Top Rated Breweries
Whether you’re in the mood for a juicy IPA or a well-rounded amber ale, there are a ton of great breweries across the country to check out.
These breweries are making exceptional suds while also doing good for their communities at large. From female-owned breweries to those that support the Latinx community, here are 15 of the best in 2022!
Saint Arnold
Saint Arnold is a well-known Texas craft brewery that delivers world class beers to its customers as fresh as possible. The brews are available in bars, restaurants and grocery stores throughout the state.
The 25,000-square-foot facility is open seven days a week and features forward-thinking architecture, art from local artists, and a beer garden. Visitors can enjoy an array of pizzas, salads, sandwiches and shareable plates.
Known for its impressive list of beers, Saint Arnold is a popular choice for many Houstonians. The brewer offers twelve year round beers and seven seasonal ones.
They also offer a variety of single batch brews that you may not find elsewhere. Some of their most popular beers include Lawnmower German-style kolsch, Headliner blonde ale, Daydream American saison, 5 O’Clock Pilsner, and many others.
Their newest addition is a cathedral-inspired restaurant and beer garden that’s perfect for enjoying craft beers with friends and family. The menu includes classic favorites such as the Crawfish Roll and Amber Ale Bratwurst, plus some more interesting dishes like smoked salmon and lamb meatballs.
Saint Arnold’s IPAs have garnered some major attention. The Art Car IPA is a great example of the company’s artistic efforts, featuring wild-style graffiti artwork designed by local street artist GONZO247. It’s a colorful brew with bold red and yellow lettering.
Real Ale
Real Ale is the name of a type of beer that’s “brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide”. While other types of beers may be filtered and pasteurized, “real” cask ales still have live yeast in them and aren’t bottled or served under a gassy artificial “keg” atmosphere.
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is responsible for raising awareness of cask ales and helping to keep them in pubs throughout England. The organization works hard to lower beer taxes, push for pub-friendly legislation and introduce new generations to the joys of cask ales.
While many craft breweries in the United States are attempting to replicate the traditional brewing process, few have been successful. For this reason, CAMRA is urging the public to continue to support their favorite independent brewers through mail order.
One of these breweries is Real Ale in Blanco, Texas. This small town in the Hill Country is known for its “laid back Hill Country experience.”
In addition to their brewed-on-site brews, this brewery offers a wide range of spirits and a “great selection of flights.” You can also buy beer to go. The staff is super friendly and they “do a great job of hosting events with an awesome taproom and party area.”
Austin Beerworks
Austin Beerworks is one of the most popular breweries in the city, offering a wide variety of beers and an equally large taproom and patio. Their core beers are available year-round, but they also do a lot of experimental brewery-only releases.
Founded in 2011 by Michael Graham, Michael McGovern, Will Golden and Adam DeBower, Austin Beerworks produces a range of craft lagers, ales and IPAs that are widely distributed throughout the area. Their mainstays, Peacemaker Anytime Ale and Pearl Snap German-style Pilsner, are easy-drinking favorites, but they’re only the start of their beers.
Their seasonal beers are a fun way for them to branch out and experiment with recipes, names and packaging design. The colorful, whimsical designs feature minimal text and bold colors to attract beer fans and keep the beer fresh.
With a goal to build the “greatest beer playground in town,” Austin Beerworks is preparing to open a second taproom in northeast Austin. The new location will feature 20 taps featuring some of the brewery’s standards like Pearl Snap and Fire Eagle, as well as beers still in development.
In addition to the new taproom, Austin Beerworks is aiming to expand its production capacity. The new brewing system will give the brewery the ability to make 40,000 barrels per year, double its current production level. It will also allow the brewery to do more testing of its beers, Graham said.
Live Oak
Live Oak Brewing is one of the oldest breweries in Austin, and they specialize in old-world style lagers and ales from Central Europe. They produce four year-round beers, as well as over 20 seasonal beers.
Their signature beer is the Hefeweizen, a wheat-based ale modeled after the German tradition. They also have a few other interesting offerings such as the Berliner Weisse and Grodziskie, an old-fashioned Polish beer that’s made with smoked malt.
The brewery was started by two of Austin’s own home brewers, Chip McElroy and Brian Peters. They brewed for several years in an East Austin facility, and when they were ready to move on, they expanded their operations to a new location along the Colorado River in Southeast Austin.
It was here that they found a property with plenty of room to expand their production and create the large taproom and biergarten they’ve been dreaming of for a while now. WGI helped them with their construction project, which included a new 18,000 square foot brewing and taproom building.
The brewery uses a decoction mash for their brewing process, which results in richer and more complex flavors than traditional step mashing. They also utilize open fermentation and secondary lagering to ensure they capture the full malty and spicy flavor that makes Central European beer so unique.
Luppolo
If you are in the market for a top notch brew in Vancouver, then Luppolo is a great place to start. They have some amazing beers and their brewing capabilities are on display from the moment you enter the tasting room.
The brewery has a great food and beer menu, which features pizza and a full bar with a good selection of craft beers on tap. They are also a part of the BeerVan collective which has a number of small and family-owned local breweries.
There is an extensive selection of beer ranging from traditional beers to experimental styles and some interesting blends. The brewery has an impressive kitchen that serves up a variety of Italian dishes such as cured meats and cheeses. They have also partnered with Mordimi, an authentic Italian pizzeria, to serve up some of the best pizza you can find in Vancouver.
They have a few interesting beers on tap, including a bottle-conditioned homage to the best-selling Birrificio Italiano Tipopils and a dry-hopped pilsner that shows off the brewery’s terroir with a bang. The best part is they have a nice patio to enjoy your beer and the company of other brew lovers in the neighborhood.
Storm
Big Storm Brewery is a great place to hang out for craft beer and bar bites. It also has a lot of entertainment and special events. The brewery is located in Cape Coral, Florida and has 16 taps, wine, cider, hand-crafted soda, and bar bites.
It has a great tasting room and is very popular. The staff is friendly and helpful, the food menu is good, and there are plenty of beers to choose from.
I’ve never tried a bad beer at this place. They always have a ‘brainstorm’ brewing, which are brave, experimental batches that are only available for a limited time. They’re usually based on one of their core recipes.
You’ll want to check this place out if you’re a Vancouverite! They’re the oldest independently run craft brewery in the city. They have a great selection of beers and are very unpretentious.
They have a variety of different flavors of beers to choose from, including sours and ciders. They also offer a few vodka seltzers.
They’re open on weekends, and the drinks are cheap. They have TVs, pool tables, and corn hole boards. They also have live music on certain days of the week. They also have trivia on Thursdays and open mic every Sunday. They also have beer and wine flights and growler fills.
Rahr & Sons
Founded in 2004 by Fritz and Erin Rahr, this Fort Worth brewery is a major local hangout spot. They have a core line up of 6 year round beers and 4 seasonals.
They are currently distributed in most of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. They have also captured 50 nationally recognized awards.
The brewery is based in a warehouse south of downtown Fort Worth, Texas and has been brewing since 2004. Its brewers have over 80 years of combined experience and their beers are brewed in accordance with traditional German recipes.
This brewery produces a wide range of beers including American Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, and Black Beer. They also have a number of different seasonals and specialty beers.
One of their best beers is a Schwarzbier called Ugly Pug which has a surprisingly light body and a great coffee flavor that goes well with any meal. It’s the perfect beer to drink on a warm Texas summer day!
They brew many more varieties and are a family run business. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful! They offer many discounts, free tastings and tours. You can also buy their beer at local grocery stores or online through their website.