As 2022 winds down, we’re all looking forward to the year ahead. Plotting, strategizing, dreaming… This might include professional goals, romantic goals, and even travel. And while we totally understand the importance of the first two, we’re most concerned with that the latter.
Especially when that travel surrounds beer.
We make it a goal to visit a few new out-of-the-way breweries and lesser-known beer cities every year. Sure, we also visit the hot spots as well. Taking a trip to Denver or San Diego means you’ll be immersed in beer culture you don’t see in most places. But part of the fun of visiting an underrated or up-and-coming beer destination is the excitement of finding something new and seeing beer culture grow and evolve.
To help us uncover the best beer cities to visit in 2023, we went to the professionals for help. We asked a few well-known brewers and craft beer experts to tell us their picks for the most underrated, up-and-coming, off-the-beaten-path beer cities. Keep scrolling to see all of their beer-drenched selections.
San Luis Obispo
Dave Ziolkowski, head brewer at Arts District Brewing Company in Los Angeles
The larger area outside of San Luis Obispo on the central coast is cleaning up right now on their critical recognition. The stretch from Pismo to Paso is packed with medal-winning beer that is relatively young but founded by royal institutions. Wild Fields Brewhouse and The Does Not Exist are the musts.
Other Breweries Include:
Antigua Brewing Company, Oak and Otter Brewing Company, Barrelhouse Brewing, and SLO Brew Rock.
New York City
Dave Lopez, founder of Gun Hill Publick House in Brooklyn, New York
I may be a little biased, but with so many creatives in the beer space, New York is without a doubt the most underrated and upcoming beer city. Because of intense competition from non-New York breweries, many of the extremely talented local breweries often get overlooked and are not given the time of day by many bars and restaurants. However, New York and New York City have done a tremendous job of allowing our breweries to expand via the addition of secondary tasting rooms that provide enhanced access to the end consumer.
Our expansion of Gun Hill is a great example. We joined a community of locally owned breweries and distilleries at Industry City on Brooklyn’s waterfront in Sunset Park. Included in that space is another satellite location for Big aLICe Brewing. Very few cities allow for the housing of a group of brewers and distillers offering up a mixed selection of spots to seek out locally sourced and creative beverages.
Other Breweries Include:
Alewife Brewing, The Bronx Brewery, Interboro Spirits and Ales, and Other Half Brewing.
Tucson, Arizona
Zach Fowle, advanced cicerone and head of marketing at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix, Arizona
Tucson is the Austin of Arizona. It’s a funky, artsy, weird, left-leaning enclave that feels satisfyingly out of place with the rest of the state. The city punches above its weight in both brewery quantity (18 last I checked) and quality. Pueblo Vida Brewing Co. does hazy IPAs (and label artwork) as well as any brewery in the country. Dragoon Brewing Co. has for a long while made what might be the most reliably awesome West Coast IPA in the state. Borderlands Brewing Co., Crooked Tooth Brewing Co., and Motosonora Brewing Co. are all likewise creating beers both intriguing and excellent.
Tucson’s also home to the Tap & Bottle, which deserves a spot in the beer bar/bottleshop hall of fame.
Other Breweries Include:
Barrio Brewing, 1912 Brewing, Firetruck Brewing, and Thunder Canyon Brewery.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Wes Burbank, head brewer at Flix Brewhouse in San Antonio
I love the Albuquerque beer scene. It has a really nice balance of bigger breweries making excellent beer (La Cumbre, Ex Novo, Marble, Bosque) alongside smaller places that are also producing some really quality beer lately. Gravity Bound is a standout, alongside Sobremesa, Canteen, and Flix Brewhouse (what’s better than a brewpub with a top-tier movie theatre attached to it?!). In particular, there are some really great IPAs and lagers getting produced by these and other breweries around town.
Other Breweries Include:
Bow & Arrow Brewing, High and Dry Brewing, The 377 Brewery, and Rio Bravo Brewing Company.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Kaylen Gibbens, assistant brewmaster at Widmer Brothers Brewing in Portland, Oregon
I was in Charlotte, North Carolina earlier this year and definitely had some great beer. I think it gets overshadowed by Asheville in terms of being a beer city, but I really enjoyed Hopfly and Wooden Robot when I was there. Really nice beer and a cool ambiance at both spots. It’s an up-and-coming area with a mix of larger and smaller breweries springing up all the time. If you’re going to Asheville, make a detour to visit Charlotte as well.
Other Breweries Include:
Catawba Brewing, NoDa Brewing, Sycamore Brewing, and Birdsong Brewing.
St. Louis
Ryan Joy, lead brewer at Green Flash Brewery in San Diego
St. Louis. While there definitely are some well-known heavy hitters in the St. Louis area (Side Project, Perennial), some under-the-radar breweries are doing some great things too. Narrow Gauge plays heavy in the haze game but has also produced some solid lagers and complex and interesting mixed culture beers. The Italian food is awesome too. Head to Urban Chestnut for some great lager or Civil Life for classic English pub-style ale. While St. Louis has long been known for one big beer brand, the craft beer scene is on the rise.
Other Breweries Include:
4 Hands Brewing, Alpha Brewing, Blue Wood Brewing, and 2nd Shift Brewing.
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Garth E. Beyer, certified Cicerone® and owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin
The Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) have to be the most underrated beer cities, at least in the Midwest. I lop them together because one is basically spitting distance from the other. Whether you hit up one or both (easy in a single day), you’ll leave thinking how amazing of a beer temple each is. The breweries in the twin cities win at both making incredible beers across every style imaginable and being gorgeous breweries to visit – from eclectic indoor taprooms to ridiculously spacious, dog-friendly outdoor patios. Here are a few that should be on your must-visit list: Lake Monster (St. Paul), Bad Weather Brewing Company (St. Paul), Lakes & Legends (Minneapolis), and Pryes Brewing (Minneapolis).
Other Breweries Include:
Dangerous Man Brewing, Modist Brewing, Surly Brewing Company, and Indeed Brewing.
Boise
Max Shafer, brew master at Roadhouse Brewing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Boise, Idaho. I cannot begin to tell you how underrated the beer scene is in Boise. With incredibly close proximity to Idaho’s hop-growing region, the brewers in Boise have access to hops that most brewers dream of. One of my go-to breweries in Boise is Boise Brewing Company. The team at Boise Brewing is making incredibly drinkable and well-balanced beers. Beyond the many other great breweries, you will find plenty of amazing beer bars, like Matlack’s, and great bottle shops like Boise Co-op.
Other Breweries Include:
Payette Brewing, White Dog Brewing, Lost Grove Brewing, and Edge Brewing Company.
Yakima, Washington
Jeremy Marshall, brew master at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California
I wish I traveled more, but I go to Chicago frequently since we built our brewery there in 2014, and that market has really matured and exploded since then. However, when really considering a maturing and underrated market, I must shout out Yakima, Washington, home of the Bert Grant’s Yakima Brewing from 1982 and the magical valley of hop production. Us craft brewers descend upon Yakima for an annual pilgrimage, Over the past five years, the area has massively stepped up its beer game. Known as a predominantly blue-collar and agricultural landscape, it’s still true that the average beer drinker reaches for some sort of macro-brewed yellow lager, but there’s just too much access to amazing hops at a stone’s throw to not see this area explode. Recent additions are Balebreaker, Single Hill, Varietal Brewing and I would be unsurprised to hear of more coming. You could argue that this area doesn’t have the demand — but come hop harvest, they sure do.
When we show up thirsty, the super mature neighboring markets of Portland and Seattle are there to happily sponge up the rest of the demand.
Other Breweries Include:
Hop Capital Brewing, Valley Brewing, 5th Line Brewing, and Wandering Hop Brewery.
Baltimore
Judy Neff, founder and head brewer at Checkerspot Brewing Company in Baltimore
I may be biased, but the Baltimore craft brewery scene is up and coming. Over the next year, the development in the Baltimore Entertainment District is being finished and this will be the area with a concentration of new breweries (the Brewery District), in addition to venues like Top Golf, the casino, and music venues, and all right by Ravens Stadium and Camden Yards (where the Orioles play). It’s a great city to play as well as drink great beer.
Other Breweries Include:
Flying Dog Brewery, Suspended Brewing Company, Union Craft Brewing, and Full Tilt Brewing.
