Skip to main content

Plan your end-of-summer road trip: The 10 best beer cities to visit

Finish summer strong by visiting one of these 10 beer cities

A wheat beer and a pils are standing on a table in a beer garden
Katja / Adobe Stock

Sure, it’s great to spend time at home during the summer (and early fall) months. This is especially true if you have a nice back deck, patio, or pool (or all of the above) and a well-manicured lawn to play cornhole, ladder ball, or croquet. But, while it’s fun to be home on warm, sunny days, we believe summer deserves at least a few road trips. And while a day trip to a regional amusement park or to a state forest for a hike is great, we’d rather hop in our car and have the trip end with some liquid refreshment instead of nausea-inducing spinning teacups. Specifically, lagers, IPAs, and other thirst-quenching beers.

If you’re a beer fan and anything like us, you’ll want to take a day trip or vacation to a city that is chocked full of breweries, brewpubs, and other places to drink frosty brews. Luckily, since the U.S. is loaded with beer bars, brewpubs, and over 9,000 breweries, there are quite a few towns and cities well-worth hopping in your car and visiting.

We understand that figuring out where to take that road trip (or flight) is no easy task. There are seemingly countless cities with booming beer scenes. Lucky for you, we did the leg work (beer drinking), so you didn’t have to. We dwindled this massive number down to the ten best beer cities to visit this summer. Keep scrolling to see them all. Summer won’t be here for long. Get your beer-centric road trip plans set as soon as possible.

The Boston skyline
Jimmy Woo/Unsplash Jimmy Woo/Unsplash

Boston

Boston is a historic city. If you visit this summer, you can walk along Paul Revere’s Freedom Trail, stop into Faneuil Hall Marketplace, or take in a Red Sox game at iconic Fenway Park. You can also drink a lot of beer thanks to the city’s many beer halls, beer bars, and breweries like Night Shift, Trillium, Aeronaut, Notch, and Lamplighter.

Daniel Guerra/Unsplash Daniel Guerra/Unsplash

San Diego

If you’re an IPA fan (especially West Coast IPAs), you’re going to want to take a trip to San Diego. Not only does it appear to always be warm and sunny there, but you can mix in days at the beach or an afternoon at a Padres game with trips to local beer bars, brewpubs, and beloved breweries like Societe, North Park, AleSmith, Fall, and Pure Brewing Project.

Olivia Hodges/Unsplash Olivia Hodges/Unsplash

Grand Rapids

If you’ve ever seen the TV commercials, you probably already know that Michigan is a summer vacation destination. What you might not have known is that after you spent some time kayaking in Lake Michigan and visiting Mackinac Island, you’re going to want to take a trip to Grand Rapids. This city of less than 200,000 people is home to more than forty breweries. This includes standouts such as The Mitten, Brewery Vivant, City Built, and the wildly popular Founders Brewing Company.

PJ Frederick/Unsplash PJ Frederick/Unsplash

Asheville

The largest city in Western North Carolina is home to one of the most exciting beer scenes in the country. After you have visited The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, take the drive to Asheville. The city is home to myriad beer bars and brewpubs, as well as over forty breweries. Wicked Weed Funkatorium, Highland, Burial, and Hillman are just a few of the many breweries waiting for a visit.

Nick Fewings/Unsplash Nick Fewings/Unsplash

Philadelphia

The “City of Brotherly Love” is home to more than just the Liberty Bell and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The city and surrounding area are also home to more than 115 breweries (yes, you read that right). No stop in Philadelphia is complete with trips to Brewery ARS, Crime & Punishment, Human Robot, Triple Bottom, or Yards Brewing for a burger and a flight of beer.

peter bucks/Unsplash peter bucks/Unsplash

Portland, Oregon

It’s a toss-up between the two Portlands as to which one is the better beer town. While you can’t go wrong with Maine for its ‘Vacationland’ vibe, we tend to believe Portland, Oregon, has a slight advantage when it comes to beer. Can’t-miss breweries include Breakside, Great Notion, Ruse, Wayfinder, and Ex Novo.

Kristina Volgenau/Unsplash Kristina Volgenau/Unsplash

Tampa

You might think of Florida as only a place to travel if you’re going to an amusement park either featuring a boy wizard or a cartoon mouse. But after you visit these destinations, take a trip to Tampa and check out the beer scene. While Cigar City and its range of highly-rated beers is a big draw, the coastal city is also home to Coppertail, Zydeco, 7venth Sun, Angry Chair, and the popular Tampa Bay Brewing Company.

Cedric Letsch/Unsplash Cedric Letsch/Unsplash

Los Angeles

Travelers to Los Angeles might be there for the beaches, sun, and potential of running into a celebrity or two. But they’d be remiss if they didn’t seek out the beer as well. On top of all of the amazing restaurants and beer bars, the “City of Angels” and the surrounding area is home to Monkish, Highland Park, Homage, Golden Road, and Angel City Brewing.

Pedro Lastra/IUnsplash Pedro Lastra/IUnsplash

Chicago

Chicago is another city that’s a great summer road trip destination. The second city is home to two baseball teams, great museums, restaurants, iconic foods like the “Chicago-Style” hotdog, Italian beef, deep dish pizza, and a ton of great breweries. This includes Revolution, Half Acre, Dovetail, Pilot Project, and Off Color.

Acton Crawford/Unsplash

Denver

When it comes to outdoor adventures, you’ll have a tough time beating the appeal of Colorado on a summer or early fall day. But after an afternoon of hiking or mountain biking, you’ll likely want a respite from the heat. We suggest visiting one of Denver’s many beer bars and brewpubs or one of its many great breweries. This includes Wynkoop. Great Divide, TRVE, Call To Arms, and Crooked Stave.

Editors' Recommendations

Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional
Miller Lite’s simple hack for a cold beer all summer long is genius (and keeps selling out)
Get ready to kick yourself for not thinking of this hack before now
Glass of beer on black background

Every now and then, an idea comes along that has us wondering how in the world it took so long for something so obvious to come to light. Those forehead slapping why-didn't-I-think-of-that moments. Well, brace yourself, because you're about to experience one such moment, courtesy of Miller Lite. If you've ever had the frustrating experience of room-temperature beer and lacked the patience to wait for the refrigerator to do its job, this clever little hack is for you. Miller Lite isn't just releasing retro gear and Christmas tree keg stands — the company has just released beer cube trays.
While Miller Lite has come up with some interesting ideas in the past, we are completely on board with this one. The idea is simple — ice cubes made from frozen beer instead of water. The pros? Instantly chilled beer without the worry of watery ice cubes diluting the flavor.
The cons? None. There are no cons. This idea is brilliant. What's more is that the molds of Miller Lite's beer cube trays are shaped into adorable tiny little beer cans, making them perfect for slipping into your can of brew. Plus, they're freaking adorable. The only problem is that since their release, they've become so popular that Miller Lite can hardly keep them in stock, so get them if you can. (At the time of writing, three different drops had sold out, but the company site says more will be in stock Monday.)

Of course, frozen beer cubes can be made from any of your favorite beers, in any perfectly charmless old ice cube tray from the grocery store. Simply pour your favorite beer into an ice cube tray, freeze, and voila! Beer cubes. Sure, they may not be as cute as Miller Lite's, but the benefits are the same — ice-cold beer in mere moments. And no watered-down taste? Who cares what the damned tray looks like?
People have been using ice cube trays in non-water applications for ages. Coffee ice cubes have been a thing for a while now. Simply pour a little of that leftover coffee into trays and freeze for a great way to enjoy your cold brew all day long without fear of losing any of that preciously caffeinated flavor. Or cool down a punch bowl with cubes of your frozen concoction for an icy treat that will stay flavorful for the whole party. You can even use your ice cube trays to portion out and freeze fresh herbs in oil for summertime flavor in wintertime meals. The possibilities really are immense.
If we're honest, though, this has got to be the cleverest idea so far. And yet, perhaps the most frustrating one at the same time. So thanks, Miller Lite, for pointing out what should have been so glaringly obvious for decades now: That the answer to warm, tepid beer has been in our freezers this whole time. So excuse us,while we go and buy all the ice cube trays.

Read more
New Mexico road trip itinerary: These 3 incredible routes feature highlights and hidden gems
Ready for the ultimate New Mexico road trip? Here's where to go, what to do, and where to eat
Ghost ranch New Mexico

You know you deserve some time off to get out there and live a little, and that means planning a getaway. Few places beckon the wanderer quite like a New Mexico road trip. From the desert to the mountains, the ever-changing landscape is mesmerizing to watch as you work your way across the state in the Southwest U.S.

Following one (or all!) of these itineraries for different regions of the state will also lead you to fantastic food. "We cannot forget about the mouthwatering New Mexican cuisine and the variety of microbreweries and wineries," Brianna Gallegos, a New Mexico Tourism Board representative, said. While you'll find delicious restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and more along the way, you could even stock your car with local snacks, like Bisco Bites, the state's official cookie. Think shortbread cookies laced with spices like cinnamon, sugar, and anise. Once you have your car stocked, get ready to hit the highway for an amazing trip from corner to corner.

Read more
The 10 best recipe apps to channel your inner chef
Looking for a great home-cooked meal? Download these recipe apps, and you'll be cooking it up in no time
Man using smartphone while preparing food in the kitchen

We now spend a lot of time on our cell phones searching for recipes. Our new normal has led us to get in touch with our inner chefs. We also learned that searching for recipes via the web on your mobile device can be a laborious task in and of itself. And nine times out of 10, when you find a recipe that looks good, you're directed to a food blog where you have to scroll through pages of the author's story about the dish's history, where they got the ingredients, what the food means to them, and other SEO filler. Not to mention the pop-up ads!

If you haven't realized it by now, this is where recipe apps come in very handy. In some instances, you'll have to endure ads (mostly in free apps), but in most cases, recipe apps are direct and to the point. They take you to the recipe, with a clear list of ingredients and how to prepare them. They have a photo with the finished product (which you hope you can match), and that's it. Some apps even have set-by-set video instructions to walk you through the cooking process. Unlike food blogs, you can choose to click on additional content. Plus, depending on the app, they have many other valuable features. Some apps are dedicated to your dietary restrictions (plant-based/vegan, keto, etc.).

Read more