Raise a glass! This North Carolina city’s beer scene ranks among the best in the US
North Carolina is home to one of the nation’s top-ranked beer scenes — again.
Asheville ranks No. 5 on a list of “best beer cities” in the United States. And one of Asheville’s bars — The Whale — landed the No. 6 spot on a separate list of top places to grab a cold one, according to results published Friday, Aug. 4.
Outside the beer hub of Asheville, other North Carolina destinations ranked among the nation’s most loved. Those include:
- Charlotte Beer Garden at No. 1 for beer gardens
- Raleigh Beer Garden at No. 3 for beer gardens
- Altered State Brewing in Raleigh at No. 3 for new breweries
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Mills River at No. 3 for brewery tours
- Boone at No. 6 for small-town beer scenes
- Brewgaloo in Raleigh at No. 7 for beer festivals
- Methodical at Funguys Brewing in Raleigh at No. 8 for beer labels
- Defensive Pancake at Divine Barrel Brewing in Charlotte at No. 10 for beer labels
The rankings came from USA Today’s 10Best, which creates best-of lists related to food, travel and activities. After a group of editors and drink experts considered top beer destinations, readers could vote on their favorites up to one time each day for a month. 10Best wouldn’t say how many people voted in an Aug. 7 email to McClatchy News.
On the resulting lists of readers’ choice award winners, Asheville was the only place in North Carolina to be named a top beer city. 10Best gave the popular mountain tourist town a nod for giving beer lovers “easy access to more than 100 local beers” at shops, breweries, and “friendly beer bars.”
Meanwhile, The Whale made its mark when it came to favorite places to get craft beer. While the bar has locations throughout the Carolinas, its Asheville location reigned supreme on the 10Best list.
“One of the most notable features are their ‘wild cards,’ which puts the bartender in charge to pour one of their most unique beers on the menu,” the report said.
The accolades might not come as a surprise, with Asheville previously receiving praise for its concentration of breweries and the tours they offer. For those who come hungry, the city’s food scene also was named one of the nation’s best, McClatchy News reported.
Overall, 10Best said the top U.S. beer bar was Pilot Project Brewing, which has locations in Chicago and Milwaukee.
Among the nation’s cities with the best beer scenes, Grand Rapids, Michigan, reigned supreme. Rounding out the top five:
- Philadelphia at No. 2
- Indianapolis at No. 3
- San Diego at No. 4
This story was originally published August 7, 2023 at 10:16 AM with the headline "Raise a glass! This North Carolina city’s beer scene ranks among the best in the US."
