America’s craft beer industry has transformed the landscape for beer fans. Once a rare anomaly, independent craft breweries are now commonplace in cities large and small with most of the U.S. population living within a reasonable drive of at least one brewery or brewpub.
Of course, not all cities are as awash in beer as others and the folks at SmartAsset have once again published their rankings of the Best Cities for Beer Drinkers. They studied 384 cities and ranked them according to an index based on four factors:
- Breweries per 100,000 Residents
- Average Number of Beers per Brewery
- Bars per 100,000 Residents
- Average Price of a Pint
Based on the information above, SmartAsset ranked the best places to kick back with a delicious brewski and, for the second year in a row, Cincinnati, Ohio took the top spot. The state of Ohio, in fact, landed five cities in the Top 50, which tied it with Colorado for the state with the most cities on the list.
Chicago boasts the most total breweries with a cool 100 (!) located within its city borders. San Diego claims 77 breweries and I expected to see it ranked higher, but it finished in 43rd place, due mainly to the relatively low number of bars per 100,000 population and the high average cost of a pint.
One needs to bear in mind that the data includes only the breweries, bars, etc. that are located completely within the city. Metropolitan areas and nearby suburbs are not counted.
So, without further ado, here are the Top 50 cities for beer lovers, according to SmartAsset:
I have a friend who is going to love this post. He’s a huge fan of beer. It’s like wine tasting for him. This is a great resource!
I am not drinking beer. But my friend in Chicago loves drinking beer. I think will forward this post for him. He would be happy to see this
I love this roundup you’ve laid out! While I typically don’t go for a beer, I do enjoy one every once in a while — definitely while travelling, too try the different varieties!
For me, beer is part of every travel excursion. Like you said, it’s fun to try the different varieties popular to different parts of the country.
I love beer and I would say that Up here in Canada we have good beer too.
I haven’t been to Canada in about 20 years! Would love to take in the brewery scene in one of the larger cities.
I am not a beer drinker but I did visit Belgium and enjoyed learning about the different types of beer. I’ll send your post to my friend who is a huge beer fan.
My friends like beer a lot. I’ll send this article to them so that they can explore the best beer around their neighborhoo.d
Didn’t think Asheville would be on there
Asheville made it because the city has such a large number of breweries relative to the population.
My friend would love this post! He specialized in beer and he travels the whole world just to drink beer!
I wish there was a list like this for Mexico, the country I´m living in. Beer is the international ultimate alcoholic drink! We all deserve to know where the best beer´s at!
That’s a great list! Would love to visit these places and try the best drinks they offer.