15 of the best breweries to visit right now

San Diego and Richmond, Virginia

The ninth largest brewery in the U.S., and the largest in Southern California, Stone Brewing Co. prides itself on creating beers with honesty, integrity and craftsmanship. Take a brewery tour or enjoy a meal at either of their breweries on both coasts, or visit one of their six taprooms — five in California and one in Virginia.

Windsor, California

Russian River’s 85,000-square-foot Windsor brewery includes a brewpub, outdoor beer garden, gift shop, tasting room/growler fills, guided and self-guided tours. Besides their four flagship beers, you’ll find several beers that are aged in wine barrels.

Breckenridge and Littleton, Colorado

The third-oldest craft brewery in Colorado, Breckenridge Brewery’s original location in downtown Breckenridge, and its larger facility in Littleton both offer brewery tours, delicious food and beers on tap. After taking one of their 90-minute brewery tours, you can enjoy views of the Rockies while sitting around a fire pit or playing bocce or corn hole. Their beer lineup includes nitro and seasonal brews.

Multiple locations

Iron Hill’s 21 locations — most are in Pennsylvania — all have an on-site brewery. Plan a long visit so you can enjoy some brews and delicious food. You won’t want to skip dessert, either. With every purchase of their signature Triple Chocolate Hill dessert, they donate to CureSearch for Children’s Cancer.

Multiple locations in Tennessee

Opened in 1996, Smoky Mountain Brewery is the oldest craft brewery in eastern Tennessee. Starting as a small operation in Gatlinburg, Smoky Mountain now has four locations in Tennessee, with six flagship beers and delicious food to accompany them. Enjoy a Black Bear ale while listening to live music.

Brooklyn, New York and Washington, D.C.

Founded in 2014, Other Half is “dedicated to collaborating with breweries both in New York as well as across the world in an effort to constantly move the industry forward while elevating the craft.” Try Green City, a hazy IPA, or the double IPA, Stacks on Stacks at their two locations in Brooklyn, or their taprooms in Washington D.C. and in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Los Angeles

Each Golden Road beer connects to California in some way: from the fruit cart vendors of LA, to Heal the Bay IPA, which benefits a nonprofit organization dedicated to cleaning Southern California’s waters. Tour the brewery in Atwater Village, or visit one of the five pubs throughout California.

Stowe, Vermont

Alchemist’s Stowe location hosts a brewery, tasting room and a lawn for parties and special events (they often have live music to enjoy while you sip your beer). The brand is done growing, making just 20,000 barrels a year, so visiting them and getting a signature Heady Topper brew is a special event.

Bend, Oregon

Pronounced “da shootz,” this brewery started small and now sells over 225,000 barrels of beer each year. There’s the Bend tasting room at the brewery, the Bend Public House, the Portland Public House, the Portland Airport Pub (perfect if you are merely in Portland for a layover) or, their East Coast tasting room in Roanoke, Virginia.

Bellaire, Michigan

The Bellaire brewpub is housed in their former brewery inside a 120-year-old hardware store, now with a beer garden, food and a “brewtique.” You can tour the new brewery at their Elk Rapids location. Shorts has also released new drink brands Starcut Ciders and Beaches Hard Seltzer.

Kansas City, Missouri

Inspired by drinking Belgian beers while vacationing in Europe, founder John McDonald was determined to bring quality beer to the United States. Opened in 1989, Boulevard now has nine year-round brews, and several seasonal and special-edition ones. Plus, they expanded to produce signature cocktail cans as well as hard seltzer.

Charlton, Deerfield and Sandwich, Massachusetts

There is a Twitter account dedicated to Tree House Brewery’s famously long lines, so be prepared when planning your visit. But don’t let that deter you. Their online ordering system will ensure you get the beer you want, and Tree House recently opened two new locations, one in Sandwich on Cape Cod, and the other in Deerfield in western Massachusetts. You can buy up to two draft pour tickets in advance online to use at the brewery’s original Charlton location, but the tickets must be redeemed on the day you buy them.

Kalamazoo and Comstock, Michigan

Bell’s Brewery has come a long way since founder Larry Bell brewed his first beer in a 15-gallon soup pot 35 years ago. With nine signature brews, several seasonal and special edition brews, you can tour the Comstock brewery for a first-hand view of the modern brewing process, or the original Kalamazoo brewery, also featuring the Eccentric Cafe, Bell’s full-service restaurant.

Portland, Maine

Allagash’s Belgian-inspired beers are some of the best in the country, and to ensure the Belgian tradition, the company treats employees who have been with the company for five years to a trip to Belgium. Make sure you try their For Maine, With Love series, which is made exclusively for drinking and purchasing at the brewery.

San Diego, Long Beach and Anaheim, California

Besides the patio, fire pit, games and ocean views in Long Beach, fun events like “Sips and Succulents” and beginner homebrew classes make Ballast a favorite spot. Started in the late 1990s by a group of homebrewers, Ballast features year-round beers including the award-winning IPA Sculpin and the official craft beer of the San Diego Padres, Swingin’ Friar Ale.