The Best Breweries Across the 50 States

If you find yourself in Birmingham, Alabama with a need to quench your thirst, look no further than TrimTab Brewing Co., a brewery that has garnered the respect of the locals throughout the years and has earned itself some prime authority in Birmingham's craft beer scene. Their flagship beer is their TrimTab IPA, a truly Southern IPA that demands your full attention with every glass. 

Nestled in the scenic landscapes and mountains of Interior Alaska is HooDoo Brewing Co., a craft brewery that has successfully put Fairbanks, AK on the map nationally and statewide as a destination point for three events in particular: Alaska Beer Week, American Craft Beer Week, and their specialty, Oktoberfest. Given their German roots, HooDoo is known for their all-out Oktoberfest celebration, lasting all 16 days like it does in Munich, Germany, and also for their specialty beer, the German Kolsch. 

The well crafted artisanal beers from Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. are a tribute to the sprawling and diverse landscapes of the very state it calls home. With a focus on the culture of brewing and their popular Refuge IPA, this Arizona brewery is a desert gem.  Located just thirty minutes east of Pheonix, it's well worth a visit to their taproom for their seasonal offerings and great pub menu. 

Since it was founded in 2000, Diamond Bear Brewing Co. in North Little Rock, AR has won numerous awards for its outstanding beer selections. The brewery gets its name from two of the earliest nicknames for Arkansas, the Bear State and the Diamond State. Combining the two together has resulted in a brewery that boasts some truly incredible beer, like the founder's favorite and the brew that started it all, their famous pale ale. 

Based in the sunny city of San Diego, the Green Flash Brewing Co. has truly developed a loyal following of craft beer lovers. Their year-round brews such as their Soul Style IPA as well as experimental seasonal favorites have garnered the award-winning attention of beer enthusiasts along the west coast and beyond. 

As Colorado's first craft brewery, the Boulder Beer Company started in 1979 and hasn't slowed down since. With a focus on great beer, running an eco-friendly brewery, and connecting with their customers, this brewery shines with great beers like their flagship Mojo IPA and Buffalo Gold. 

In life, there are always at least two roads that can be taken, and the folks over at Two Roads Brewing Co. strongly believe in taking the road less traveled, both in life and with their beer!  Located in a renovated historical manufacturing building in Stratford, CT, the brewery is home to their tasting room, their very own Beer Bus, and some great beers like their  Espressway Cold-Brew Coffee Stout, which merges the flavors of organic coffee beans with a rich oatmeal stout. Each glass has an aroma of freshly ground coffee, a light touch of brown sugar, and the distinctive flavor of roasted English malts. Cheers to that! 

The Dogfish Head Brewing Co. in Delaware is perhaps one of the best known breweries on the east coast. Since 1995, the brewery has been home to some fantastic beer selections, food, and entertainment. This year, look out for their seasonal spring offering, Romantic Chemistry, a fresh and fruity IPA that you may just fall in love with. 

Founded in 2008 in Gainsville, Florida, the folks at Swamp Head Brewery pride themselves on some amazing craft beer with an effortless Florida flair. Besides their great beer, this brewery strives for sustainability, zero-waste, and domestic sourcing. Cheers to that! 

Atlanta, Georgia is home to some big things, like Coca Cola for example.  It stands to reason that their beer scene would be anything but little. The SweetWater Brewing Co. opened up shop in 1997 and hasn't stopped providing the heart of the South with great beer since then. What started as an interest between two college buddies who "had more of a hankering for beer than for books," soon became a dream venture in craft beer. 

The Kona Brewing Co. got its start on the big island of Hawaii in 1995 with their Big Wave Golden Ale. Since then, they've expanded their selection to some amazing brews such as their Longboard Island Lager and have continued to spread their contagious island spirit, often referencing their beers with the nickname "Liquid Aloha." 

Located in Boise, Idaho, the Payette Brewing Co. keeps busy by coming up with great craft beers and extending their love of beer to their community. With a style that could compliment any outdoorsman (or woman!) brews such as their Rustler or Payette Pale Ale are great picks. 

Goose Island is an actual island located in the middle of the Chicago River. The brewery that shares its name, Goose Island Beer Co, was founded in 1988 in the nearby Lincoln Park district with influences from European craft brewery styles. While the brewery itself has never resided on the island, it's still as much of an integral part of the Chicago beer culture as the island is to the city's river. With beers such as their Four Star Pils, Goose IPA, and their Sofie Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale, it's easy to see how Goose Island has earned its place as an authority in the Chicago beer scene. 

Located in a sturdy and historical prohibition era bottling house on the east side of Indianapolis, the Indiana City Brewing Co. has released more than thirty unique beers since opening their doors in 2013. Their taproom is treated as an oasis for craft beer lovers in the city, and on top of their limited release beers, their great year-round selections include a pale ale, oatmeal stout, and wheat ale. 

The folks at Backpocket Brewing Co. are all about the beer. With a taproom that provides a relaxed and open atmosphere, this brewery is well worth the visit. With German influences, the beer selections at Backpocket are top notch, like their Slingshot German Dark Lager. The brewery also offers movie nights both in the summer and the winter out in their beer garden.  

Hopping Gnome Brewing Compnay prides themselves on brewing a variety of craft beers with local, high quality ingredients to make the finest hand crafted ales; ranging from citrusy, bold to silky, black and everywhere in between. Blood Orange Pale is a crowd favorite craft brew. With a fruity and crisp note, this tall glass is ale that and then some. Join the gnome in the Wichita Craft Beer Revolution!

Lexington is a bustling Kentucky town known as "The Horse Capital of the World" and is also home to the University of Kentucky. It's only natural then, that a great brewery would spring up, and West Sixth Brewing did, with a purpose to provide great craft beer to everyone. Find them at their new taproom called The West Sixth Green Room in downtown Lexington. 

Gnarly Barley is a Hammond-based brewery run by husband-wife duo Cari and Zac. Originally set up in a garage, after positive responses to their brews at beer festivals the two decided to open up an actual brewing facility.

Catahoula Common is ironically touted as an uncommon beer that has all the refreshing lightness of a lager with a good bite that's reminiscent of an ale. The fruitiness and medium body come from the unique Louisiana weather that affects the fermentation.

Founded in Portland, Maine in 1995, Allagash Brewing Company is dedicated to crafting the best Belgian-inspired brews in the world. Best known for their flagship ale, Allagash White, a traditional Belgian wheat with subtle flavorings of coriander and Curaçao orange peel that makes for a crisp, fruity finish. Fun fact: This New England brewery is considered a pioneer of spontaneously fermented beers in the U.S. with the use of a traditional Belgian Coolship method.
 

Jailbreak Brewing is a rag-tag group of professionals from various industries who got together to fulfill their desire to make something different, which turned out to be Kosher Certified artfully crafted beer. Feed the Monkey is a German style hefeweizen that balances the strong flavors of banana and cloves to create a complex yet subtle brew.

A trio of friends who found joy in Europe's beer scene while on a trip were disappointed by their choices after returning to the States. To fix this little problem, the trio started brewing their own beer and Harpoon Brewery was created. Now employee owned, Harpoon continues to brew craft beer with the same passion as 30 years ago.

Their desire for unique beer if evident in the limited release Thunder Foam, which is a porter that embodies the strange (yet delicious) blend of cacao nibs, malt, fresh poblano, and ancho chile peppers. 

As Michigan's only lager-focued microbrewery, the guys at Wolverine State Brewing Co. sure know what they're doing. Their flagship brew, the Wolverine Premium Lager, was born out of a realization that up until its creation, a true Michigan beer didn't yet exist. The guys behind this great brewery have a fanatic love for what they do, and it definitely shows. 

Schell's was started in 1860 by August Schell, a German immigrant who was frustrated with a lack of German-style beer in Minnesota. Surviving through the Prohibition, Schell's has now been passed down through six generations of beer brewers.

Following the lead of Germany's neighbors this Vienna-style amber lager has subtle hints of malt and hops. Firebrick, named after the bricks that line the original Schell broiler, is a mild and easy-to-drink beer.

Lucky Town Brewery was created by a group of people wanting to make up for the lack of craft breweries in Mississippi. Keeping the focus solely on their home state has helped them to build a large local following. One can understand the local love when trying the Ballistic Blonde, a belgian-style ale that has a full body with notes of fruit and spices.

The Columbia, Missouri based Logboat Brewing Co., boasts something that not every brewery can claim, that their brewing equipment is made in the U.S.A. That's the kind of attitude that spills over into their homegrown, flagship beer selections like their American Pale Ale. Although if you're feeling adventurous, take a sip of their rich Mocha Stout.  

At Bayern Brewery you will find the most authentic German beer outside of the country itself. Owner, Jürgen Knöller is a German born in Bavaria (Bayern in German) who has studied beer since 1978.

Their line of beers reflect both a love for his home country and Montana. None reflects this better than the Montana Helles Lager, which is modeled after staple Bavarian lager beer and has a full body while being smooth.

Their brewing process started originally while being the state's first brewpub, and through growth (and demand) Empyren Brewing Co. was created. Their beer is described as "the taste of dreams come true" and that is apparent in their popular Chaco Canyon Gold, which is a golden ale sweetened with local Nebraska honey.

The aptly named Sin City Beer is located in Las Vegas, which is an almost oversaturated craft beer hub. Sin City stands apart though by adhering to Reinheitsgebot, a German beer purity law from 1516. 

In the same German vein is their Weisse is Nice brew, which is a straw-colored wheat beer that doesn't have pronounced hops, but rather has cloves and citrus as the main flavors.

Tucked in Hooksett New Hampshire, White Birch Brewing is a small craft brewery that still produces all of their brews by hand. They're the hosts of the Southern New Hampshire Brewers Festival each year and make a point to help fundraise for community causes.

Double IPA, one of their flagship beers, was originally only available in growlers but demand soon caused it to be bottled as well. With a smooth flavor and a hoppy bite, it's easy to see why so many people are a fan.

Born out of a garage, Beach Haus now has their own brewery in seaside Belmar. Sea, sand, and sun are what inspire the brewing of their unique beers. Toast, a black IPA, is a hybrid that pairs the smoothness of dark ales with the flavors of blackcurrant, pine, and cedar wood.