(NEXSTAR) – Who’s in the mood for an expensive beer?
These days, it feels like you can’t throw a rock without hitting a craft brewery, or at least hitting someone who has a very strong opinion on craft beer. The number of U.S. microbreweries, taprooms and brewpubs has exploded over the last decade, from roughly 2,000 in 2010 to more than 9,000 in 2021, according to the Brewers Association.
Despite a slight dip in production during the pandemic (and current supply-chain snags), most of these breweries on track to keep pre-pandemic levels of beer flowing, too.
“While the boom in breweries of a few years before has certainly slowed, the continued growth in small breweries shows the solid foundation of demand for their businesses and beers,” Bart Watson, the chief economist of the Brewers Association, said in an April press release.
With so much craft beer to consider, and so many brewpubs to choose from, it’s undoubtedly daunting to settle on a destination for a draft or two. But luckily, the analysts at Yelp have sorted through thousands of user-generated reviews to determine which breweries are best-rated in your neck of the woods.
One quick note: The following list is based on reviews that not only considered the taste of each brewery’s beer, but also the ambiance or service at each establishment’s taproom, if they indeed serve beer on the premises.
Good? Alright, let’s hop to it, then: The top craft brewery* in each state, based on Yelp reviews, can be found below:
- Alabama — Good People Brewing, in Birmingham
- Alaska — Devil’s Club Brewing, in Juneau
- Arizona — Front Pourch Brewing, in Phoenix
- Arkansas — Gotahold Brewing, in Eureka Springs
- California — Home Brewing, in San Diego
- Colorado — Broken Compass Brewing, in Breckenridge
- Connecticut — Fox Farm Brewery, in Salem
- Delaware — Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, in Minton
- Florida — Florida Keys Brewing, in Islamorada
- Georgia — Variant Brewing, in Roswell
- Hawaii — Stewbum & Stonewall Brewing Co., in Honolulu
- Idaho — Daft Badger Brewing, in Coeur D’alene
- Illinois — Begyle Brewing, in Chicago
- Indiana — Guggman Haus Brewing Co, in Indianapolis
- Iowa — Jubeck New World Brewing, in Dubuque
- Kansas — Central Standard Brewing, in Wichita
- Kentucky — West Sixth Brewing, in Lexington
- Louisiana — Bywater Brew Pub, in New Orleans
- Maine — Allagash Brewing Company, in Portland
- Maryland — Streetcar 82 Brewing, in Hyattsville
- Massachusetts — Samuel Adams Brewery, in Boston
- Michigan — Ore Dock Brewing Company, in Marquette
- Minnesota — Junkyard Brewing Company, in Moorhead
- Mississippi — Natchez Brewing Company, in Natchez
- Missouri — Rochester Brewing and Roasting Company, in Kansas City
- Montana — Bonsai Brewing Project, in Whitefish
- Nebraska — Pals Brewing, in North Platte
- Nevada — IMBĪB Custom Brews, in Reno
- New Hampshire — Schilling Beer, in Littleton
- New Jersey — Eclipse Brewing, in Merchantville
- New Mexico — Truth or Consequences Brewing, in Truth or Consequences
- New York — TALEA Beer, in Brooklyn
- North Carolina — Whistle Hop Brewing Company, in Fairview
- North Dakota — Drekker Brewing Company, in Fargo
- Ohio — Noble Beast Brewing, in Cleveland
- Oklahoma — Stonecloud Brewing Company, in Oklahoma City
- Oregon — Boneyard Beer, in Bend
- Pennsylvania — Brew Gentlemen, in Braddock
- Rhode Island — Crooked Current Brewery, in Pawtucket
- South Carolina — Low Tide Brewing, Johns Island
- South Dakota — Remedy Brewing, in Sioux Falls
- Tennessee — Southern Grist Brewing, in Nashville
- Texas — Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling, in San Antonio
- Utah — Kiitos Brewing, in Salt Lake City
- Vermont — The Alchemist, in Stowe
- Virginia — Barley Naked Brewing Company, in Stafford
- Washington, D.C. — Other Half Brewing DC
- Washington — Georgetown Brewing Company, in Seattle
- West Virginia — Screech Owl Brewing, in Bruceton Mills
- Wisconsin — Vennture Brew, in Milwaukee
- Wyoming — Ten Sleep Brewing Company, in Ten Sleep
More information, and links to each brewery’s Yelp page, can be found at Yelp.com.
While the above breweries are certainly most popular with Yelp users, the sales figures of America’s top-producing craft breweries tell a different story. The most popular craft brewery in the U.S., in terms of sales volume, is Pennsylvania-based D. G. Yuengling & Son, followed by the Boston Beer Company of Massachusetts and the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, according to the Brewers Association.
*Craft breweries, as defined by the Brewers Association, must produce less than 6 million barrels per year. To qualify for the category, no more than 25% of the company can be owned or controlled by a larger, non-craft brewer. The brewery itself must also hold a TBB Brewer’s Notice and be actively producing beer.