively fewer bars to enjoy a pint, pushing it to fourth place in our ranking. 

Every brewery in the city would sweep the competition if they weren't all competing against each other. Leading the pack is Portland's Allagash Brewing Co., a pioneer in craft brewing, which also made our list of best breweries in the U.S. Some other standouts include family-owned Belleflower Brewing, award-winning Bissell Brothers Brewing Company, and the historic Geary Brewing Company, home of the first craft beer ever produced in Maine. 

It's close enough to Asheville that beer fans may be tempted to pass over Greenville, North Carolina, but you'd be missing out on a fantastic beer scene that isn't any less delicious for standing just outside the spotlight. There may not be quite as many breweries here as its neighbor Asheville, but the nearly two dozen contenders each pack a punch, giving Greenville a rightful place on our radar.

Since you can't go wrong with any of them, we'll just mention a few notable breweries doing good work in town. The Southern Growl is a clear local favorite with a huge beer list, Fireforge Crafted Beer has a beautiful taproom with lots of seating, and Liability is a Certified B Corp brewery, which means they're engaged in sustainable social and environmental practices.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is another city that has confidently solidified its status as a top U.S. destination for beer lovers. Not only does Lancaster have some of the cheapest beer around, there is a thriving bar scene complete with a whole parade of craft breweries hard at work in the area.

The Lancaster Brew Trail boasts nearly 30 different breweries on its list, though some of those may be a farther drive than others. Local favorites include Mad Chef Craft Brewing and Spring House Brewing Company, both of which produce some of the best brews in the city while also sporting highly welcoming taprooms for you to eat and drink at. And while you're exploring, don't forget to eat some of the many unique Pennsylvania foods everyone needs to try at some point.

Pennsylvania gets extra kudos as the first and only state with two cities in that make our top 10 ranking. Pittsburgh is considerably larger than Lancaster and has more bars per capita which means you won't be dry on nightlife options.

If you're in the area make sure to check out literally anything from Dancing Gnome Brewery, featuring industrial vibes and a hop-forward tap list, to the up-and-coming Old Thunder Brewing Co., or enjoy the ever-popular Grist House. There are over 40 breweries in the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild so grab a Pittsburgh Brewery Guide from any member brewery's taproom and try them all.

Cincinnati, Ohio, is about as German of a town as you can get in the United States, so it makes sense that beer would be such a staple (there's a reason we named Cincinnati as the best place to celebrate Oktoberfest – the Queen City knows how to throw a party). Cincinnati and Pittsburgh actually have a lot in common, with nearly identical population sizes and identical breweries per capita. Cincinnati gets beat out only by a hair by having fewer bars and more expensive beers.

There are so many breweries to highlight here but Rhinegeist may be the most popular, with the highest sales volume out of all the city's breweries. Taft's Brewing Co. is also worth paying a visit, for the beer as much as the history (it used to be run out of an old church). Braxton, a go-to for sports fans, and Madtree, and elevated space that also serves up pizza and cocktails, are two other notable breweries. And don't miss out on the wide variety of beer-tasting tours the city offers along the Brewery Heritage Trail, including the 'Darkside of Brewing' tour that combines brewery visits with true crime stories for any non-fiction horror fans.

There are few cities as storied as New Orleans, Louisiana, and drinking culture has played a huge part in that history. Most people associate New Orleans with Mardi Gras and spirits, but beer is booming on Bourbon Street and beyond.

Breweries aren't NOLA's forté but, of those operating in town, there are some greats. Brieux Carré Brewing Co. lies just off Frenchman Street and really excels at flavorful light beers to fight off that southern heat. The Courtyard Brewery is a popular family-owned, nano-brewery that specializes in experimental beers. Parleaux Beer Lab is another great option that's popular with locals as much for its beers as for the location itself, with a sprawling outdoor space overlooking the Mississippi river. Like many things in New Orleans, tourism is a powerful component to the beer scene, which helps explain the huge variety of beer tours available, including the Craft Beer and French Quarter Bike Tour, which has you cycling from brewery to brewery around one of NOLA's most notable neighborhoods.

Rounding out our top 10 is Portland, Oregon, with it's well-rounded approach to beer culture. With a population on par with Las Vegas, Portland is sporting respectable stats for their bars and breweries per capita. And with so much of the year spent beneath a ceiling of gray clouds, being able to toss back a decent pint after work is a much-appreciated past time.

We named Breakside as the best brewery in Oregon on our list of the best brewery in every state thanks to its award-winning lineup of brews. Occidental Brewing specializes in top-tier German ales and lagers, Little Beast Brewing is a great spot if you like sours, and Upright Brewing focuses on farmhouse ales. And in a city known for biking and hiking, there are a range of active beer tours to check out as well. 

There are so many American cities carrying the craft beer torch and we'd love to highlight them all. Although these towns didn't make the top 10, we ought to mention a few other cities that fell just short of beer heaven, but still landed in our top 25 list. Both Rochester and Buffalo, New York, shine in the East Coast for their diverse and thriving craft beer offerings (and relatively cheap costs compared to other cities in our ranking). St. Petersburg, Florida is a well-known hub for artists and that creative energy is spilling into the craft beer scene. And Charleston, South Carolina, stands out for its relatively high number of bars, and the growing number of breweries blending creative innovation with historic southern tradition. 

If breweries are your priority, Bend, Oregon, has an enormous brewery-per-capita ratio and Denver, Colorado, is putting up solid numbers as well. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has a sizable bar culture combined with a thriving brewery community – held back in our list primarily by its lack of beer tours. 

If beer tours are your thing then Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, are both must-see destinations. For those of us who want to skip the pageantry and head straight to the bar, both Dayton, Ohio, and St. Louis, Missouri, have a high number of worthy options. 

There's something for everyone if you know where to find it. To make it easier, here's the rest of our full ranking of the top 25 beer cities in the U.S. in 2024:

• 11 - Denver, Colorado
• 12 - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
• 13 - Rochester, New York
• 14 - St. Louis, Missouri
• 15 – Austin, Texas
• 16 - Buffalo, New York
• 17 - Charleston, South Carolina
• 18 – Dayton, Ohio
• 19 – Knoxville, Tennessee
• 20 - Louisville, Kentucky
• 21 – Nasvhille, Tennessee
• 22 – Richmond, Virginia
• 23 – Bend, Oregon
• 24 - St. Petersburg, Florida
• 25 – Cleveland, Ohio

If you're looking at all these great cities and feeling the itch to hit the road and see some sights (and try some beers), a road trip would be a fun way to taste what brews America has to offer. While a coast-to-coast road trip does sound fun, not everyone has the time or funds to make that happen. Better to keep it somewhat local.

Based on the data we compiled for this ranking, we think the best place to plan a beer-fueled road trip (insert obvious caveat about not drinking and driving) would be in Pennsylvania. It's the only state that has two cities in the top 10, plus third city ranked not far behind – Lancaster, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg. With just a few hours between each city, you could easily hit them all in a weekend trip. If you're looking for a longer journey, just over three hours away from Pittsburgh is Ohio. Cincinnati, Dayton, and Cleveland are all ranked in our top 25 destinations, and are within a few hours of each other.

Want to expand your adventure even more? If you start in Cincinnati and work your way up, you could extend your road trip up to Portland, Maine, over the course of a few days. Going the other way, you could dip down to Asheville to visit the very best city for beer enthusiasts. Consider adding stops at some of the 50+ craft breweries in Louisville, Kentucky, Richmond, Virginia (one of the fastest growing craft beer destinations in the last decade), and Tennessee's beer hotspots, Knoxville and Nashville, along the way.

For our ranking of the top U.S. beer cities, we started by taking the Top 100 Best American Cities as listed by the World's Best Cities. We then gathered data on the total population in each city from Census.gov, the number of breweries from CraftBeer, the number of bars from Yellow Pages, the number of beer-tasting tours from TripAdvisor, and the average cost of a domestic beer from Numbeo. We assigned each metric a score on a scale of one to 10 based on predetermined ranges and then used those scores to give each city a score out of 100.

By comparing availability and affordability of beer-related experiences, we determined these cities to be the best cities for beer lovers. The data is correct as of July 26, 2024.