I wandered into Kenny’s — an adorable minimalist eatery that recently opened in an exposed pipe, wood floor, wide-open room — looking for advice from locals. The staff is super friendly (and hip!). The manager says many of the places like Wanderlinger Brewing are new. I asked if now was the time to open a business or buy property in this rapidly developing, tucked away section of Chattanooga. The answer is yes.

The city is attracting everyone from creative entrepreneurs to foodies and beer geeks. If you’re looking to explore this new Southern hot spot, here’s a walkable guide to Chattanooga’s southside breweries.

(VISIT: Find a U.S. Brewery)

Chattanooga Brewing Co.

The folks behind Chattanooga’s oldest brewery seek to connect to the past.

“This area had a large German-speaking population in those days, and our namesake produced high quality beers for the community,” says Mark Marcum, co-owner of Chattanooga Brewing Co.

The original CBC opened in 1890 and inspire the name of their mug club. Prohibition closed it down 25 years later.

Today, the brewery sits across the street from Finley Stadium, home for Chattanooga FC, an amateur soccer team, along with University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s football and soccer teams. Home of easy-drinking beers, CBC’s most popular brew is the Chestnut St. Brown Ale. Be sure to try it before or after catching a game.

(READ: The American Brown Ale Beer Style is Anything But Boring)

Wanderlinger Brewing Co.

Southside also has the distinction of being home to The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, which certainly adds to its charm and infuses the area with a youthful persona.

In fact, brothers and co-owners Chris and Mike Dial fell in love with the city during their college days when Mike would make the nearly two-hour drive from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

“It was only natural to decide to open our business together in this vibrant, amazing city,” says Chris. “Chattanooga is becoming a mini-Asheville. With 10 breweries and more to come, we are creating a brewery destination city in an already amazing city that draws in folks from all over the country.”

He foresees five to seven more breweries opening within the next three years. The walkability between seven of Chattanooga’s current breweries certainly makes the budding city attractive to hopheads, Chris says.

And like Chattanooga Brewing Co., Wanderlinger aimed to honor the city’s rich history by revitalizing a 110-year-old building, which took three years to renovate.

Bonus: It’s kid-friendly until 8 p.m. and pet-friendly all the time. There’s music three nights a week, and they often have food trucks.

As Chris says, Wanderlinger is all about guests “lingering” as long as they’d like.

(TRAVEL: 2019 Great American Beer Bars)

Hutton & Smith Brewing Company

For Melanie and Joel Kratstrunk, Chattanooga’s sizzling potential as one of the country’s next amazing craft beer hubs drew them to move and open Hutton & Smith Brewing Company in 2015.

“Chattanooga has a real outdoor community, and the people here are friendly — [it’s] growing exponentially. I expect to see at least twice the number of breweries here in the next three years,” Melanie says.

Hutton & Smith is best-known for three of its IPAS: Igneous, a dry-hopped IPA; Bivoauc, a black IPA, and Promenade, a juicy IPA.

Melanie also nails exactly why Chattanooga is on the brink of big things: “[It has] all the benefits of a big city in a small town, and many of the breweries here are in a walkable distance from either another brewery, or a great local attraction.”

More Chattanooga Breweries

Of course, you can add many more breweries to your beercation agenda in Chattanooga.

There is the new Naked River Brewing across the stadium from Chattanooga Brewing. Heaven & Ale Brewing Co. is in an industrial-chic spot. OddStory offers a sleek lounge vibe, and long-standing Terminal Brewhouse, inside a flatiron building that abuts the former train station.

Southside has some darling vacation rentals popping up as locals realize how lucrative Chatt’s growing tourism market can be.

Keep in mind that besides the amazing walkability of this up-and-coming city, you can also jump on the Choo Choo. The free shuttle will cart you to and from downtown.

The post Chattanooga, the South’s Next Hot Craft Brewery Destination appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Portlanders love their locally-produced brews. The seaside city was a pioneering force in the East Coast craft beer crusade and the brewing scene has only gained momentum. High-profile Portland breweries such as Allagash Brewing and Maine Beer Company have been joined by an expanding collection of upstart beermakers, elevating the coastal community to a premier beercation destination.

(BEER TRAVEL: Plan a Brewery Road Trip)

Beyond Portland’s bustling Old Port is the East End district. A largely residential area, the East End is undergoing a transformation as coffee shops, farm-to-table restaurants and other locally-focused businesses are sprouting like wildflowers, infusing a positive energy through the neighborhoods. A concentration of breweries provides gathering spots for residents, as well as destinations for a growing influx of beer-loving visitors. In fact, the East End has become a hotbed of fermentation as a winery, cidery, meadery and several distilleries have all set up shop here, with more adult beverage businesses in the works. The East End is well-deserving of its nickname, the “Yeast End.”

The brewery walking tour described below begins just east of Portland’s Old Port and takes you across the Portland Peninsula, with visits to four breweries. The total distance is just over a mile.

Shipyard Brewing

A wily veteran of Maine’s craft beer scene, Shipyard Brewing began life in a former shipyard in 1992 and moved to its current large production facility two years later. The business has grown into Maine’s largest brewing operation, and 28th nationally.

The expansive gift shop is evidence of the brewery’s popularity among tourists. Hour-long tours are offered Wednesday through Saturday. While many breweries who are a similar size as Shipyard have installed highly-automated brewing systems, the Shipyard system remains a largely hands-on operation. Of special interest are the rarely-seen open fermenters, ranging in size from 50 barrels to an impressive 300 barrels.

(FALL SEASONALS: Oh My Gourd: Offbeat Pumpkin Beers for 2017)

The tasting room dispenses over a dozen mostly session-strength beers. The brewery’s flagship is Export, an unassuming golden ale originally created to appeal to the many Canadians who vacation on the Maine coast. Shipyard’s largest seller is its seasonal Pumpkinhead, which was first brewed in 1996 and is distributed in 40 states. While the brewery has an old school feel, they try to keep things fresh with new brews such as the recently-introduced line of tea-infused beers.

Oxbow Blending and Bottling

The short walk to your next stop will take you past the Eastern Cemetery, established in 1668. A short stroll through the grounds is a worthwhile diversion.

Oxbow Blending and Bottling is tucked discreetly down a short alleyway adjacent to a brick structure housing a meadery and distillery. Beyond the nondescript exterior is an airy warehouse-like space that’s been tastefully imbued with an artsy look and feel. Picnic tables and a long copper bar populate the large tasting room. A short wall separates drinkers from the production area. Rows of wooden barrels stacked floor-to-ceiling mostly obscure a collection of stainless fermenters lined up along a wall displaying an intriguing graffiti-style mural.

Oxbow’s farmhouse-style beers are brewed on a farm located about an hour north in Newcastle, then trucked to the Portland facility where mixed culture fermentation, barrel-aging, blending and packaging take place. The house beers are an interesting assortment of dry-hopped, sour and fruited saisons, grisettes and other styles that are both approachable and nuanced, making for a rewarding tasting experience.

Rising Tide Brewing Company

In 2010, longtime homebrewer and Portland native, Nathan Sanborn, decided to test the waters of commercial brewing by opening a modest one-barrel nanobrewery. Two years later, Sanborn went full throttle, expanding the brewhouse to a 15-barrel operation, and eventually adding a tasting room. From its humble beginnings, Rising Tide is now riding a wave of popularity.

The brewery’s easy-going ambiance attracts both thirsty locals and out-of-towners enjoying Portland’s vibrant beer culture. A variety of indoor seating options is supplemented by a fleet of picnic tables on the parking-lot-turned-patio, where crowds gather for warm weather imbibing.

Heather Sanborn, Nathan’s business partner and wife, is a former lawyer and past-president of the Maine Brewers’ Guild. Her work helping legalize brewery tasting rooms in the state was an important step in elevating Maine’s reputation as a great beer destination.

Rising Tide’s brewhouse produces beers in a wide range of genres. Maine Island Trail Ale, a hoppy session ale, is a longtime crowd pleaser. Partial proceeds from the beer go to the Maine Island Trail Association, an organization dedicated to protecting the wild islands of the Maine coast.

Lone Pine Brewing Company

Although Lone Pine is a relative newcomer to the local beer scene, it has made a big splash among Maine’s beer devotees. This is largely due to the runaway success of Portland Pale Ale, which drew instant accolades when the fledgling brewery opened in the spring of 2016. The eminently quaffable American Pale Ale is now on tap at 120 locations throughout the state.

Lone Pine specializes in American-style hoppy beers. That’s just fine with local hopheads who flock to the brewery to linger over pints of IPAs, double IPAs and, of course, the pale ale. On Thursdays, brewery fans line up en masse outside the peach-pink building when new canned offerings are released to the public.

On occasion, Lone Pine tones down its hop obsession to brew more esoteric creations featuring locally-sourced ingredients. One example is the Maple Coffee Brown Ale brewed with Maine maple syrup. An earthier formulation is the Chaga Stout, brewed with health-enhancing Maine Chaga mushrooms.

A modestly-sized tasting room is furnished with a few cushy sofas contributing to a relaxed vibe. An assortment of board games encourages you to kick back for an extended stay at your final stop on the Portland East End walking tour.

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The post A Walkable Guide to Portland, Maine’s East End Breweries appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Arvada’s Roots in the Gold Rush

Full disclosure, I happen to call Arvada my town. (I like to freak out my co-workers by telling them about life outside the Boulder bubble.)

Pronunciation: are-vad-uh. Don’t be throwing a lazy “a” in there. “Vad” like dad or rad, like Colorado.

Located seven miles from Denver and a half-hour from Boulder, Arvada is central to some of the state’s most vaunted craft beer strongholds. You’ll also find plenty of Old West history to boot.

(LEARN: CraftBeer.com’s Big List of Beer Schools)

What is now the city of Arvada is near the site of the first documented gold discovery in the Rocky Mountain region. In June 1850, a gold prospector by the name of Lewis Ralston found a quarter ounce gold nugget in what would later be known as Ralston Creek. The next day, he and his pals packed up and headed to California.

Eight years later Ralston and his group returned and many decided to stay near the creek Ralston originally found gold, sparking the widely-held ritual of the Californian pilgrimage to Colorado which we all know is still followed to this day.

Today I’d argue the gold comes in the form of our breweries, all within view of the water tower. Here’s your walkable guide to Olde Town Arvada breweries and craft beer destinations.

A Guide to Olde Town Arvada Breweries

Yak & Yeti Brewpub

Ralston Creek’s connection to Clear Creek and the town west of Arvada, Golden, made it very much a Coors town when I moved to Arvada. At the time, Arvada had one brewery, Yak & Yeti, formerly the Cheshire Cat. It’s located across on Ralston Rd., just a smidge outside of the Olde Town district.

The Yak is a picturesque (and many believe haunted) house turned Indian, Tibetan and Nepalese restaurant. The brew system, leftover from the Cheshire Cat, is crammed into the basement forcing brewers over the years to navigate steep stairs. Brewing is a challenge. An expansion is impossible.

(LEARN: CraftBeer.com’s Big Beer Glossary)

Recently, Yak & Yeti announced that it had spun off brewing operations into Spice Trade Brewing. The hope is that beer lovers will have access to their award-winning beer, now under the direction of Jeff Tyler, around town. (I’ll still look for the authentic experience: trudging to Yak & Yeti during a snow storm for the buffet and a few pints of their Chai Milk Stout.)

“Arvada definitely has a much more vibrant beer and food scene than most people realize,” says Tyler. “We’re excited to be part of such a great beer scene in Arvada along with Odyssey Beerwerks, New Image, Someplace Else and now Denver Beer Co. More than just beer, Olde Town Arvada has morphed into an awesome food and drink hub that gives Denver a run for its money.”

If amazing Indian food isn’t your thing, you can hop across the street to 4 Barrel BBQ for some Meleguta Wings, a giant tray of pork rinds, or the Arvada Hash, which is a pile of grilled smashed tater tots smothered in green chili and pulled pork. Grab an Upslope Craft Lager to wash it down — especially the wings; you should probably ask to test the heat level of the Meleguta sauce before you commit.

The Route from New Image Brewing to Kline’s Beer Hall

If you follow Yukon Street south, New Image Brewing sits a block and a half away. There you will find some of the most exciting beers in Colorado right now. The brewery has been making waves with kombucha blended saison, complex high gravity sippers and an increasing array of hazy pales, notably East Coast Transplant, a reminder of the state’s current influx.

In a short time, New Image has worked to put the brewery and the town on the beer map. Head Brewer Brandon Capps recognizes the Olde Town area has evolved: “When I first starting coming to Olde Town it didn’t have a ton going on,” writes Capps. “I’ve always likened Arvada to a small town in metro Atlanta called Decatur. It has a really cool historic downtown area that hosts some of the best food and drink in the state including several breweries.”

(VISIT: 2017’s Great American Beer Bars)

Despite the increase in breweries and bars, Capps likes that the town has remained true to its historical district demeanor.

“The demographic is not so much the party scene like you get downtown, but the slightly more eclectic foodie and drink enthusiasts,” he says. “We’re already seeing the transformation and that demographic is perfect for us as a craft brewery that also specializes in innovative cocktails and food.”

New Image’s aforementioned cocktail program and menu fits nicely with a Flora or Dyad at their communal tables. Once settled up, you can depart through their beer garden in the back into the alley and continue on your conquest of Olde Town Arvada.

Reaching Olde Wadsworth, you’d likely be drawn to the flickering torch lights or live music from the upstairs of Arvada Tavern, which is another great place for food, craft beer and to marvel at the highly-trained bartenders. Their sister pub, Kline’s Beer Hall, in the old D-Note, is a more beer focused experience with an impressive long draw system serving up local and regional craft beers to go with house-cured sausages. You’ll find Kline’s off of Grandview, but keep your eye on the prize because you could get distracted by Homegrown Tap & Dough‘s equally impressive draft selection or Scrumptious candy shop for ice cream.

Denver Beer Co. Olde Town

If you weren’t certain of Arvada’s rising beer stock, the grand opening of Denver Beer Co. in the former Chevrolet dealership on Olde Wadsworth is a defining boon to the beerscape. Co-owners Charlie Berger and Patrick Crawford came upon the building when they were walking through Olde Town after scouting equipment from the defunct Arvada Beer Co. They didn’t end up purchasing ABC’s equipment, but the two came upon the old building and saw the potential.

“It felt kinda perfect,” explained Berger. “It felt homie.”

Crawford and Berger promise Denver Beer Co. fans can expect DBC’s core favorites like Raspberry Princess Yum Yum and Graham Cracker Porter, but recognize that Arvada will be different from their Denver location. They anticipate adventurous palates in Olde Town and are excited to showcase a new strawberry kettle sour at their grand opening in mid-June.

“It’s an exciting step for us,” said Berger, “We’re still a small business, but we’re hiring and contributing to the community.”

Denver Beer Co. Olde Town is fitted with a seven-barrel brewhouse to craft tasty ales and lagers by DBC newcomer, Paul Papantonio, and under the leadership of Denver Beer Co.’s Head Brewer Jason Buehler, who continues to oversee brewing operations.

More Beer In and Around Olde Town Arvada

If this seems like a lot of walking, I’ll point out that from The Yak to Kline’s you would have only travel by foot no more than .4 miles! Olde Town Arvada is dripping with fantastic beer and food destinations, and we haven’t even mentioned the amazing breakfast options like the best donut shop that no one knows about — OMG’s Donuts — or the Bluegrass which serves coffee and breakfast burritos in the morning and then turns into a craft beer/bourbon/pizza joint with live bluegrass. It’s just a few more steps from Kline’s.

I’d suggest experiencing Olde Town Arvada before everyone finds out about it, but you might be too late. (No, not because of the G-Line Light Rail stop — that’s still delayed.) Denver Beer Co.’s Arvada new location means there’s no stopping the Olde Town craft beer hype.

(LEARN: 75+ Popular Craft Beer Styles)

If it gets too crazy you can ride your bike to Odyssey Beerwerks and then down to SomePlace Else Brewing. Grab a ride share to Wheat Ridge for Colorado Plus or Brewery Rickoli’s. You can jump on I-70 East to head to Bruz Beers and then back to all that Denver has to offer. Or you can go west on I-70 to Golden for the likes of Cannonball Creek, Barrels and Bottles and even more Golden breweries (six) all within 10 miles of Olde Town Arvada.

Even with the sheer number of opportunities of places to find a craft beer in and around Olde Town, the area has retained its charm. As the great white blob of the Highlands envelops Wheat Ridge and sets its sights on Arvada, the hope is that the district will keep some semblance of that feel. Colorado is known for its craft beer and lots of it, but just like selecting your next pint, being discerning about where you go yields a memorable beer experience.

The next time you’re prospecting for new breweries to check out, set a course for the Olde Town Arvada water tower, the waypoint of one of the Centennial State’s hidden craft beer nuggets.

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The post Your Walkable Guide to Breweries in Olde Town Arvada, Colorado appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

With a setting this striking, it makes sense Albuquerqueans (Burqueños, if you’re in the know) would also have a flair for the dramatic.

(MORE: 10 April Fool’s Day Pranks from Breweries)

“Albuquerque is a place of bold people, colors and flavors,” says Jesse Herron, a local entrepreneur whose company, Albuquerque Tourism & Sightseeing Factory, offers various city tours, including a craft beer excursion aboard a 14-passenger bicycle. “We like our food spicy and flavorful, and so it’s obvious for our craft beers to reflect our bold character.”

However, that boldness is not always on showy display. Hidden within former warehouses along defunct railroad spurs and retired machinery, edgy breweries share real estate with maker spaces in the industrial neighborhood of Wells Park, which abuts downtown and the city’s original settlement, Old Town.

“Downtown and Old Town get all the attention from tourists,” says Herron. “But Wells Park’s breweries capture the understated spirit of today’s Albuquerque.”

Here’s our walkable guide to Wells Park’s breweries.

Bow and Arrow Brewing Company

Bow and Arrow opened its doors in February 2016 after years of planning.

“I had to jump through extra zoning hoops to locate here,” says Shyla Sheppard, owner and CEO. “I was committed, though, because it was also an investment in my own neighborhood.”

Built in the former Chaparral Electrical Warehouse, the award-winning architectural design elements of this brewery and taproom meld the industrial vibe of the neighborhood with the earthy tones and textures of the Southwest.

Upon entering, you walk through a short corridor with a series of windows into the brewery that progressively widen as you near the cavernous tasting room. “We’ve created a sense of anticipation with those glimpses into production because we want to foster appreciation for our craft,” says Sheppard.

During happy hour (Monday-Thursday, 3-6 p.m.), the suit-and-tie crowd from nearby downtown can be found mingling at the long tables underneath rustic chandeliers. There is also an upstairs area, complete with a kitchen, available for private parties. Throughout the building, Native American themed art is displayed. The brewery’s logo itself is part hop cone, part arrowhead.

The nods to indigenous elements do not end with décor. A glance at the menu reveals names like Sun Dagger Belgian-style Saison and Hoka Hey India Pale Ale, “hoka hey” being a Hidatsa indigenous expression that translates to “get ready.” For some homegrown flavor, try the Flint & Grit English Mild Hybrid, an English ale hybridized with local roasted blue corn. There is also a kombucha/lager blend for unconventional palates.

(MAP: Find a Brewery)

Tractor Brewing Company

From Bow and Arrow, walk south on Sixth St. two blocks. Turn east on Haines Ave toward Fourth St. Head south on Fourth St. for half a block. Tractor Brewing Company is on the left.

This brewery began in 1999 in the nearby town of Los Lunas and relocated its entire 15-barrel operation, vintage tractors and all, to a vacant furniture showroom in Wells Park in 2014, after negotiations fell through to secure the then-empty site on which Rio Bravo Brewing Company now sits.

The brewery is well known for its support of local arts organizations through its Beers for a Better Burque Program. Regular community events here include live music, poetry slams, open mic nights, movie nights and Art Fight, which is a live art competition. The monthly rotating artwork on the walls is from local artists and it is worth noting the brewery does not collect a commission from art sales.

“Community is a strong component of everything we do,” says Tim Torres, quality assurance manager. “Even our relationship with the food trucks is part of that. We get to solely focus on what we do best, brewing and serving beer, and they provide delicious food to our customers.”

As for the 24 beers on tap, Torres is especially proud of the Pilsner #15 and Milk Mustachio Stout, which he says is “full of flavor and character and people really like the visual density when we put it on nitro.”

A barrel-aged sour debuts in spring.

(MORE: Are Experimental Hops the Future of IPA?)

Rio Bravo Brewing Company

From Tractor, head two blocks east on Hannet Ave. to Second St. then head two blocks north. Rio Bravo Brewing Company is on the right.

Established in 2015 in a former Firestone Tires plant on a sprawling 14,000 sq. ft. site, almost half of this brewery and taproom is outdoor patio space. On warm days, the beer garden is bustling with people, but things get significantly sparser when temperatures drop.

The owners, Randy and Denise Baker, are serious about their motto: “Live Bold.” From the tournament-size shuffleboard to the enormous fans above the bar, nothing about this place is small.

“With the jelly jar lighting and rolled trusses, this place feels like a huge Post-World War II bunker and it’s definitely way bigger than we planned, but it works,” says Randy.

Going big was not without challenges. “We tried for days to scrape off all the old, green paint from the floors and finally gave up,” says Randy. “But people always compliment the green floors now. It also got us to recycle some green tables that a local restaurant, Dion’s Pizza, was getting rid of.”

Expect to find strong flavors on tap. The Level 3 is a nuke-strength hoppy IPA (7.5% ABV, 110 IBU) and the Grab ‘Em by the Putin Russian Imperial Stout boasts a sensational 13.5% ABV. For the less brawny, the Randy Shandy hits the spot. Also worth a taste is the popular Piñon Coffee Porter, a collaboration with the New Mexico Piñon Coffee Company.

(MORE: Estimated Blood Alcohol Content Calculator)

Dialogue Brewing

From Rio Bravo Brewing, Dialogue Brewing is a two-block straight shot south on First St. Created by artists, film-makers and restaurateurs, this six-month-old brewery and taproom is part Burning Man dreamscape, part industrial minimalist experiment.

Virtually everything under this 1920s warehouse’s bowstring roof is handcrafted to be greater than the sum of its parts. White birch and bamboo elements contrast against metal panels, light projection mapping and local artists’ works. Even the bar stools are distinctive, created through CNC machining, which is a process that combines computers and woodworking.

Despite modern conveniences like USB charging outlets, you will not find a single television screen.

“We left TVs out and created this cool community space so people socialize,” says Ian Graham, head brewer. “We’ve even had lyra hoop and aerial silk performances because these days it’s not enough to just make good beer, you also have to look good doing it.”

Efficient use of the small footprint was imperative. The seven-barrel system’s fermenters create a wall that separates the production area from the taproom. Outside, a small patio is decked out with six towering rebar “tree” sculptures that also provide group seating. The sculptures weigh more than 7,000 lbs. and were buried eight feet into the ground to structurally support the 40 feet that jut out aboveground. Plans are in place to add plants to the tops of the sculptures to complement the $8,000 worth of exotic and native species currently planted.

The place is a feast for the eyes. “There’s even a hidden sculpture of the Sandia Mountains underneath the bar,” says Graham. “Basically, our staff put their hearts and souls into every detail of this place. They’re amazing and everyone is Cicerone Certified so they can educate our customers.”

Of the 12 beers on tap, sours and German-style lagers are the specialties of the house. The Belgian Citrus IPA was the runner-up in the Specialty Category of the National IPA Challenge.

“It’s expensive to produce that style because the hops come in at the end so we have to use more, but it’s worth it,” says Graham.

(MORE: What is Craft Beer?)

Marble Brewery

From Dialogue, walk south on First St. five blocks to reach Marble Brewery. This is the oldest brewery in the neighborhood, and it is a badge of honor for locals to say they knew Marble “before it was cool.” It has won at least nine GABF medals since 2011.

The small, original taproom, rumored to have been behind the city’s first food truck/brewery collaborative model, has been completely gutted and now sports a rooftop deck, outdoor stage, heated patio and the Abuelo Goyo mural by Nuezz, which is likely the most Instagrammed wall in town.

On a hot summer evening, it is common to see a line of hipsters, baby boomers and multi-generational families eagerly waiting to get inside. The incongruous crowd of people is at the heart of Marble’s success; it is truly a brewery for everyone.

So grab a beer, they are all good here, and end your brewery tour where this neighborhood’s brewing history began.

The post A Beer Lover’s Guide to Albuquerque’s Wells Park Breweries appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

While Los Angeles has always been one of the trendsetters of the food industry, and home to some of the world’s most renown chefs, it wasn’t until just a few years ago that breweries started making their way to LA. And unlike the majority of the city, it’s one of the most walkable areas in town. Walk in LA? Yes, it’s possible.

(MORE: Coolship Fever in American Brewing)

This easily walkable route to three breweries in Downtown Los Angeles takes through the bustling Arts District, Little Tokyo and the Financial District, where you’ll admire some of the oldest buildings in all of Los Angeles, and bypass people from all walks of life. Downtown Los Angeles is a far cry from what it used to be in the 80s, 90s and even the early 2000s; but with the inundation of new neighbors, new businesses and new trends, it’s becoming among the best places to grab a beer in all of the U.S.A.

Angel City Brewery

216 Alameda St.

Angel City Brewery was founded in 1997 but was relocated to the John A. Roebling Building in the LA’s Downtown Arts District in 2010, where they are currently located. In 2012, it was acquired by Alchemy & Science and started brewing new beers; however, they didn’t have their official grand opening until May 5, 2013.

The presence of community shines through each and every part of Angel City Brewery — from the remains of the old warehouse left out of respect for history, and the shelves of board games and multiple bean bag toss stations to encourage customers to interact with each other, to the art displayed and local musicians invited to play, and the suggestion to support other local restaurants by allowing customers to bring in food to enjoy along with the house beer.

At Angel City Brewery, you’ll find a diverse group of people. Hardcore beer aficionados will be sitting back to back with visitors taking their first sip of craft beer. You can always find 16-20 beers on tap and a new release approximately every two weeks. The brewery is known for creating many unique and out-of-the-box style beers so they’re bound to please any and all kinds of beer lovers.

Mumford Brewing Company

416 Boyd St.

This family-operated brewery is one of the newest additions to Downtown LA, having just opened in June 2015. The company was founded by brothers Peter and Todd Mumford, plus Todd’s wife Tien. Peter was a research scientist who spent many years working in Napa wineries, but after experimenting with beer together, the trio decided to open their own space. Nestled between the walls of a vibrant pink, orange, and blue-colored building is the minimalist, stripped-down venue for Mumford Brewing Company. It’s only a .3 mile walk from Angel City Brewery and sits on the border between Downtown proper and Little Tokyo.

Choose from a list of approximately 15 beers on tap, all of which are on a weekly rotation; included in the list would be a guest beer or two from other breweries. Mumford is known best for their Northeast IPAs, but you can also find unorthodox techniques in-house such as adding extra nitrogen and infusing the beer with different herbs.

The venue has a similar clientele to that of Angel City Brewery inviting craft beer lovers, tourists, and happy-hour lovers alike. They also allow you to order from nearby restaurants to complement the beer of your choice, but offer a few in-house snacks unlike Angel City Brewery.

(MORE: What “Selling Out” Is Actually About)

Karl Strauss Brewing Company

600 Wilshire Blvd, Ste 100

The walk from Mumford Brewing Company to Karl Strauss Brewing Company is one that is the most diverse. Within that one mile walking westward, depending on the route you take, you can pass Little Tokyo, the Bradbury Building, Grand Central Market, The Last Bookstore, Pershing Square and all the best of what Downtown LA has to offer. (It’s also recommended to stick to major streets to stick to the safest route.)

This brand-new Karl Strauss location, having just opened on November 21, 2016, functions as a satellite brewery and brewpub, while the headquarters are in San Diego, California, and have been since 1989. Last year, Karl Strauss won Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival and has won 99 medals since 2009 alone. This location is a seven-barrel brewhouse with two 14-barrel fermenters and three 14-barrel bright beer tanks and they release 35-plus small batch beer releases annually.

The most popular brews include Seven Sharks, Red Trolley, Wreck Alley and Windansea, a few of which are found in their year-round selection. No matter your order, this brewpub is truly about a food and beer pairing experience. The menu was created with beer pairing in mind and servers will always recommend a beer to complement your food order. Because of this upscale pub experience, Karl Strauss tends to attract customers in their 30s and older, but can be a great environment for beer-lovers of any age.

The post A Beer Lover’s Walkable Guide to Downtown Los Angeles appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

The presence of independent breweries is helping to re-generate the community as new residents seek social opportunities close to home. A walking tour that includes Independent Brewing in the Jack London District, the Pacific Coast brewpub in Downtown and Woods Bar & Brewery in Uptown is a way to check out changes in the cityscape with plenty of refreshment along the way.

(WALK THIS WAY: Portland’s Buckman Neighborhood | Long Island City)

Independent Brewing Company

444 Harrison St.

Jack London, the well-traveled author, grew up in Oakland in the late 1800s. One of his early jobs of setting pins at a bowling alley introduced the young teen to steam beer – cheap, popular and locally brewed. But the city’s once-burgeoning breweries were shut down first by Prohibition and later by the consolidation of big beer. Steve McDaniel, the founder of Independent Brewing, decided to go into brewing to help revive Oakland’s beer town tradition. He started with five years of contract brewing at Oakland Brewing Company and then launched Independent in early 2014. With the help of an Indiegogo campaign, his goal was to further promote the city’s beer revival.

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A taproom with a three-barrel brewing system and six-barrel fermenters, Independent is located in a former warehouse and slightly off the beaten path due to the bend at the corner of 5^th and Harrison Streets. But a corner sign on 4^th St. and the call of fresh beer – if not London’s signature novel “Call of the Wild” – has increased foot traffic significantly. “Over the last two or three years we’ve developed more foot traffic where we’re at and it’s known where to find us,” said McDaniel, whose wife Justine also works at the brewery.

McDaniel had an advantage when he opened because his Sticky Zipper, a West Coast-style IPA, was already popular when contract brewed at Oakland Beer Company. Two other regulars in the rotation are A Bitter Pils to Swallow and Town Biz, an American premium lager. Another regular at the taps – ’Chu need? Lager! – is named after one of Oakland’s graffiti artists.

The entrance to Independent is a large warehouse door that has been modified and painted by local artists. The building was most recently the home of punk rock club Hazmat and the band theme plays on. “We’re trying to support the community and provide a venue to people who don’t have other venues available to them,” said McDaniel. The bands are often comprised of students from the Oakland School for the Arts. Each month, a local visual or craft artist has works presented in a reception at the brewery and their work remains on display for purchase for 30 days. In many respects, Independent sustains an emphasis on inclusiveness that has always been a theme in Oakland.

Pacific Coast Brewing Company

906 Washington St

From 4th St., it’s a four-block walk to Washington St. and another five blocks north to the Pacific Coast Brewing Company pub, where owner Steve Wolff has seen the transition in Oakland first-hand from his Downtown location.

After being inspired by Buffalo Bill’s, the first brewpub in California that opened in Heyward in 1982, Wolff co-founded Pacific Coast with former partner Don Gortemiller, opening the doors in a Victorian-era building in 1988. The bar and most of the seating are below street level, which gives the brewpub an old-world feel, as do the stain-glass windows and the handsomely wrought wood interior, including the ornate bar, which came from an 1800s Oakland saloon.

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The early years before craft beer was a mainstay were a struggle and other brewpubs in the area eventually closed. Pacific Coast had its share of troubles. Within a year of opening, the city was hit by the earthquake that delayed the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s, followed by a wildfire two years later that destroyed 3,000 homes in the Oakland area. But the biggest setback was when a local shipping company decided to move.

“Our best customers worked at the shipping company,” said Wolff, whose brewpub is now the longest continuously owned in the state. “They liked drinking beer. They’d come in and drink three beers and then they’d decide to go back to work or stay and drink more beer. They were great customers, but they moved to Phoenix. That was a big hit for us.”

Wolff has continued to thrive due to food that is more creative than pub grub and by focusing on darker and hoppier beers; barrel aging, sour beers and saisons having more recently been worked into the rotation. Guest taps fill in other styles, including ciders and hard sodas and well known Northern California craft beers.

The impressive Leviathan Imperial Stout and Grey Whale, an American-style pale ale, are generally in rotation as well as Nelly, a bracing pale ale featuring an emphasis on Nelson Sauvin hops. This fall, a cucumber Kolsch was part of the regularly revolving rotation. The beer also appears on the food in dishes such as the Beer Braised Brisket or the Gray Whale Pale Ale Carnitas Platter.

(MORE: What ‘Selling Out’ is Actually About)

Woods Bar & Beer Company

1701 Telegraph Ave.

If you’ve timed the Pacific Coast stop to coincide with lunch, a walk north to Woods Brewery & Bar on Telegraph Ave., which includes a trip through the upscale City Center, has an afternoon pick-me-up awaiting. Woods is home to MateVeza, the world’s first caffeinated IPA. Made with yerba mate (pronounced mah-tay) tea, the beer has recently celebrated its tenth anniversary as Woods’ flagship brew.

Jim Woods began homebrewing in high school, because, he said, it was the best way for a teenager to get beer. He continued brewing in college and the day he drank some yerba mate tea shortly after a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was the aha! moment. Woods has gone as far as visiting Argentina to learn more about the plant. Mendicino Brewing company eventually became the contract brewer even after the first nano brewery, Woods Cervecería, opened in San Francisco’s Mission District.

“Having a place to interact with customers was really rewarding personally and really did a lot for our brand,” said Woods of his first taproom. “The relationship you have with a customer when you are handing a beer across the counter is a lot more profound than seeing your dusty bottle on a warm shelf in some liquor store.”

The Oakland location, which has a seven-barrel system, is one of four Woods taprooms in the Bay Area. The list for “adventurous drinkers” merely begins with the unique and smooth MateVeza, an IPA where any “dank” in the body is replaced by the rather robust tea flavor that complements the minty, herbal hops. “The yerba mate is part of the holly family and the tea is made from the leaves from a shrub,” said Woods. “It was only grown wild in Argentina and Brazil until the Jesuits figured out how to cultivate it. The seeds have a protective layer and won’t germinate unless they pass through the digestive system of birds.”

A second regular beer is Morpho, a tart, gruit-style brew made with yerba mate, hibiscus and bay leaf. Another regular brew known as Local Honey includes Bay Area honey and eucalyptus. There’s a hint of lavender in the nose of this unique beer from Woods, which keeps the taps rotating regularly with small batch experimental beers.

The Woods Bar building, just south of the revived Fox Theatre on Telegraph Ave., is as unusual as the beers inside. A former women’s shoe store, the architecture remains the same with display windows removed to help accent a free-flowing cutaway entrance. As much indoor as outdoor, which is the style at even the barber shops in Oakland, there’s a fire pit up front. Tasty home-made empanadas are a good accompaniment to the beers served at the long, cozy bar in the back.

The tap rotation in the fall included one-offs made from watermelon, a Belgian table-style saison, and a wild yeast beer derived from a beer named Bowie in honor of the rock singer. Speaking of which, the sound track was very engaging at Woods, where barkeeps choose from an eclectic list.

By this point in the walking tour, the variety of beers and breweries is enough to make one ask if this really is Oakland? The answer being yes.

The post Walk This Way: A Beer Lover’s Guide to Oakland appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

There are currently four craft breweries (with more in planning) that make up the Long Island City beer trail, each with its own unique space, tasting room format and style focus. And they’re all located within a one and a half mile radius of each other (the trail is two miles long) making them accessible by bike, foot or taxi with countless places to stop in between.

As a transportation hub, getting to Long Island City from anywhere in the city is incredibly easy. There are several subway and bus lines serving the area with rides as a short as five to 15 minutes from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan and Williamsburg in Brooklyn. The East River Ferry makes a stop at LIC Landing in Gantry Park and is the most scenic transit option. For the more adventurous, New York’s bike share system, Citi Bike, has several rental stations located throughout the neighborhood and there are several dedicated bike paths.

Transmitter Brewing Company | 53-02 11th Street

Founders Rob Kolb and Anthony Accardi first shared a beer in 2005 and realized they shared a “love of food and a passion for making it” themselves. They built a lasting friendship while experimenting with different recipes and eventually started brewing beer together. In 2014 they opened Transmitter Brewing Co. in a space located beneath the Pulaski Bridge which connects Long Island City to the neighborhood of Greenpoint in Brooklyn.

As food lovers, they focus on traditional and farmhouse ales that can stand on their own, but also pair well with a meal. According to Anthony, the process they use to create each beer is similar to cooking: “It’s about layering and balancing elements.” With over 20 isolated strains of Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus, as well as a brewhouse library of traditional Belgian, French, English and American yeasts, they’re creating “yeast-driven beers with complimenting grains and hops” that are exciting and approachable.

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Their tasting room is small, but incredibly inviting. They offer complimentary sample pours of their most recent bottle releases, which are also available for sale. There are two picnic tables located off the side of the tasting room in the brewery’s cellar — prime seats for enjoying a bottle onsite. It’s also not uncommon to spot one of the owners at work in the cellar, which makes the experience even more enjoyable as you witness the beer-making process firsthand.

(MORE: 9 Airports to Find Craft Breweries)

Rockaway Brewing Company | 46-01 5th Street

Located less than a mile away from Transmitter Brewing is Rockaway Brewing Company. On the way there, stop by any number of restaurants, bars and shops along Vernon Boulevard, or take the slightly longer route along the waterfront for breathtaking views of Manhattan and the vintage Pepsi-Cola sign.

Founders Marcus Burnett and Ethan Long opened Rockaway Brewing Company in 2010 and have since watched the neighborhood build up around them. They had previously been homebrewing in the Far Rockaways, a beach town located in the southernmost corner of Queens, “mainly so [they’d] have something to sip on after a day of surfing.”

Fast forward six years and their tasting room is one of the busiest in New York City. The brewery focuses on more traditional, easy drinking styles and strives to create “a vibe, and beer, that welcome locals, beer novices and hard-core fans to feel at home with each other.”

Stop in for a pint of Rockaway ESB, the brewery’s flagship beer, or go for the tasting flight to sample them all. Whether you’re in the mood for a tried and true pale ale, a dry Irish stout (Black Gold, one of the best in the city), or a nitro cream ale, there’s something for everyone.

Big Alice Brewing Company | 8-08 43rd Road

A little further north is Big Alice Brewing Company, named after the nickname given to a massive electric power generator nearby (Big Allis).

Kyle Hurst and Scott Berger founded Big Alice Brewing Company, a nano brewery, in 2013 and focus on creating unique, small-batch, one-off beers which gives them “the flexibility to continually experiment with ingredients, styles and brewing techniques.” On any given day, the tap list may include a spicy beer, a potato beer, a honey beer, a sour ale, a farmhouse ale and maybe an IPA.

The tasting room is cozy but comfortable, with chairs upholstered in grain bags and seating near the brewhouse behind the front bar. They also offer generous helpings of complimentary trail mix, which is a welcome snack alongside their tasting flights.

(Walkable Guides for Beer Lovers: Asheville’s South Slope | The Denver Highlands)

LIC Beer Project | 39-28 23rd Street

Ending the Long Island City beer trail is LIC Beer Project, the newest addition to the local craft beer community. Founded in 2015 by Damon Oscarson, Gianni Cavicchi and Dan Acosta, the brewery primarily focuses on Belgian-style and wild ales, but has recently been releasing some of the city’s best hoppy beers.

Head Brewer Dan Acosta fell in love with good beer while backpacking through Belgium. He enrolled at the Siebel Institute and developed a deep fascination with yeast. His brews often highlight wild yeast strains and he’s no stranger to brewing with Brettanomyces. In fact, LIC Beer Project boasts New York City’s first coolship, a vessel used for open-fermentation to attract local wild yeast, and an extensive barrel-aging program is already underway. They also feature hop-forward ales in their new Street Art series which focuses on creating beers that enhance the characteristics of the hops. One of their newest releases is a pale ale brewed with buckwheat and oats that features Centennial, Simcoe and Amarillo hops.

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The space is defined by large ceilings and a bar made of white marble and wood. The walls are decorated with murals and stacks of beer filled barrels, while two sets of cornhole fill the space leading to the brewery. There’s also plenty of seating (and it’s possible to have pizza delivered) which makes it the perfect final stop along the Long Island City beer trail.

The post Walk This Way: A Beer Lover’s Walkable Guide to Long Island City, New York appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Oh, have things changed.

In a scene reminiscent of so many communities across America, craft breweries have spearheaded a complete revitalization of the once-depressing neighborhood, making it the unofficial brewing district in a city renowned for its craft beer. Rather than shady characters roaming dark, deserted streets, the South Slope – named for the long grade that drops from near the center of town south along Coxe Avenue – is now filled with families, couples and groups of friends trekking on foot from brewery to brewery, with no less than seven to choose from within just a few blocks.

Joining them has been a gourmet donut shop and chocolate-making factory, an upscale barbecue restaurant, a beer bottle shop and a hotel is now under construction just yards away from all the action.

All of this makes Asheville’s South Slope a wonderfully walkable neighborhood for craft beer lovers. Here’s how to make the best of it.

Catawba Brewing Co. | 32 Banks Ave.

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Literally sandwiched between bustling Vortex Doughnuts and Buxton Hall Barbecue on Banks Avenue, this is Catawba Brewing Co.’s third location, and no doubt its showcase facility. Opened in April 2015, “Banks,” as it’s referred to, features five distinct zones within the open 5,600 square-foot space: an airy patio and roll-up garage door in the front; an outdoor courtyard in the back complete with picnic tables; a music stage and killer views of distant Mount Pisgah; the Great Hall, with upwards of 25 Catawba beers on draft; the Concourse, which is adjacent to the 7-barrel brewhouse that came online this spring to produce the Banks Avenue line of specialty brews; and the Rickhouse, a more upscale space that houses a second bar, and serves as a barrel-aging room and special-events venue for weddings and other occasions.

(MORE: Ghostfish Brewing Wants to Change How You See Gluten-Free Beers)

Green Man Brewing Co. | 27 Buxton Ave.

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A smidge east and one block south of Catawba you’ll find the newest home of 19-year-old Green Man Brewing Co. In spring 2016 the company unveiled its Green Mansion, a three-story, 20,000 square-foot building, highlighted by a packaging hall, a “brewtique” retail shop and a top-floor tasting room with an open-air patio that overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains and production floor.

Grab a pint of Green Man ESB, an iconic Asheville brew, or one of many other specialty offerings at the new tasting room, or duck next door into what’s now called Dirty Jack’s, Green Man’s original, more low-key tasting room. Dirty Jack’s is where small-batch specialties like the wildly popular Snozzberry are still being produced.

Burial Beer Co. | 40 Collier Ave.

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About a block southwest of Green Man, you’ll find Burial Beer Co. It’s a brewery that’s no doubt become one of the darlings of the Asheville beer scene – a favorite among serious locals, with a reputation that in just three years has grown far beyond the city, and state, limits. Burial opened its doors at 40 Collier Ave. in 2013 with a one-barrel brewing system, testing the market with an ever-revolving lineup of beers.

The beers, as well as the low-key vibe of the venue itself, became such a hit that Burial quickly upgraded to a 10-barrel brew house and continues to crank out a host of insanely popular saisons and other offerings that bring out the masses during bottle releases. The Skillet Donut Stout, which earns high marks on beer rating sites, is an Asheville favorite.

(MORE: 5 Questions Brewers Wish You’d Ask During a Tour)

Wicked Weed’s Funkatorium | 147 Coxe Ave.

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Just a few blocks uphill from Burial on Coxe Avenue you’ll find Wicked Weed’s Funkatorium. While Wicked Weed’s original brewpub and tasting room is located on Biltmore Avenue, the Funkatorium on Coxe Ave. is a separate location here on the South Slope. The barrel house and sour beer tasting room is a must-stop for fans of all things wild, funky and sour. The brewery’s barrel-aging program is now nationally renowned, with weekend bottle releases drawing fans from across the Carolinas and surrounding Southern states to line up and down Coxe Ave. for a chance to purchase one of Wicked Weed’s complex brews.

Inside the Funkatorium, visitors can choose from more than a dozen funky and sour offerings. A food menu designed to complement the beers includes various small bites and artisanal sandwiches and flatbreads, and tours inside the rustic maze of oak barrels are available Thursday to Sunday.

Twin Leaf Brewery | 144 Coxe Ave.

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Directly across the street from the Funkatorium you’ll hit Twin Leaf Brewery. Twin Leaf was a much-anticipated addition to the South Slope brewing community when it opened in 2014 at 144 Coxe Avenue, especially when passers-by first caught a glimpse of the 10-barrel brewing tanks glistening in the window along the Banks Avenue side of the building. The open tasting room with both high-top and community tables is a bustling place, positioned between the Funkatorium and Catawba.

Year-round house beers such as White Noise witbier and Luminosity tripel have become local favorites, while the 1st-anniversary debut of MDXXI Imperial Mexican Chocolate Stout launched a special release bottle program featuring some serious, sought-after brews.

Hi-Wire Brewing | 197 Hilliard Ave.

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Two blocks up the hill from Twin Leaf you’ll find Hi-Wire Brewing along Hilliard Ave. Despite its fun, circus image, it didn’t take long for Asheville beer fans to discover that Hi-Wire was dead serious about putting out quality, creative brews when it took over the space from a previously shuttered brewery. Hi-Wire worked hard, and quickly succeeded. Year-round products such as the crisp, refreshing Hi-Wire Lager – ahead of its time before the recent resurgence of craft lagers – made Hi-Wire an instant hit and a nod by Ratebeer as best New North Carolina Brewery of 2013.

With the opening last year of Hi-Wire’s Biltmore Big Top production brewery and tasting room a couple miles away, the smaller South Slope venue is now dedicated specifically to sour and wild beer production, though the tasting room still features Hi-Wire’s wide variety of craft lagers and other brews.

Asheville Brewing Co. | 77 Coxe Avenue

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Just a few steps to the east you’ll find Asheville Brewing Company’s Coxe Avenue location. ABC represents another longtime Asheville brewery bookend with Green Man on the upper part of the South Slope. This location has certainly replicated the success it was enjoying at the sister Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. venue in north Asheville. Rather than a movie theater, which highlights the company’s other location, the South Slope facility is defined by a huge covered patio that is almost always packed with thirsty, hungry patrons and is among the city’s favorite dog-friendly hangout spots.

ABC is a brewpub, with pizzas the signature menu item, making it a popular late-night stop once the food trucks shut down at the other South Slope breweries. Classic staples like Shiva IPA have been joined by an ever-expanding lineup of new offerings on the beer list.

The post Walk This Way: A Beer Lover’s Guide to the Asheville South Slope appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Once a railway and industrial district, abandoned and beat up warehouses have become apartments, restaurants and galleries, and no industry has tapped into this potential more than beer. Initially drawn by the abundance of then-cheap(er) production facility space, small and independent breweries are now reaping the benefits of the revitalized neighborhood. Though you’re never far from a brewpub in Denver, RiNo is the most concentrated area with 11 and counting.

But there’s a small tidbit to be aware of when planning a self-guided walking tour of the breweries. An impassable railyard cuts through the RiNo neighborhood, separating it into two sides, one on Larimer Street and one on Brighton Blvd. Although these clusters are only a few blocks away as the crow flies, not being able to cross through the railyard means that you must make more than a mile journey to go around and circle back (click here to see a map).

One would think the city will eventually build a pedestrian bridge or get rid of the railyard entirely. But until then, visitors on foot will have to take their pick. The silver lining is that both sides have enough breweries for a full day of fun.

(MORE: The Illusion of Choice and America’s Craft Beer Lovers)

Path 1: Larimer Street Side

Our Mutual Friend | 2810 Larimer Street

The “mutual friend” in the name is the one thing everyone who steps through the door has in common: beer! This focus on camaraderie sets the tone for the atmosphere of the brewery. With the brew kettles tucked away in the back of the house, the pub itself feels like small neighborhood bar rather than an industrial warehouse or working brewery. The patio is packed with locals during the summer, and the fall and winter is warmed right up with Our Mutual Friend’s great collection of dark beers, including a brown, winter warmer and coffee stout.

Ratio Beerworks | 2920 Larimer Street

Former Wynkoop brewer Jason ZumBrunnen is the man behind the bubbling beakers at Ratio Beerworks, and as the newest brewery in RiNo, they’ve quickly made a name for themselves. After only a year and a half of being in business, Ratio announced plans this summer to more than double their production. That’s good news for locals, who can’t get enough of the Dear You, a French saison, and Hold Steady, a Scotch ale.

Intertwined with Ratio’s love for beer is its affinity for music. The beer menu hanging above looks like a marquee for a concert venue, paying homage to some of the crew’s days as part of a punk band. Community-style seating at long tables serves as a tribute to ZumBrunnen’s time studying beermaking in Germany. It also makes for a fun, conversation-driven afternoon.

Epic Brewing | 3001 Walnut Street

Salt Lake City’s Epic Brewing joined the Denver beer scene in 2013 when it opened a second brewery here in RiNo. They have not had a hard time fitting in, and one could even argue that Colorado’s favorable beer laws make it a far better home for Epic than Utah. From the outside, the brewery is a true old-school warehouse, a long rectangular building with a rounded front. Inside, the taproom is bright, clean and airy, loaded with tables and high-tops, feeling much more like a modern bar than a garage-door style brewery. What makes it a hit with locals is that it’s an easy place to visit over and over again thanks to a ridiculous 25 beers on tap, including rotating seasonals and cask ales.

Beryl’s Beer Co. | 3120 Blake Street

Beryl’s Beer Co. has a solid lineup of everyday beers, but the reason to go is for its barrel-aged creations. One of the more creative is the saison aged in white wine barrels. Otherwise, try the Belgian rye aged in rye whiskey barrels (10% ABV), the Schwarzbier in bourbon barrels and blended with coffee (7.6% ABV), or the Baltic Porter in whiskey barrels (12.1%). Want barrel-aged flavor but a lighter ABV? The Oud Bruin is made with plums and aged in red wine barrels yet is only 4.8% ABV.

(Beer Lover’s Walkable Guides: Seattle’s Ballard Neighborhood | Denver Highlands)

Path 2: Brighton Blvd. Side

Crooked Stave | 3350 Brighton Street

Tucked in the very back of The Source, a former warehouse turned artisan food market, Crooked Stave lacks a true brewery feel (no brewing occurs on site) but makes up for it with an industrial-style, airy, energetic taproom that attracts both beer lovers and curious passersby. The brewery is completely dedicated to sours, creating wine-forward, barrel-aged beers that playfully explore the style like the dry-hopped barrel-aged Saison Vielle. If you don’t like sours, you may need to sit this one out, as it’s all they serve.

Great Divide | 1812 35th Street

The original Great Divide brewery is still located downtown at the corner of 22nd and Arapahoe. More space was needed, so they expanded with a second location in RiNo in 2015 and built a facility that includes packaging equipment, canning line, barrel-age storage, and, most importantly, a new taproom called the Barrel Bar.

The place is huge, five acres in total, and Great Divide has plans to fill it with a restaurant, beer garden and more brewing capacity over the next few years. It will be fun to watch one of Denver’s most regarded breweries take aim at creating such a beer-lovers’ destination. Stop in to try all the Great Divide classics, including the many versions of Yeti, and learn about what’s to come.

Mockery Brewing | 3501 Delgany St.

Mockery Brewing claims that the only thing they take seriously is their beer. You can feel that carefree attitude from the minute you walk in, and once you try the Salted Scottish Ale, you’ll see they are men of their word. While the inside taproom catches your eye with its futuristic, shiny look, the brewery’s best attribute is its large outdoor space. There’s also a game room, with shuffleboard and other bar favorites. Mockery seems to have a knack for keeping it fun, serving its flights in the holes of cut-out Colorado license plates.

Black Shirt Brewery | 3719 Walnut Street

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Sometimes when you leave a brewery, you need some fresh air before going on to the next. I’m assuming you know what I mean. After the first three breweries, embrace a half-mile stroll to the brink of the hood, where you’ll find Black Shirt Brewery. They specialize not really in red ales, but in red beer, brewing a long list of red-style beer combinations. It’s a classic example of how breweries in Denver have taken to unique styles of specialization in order to carve out a niche for themselves, and Black Shirt Brewery does it with the best of them. The American Red Saison, Colorado Red Ale and Farmhouse Red Porter are continuously appearing staples, and more experimental recipes, like the Pistachio Lavender Red Rye, are always a treat to find on tap.

The post Walk This Way: A Beer Lover’s Guide to Denver’s River North Neighborhood appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Some might say this strip is territory of Fremont — one of the city’s most artistic and vibrant neighborhoods. Others may argue that this area is definitely in Ballard’s neck of the woods — a neighborhood that exudes class and trendiness through its seemingly endless lineup of restaurants, boutiques and beaches. And then there are those that might throw their hands up in the air, saying that this one is just too close to call, choosing to define it by a bit of both: Frelard. This is not only the most fun to say, but perhaps the most diplomatic, here in the Emerald City.

Whatever it may be, it’s true that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet — or in this case, a neighborhood by any other name would be as bustling— at least when it comes to small and independent breweries. This industrial strip is one of Seattle’s most vivacious, experimental and consistent neighborhoods in regards to craft. It’s also among one of the nation’s most walkable spots for beer lovers.

Needless to say, it’s time for you to take a visit. We suggest you start with a few of our favorites: Stoup Brewing, Reuben’s Brews, Lucky Envelope and Populuxe Brewing.

(Walk This Way: Asheville’s South Slope | The Denver Highlands)

Stoup Brewing | 1108 NW 52nd St.

Sure, the strip along Leary Way may cause a bit of confusion thanks to its ambiguous location, but one thing is universally agreed upon: Here in Seattle, no matter who you ask or how you ask it, one of the finest breweries in the neighborhood (and perhaps in the entire city) is, without a doubt, Stoup Brewing.

Started by husband-wife duo Lara Zahaba and Brad Benson in 2013, Stoup has quickly established itself as a brewery to know. Now made up of a small and mighty three-person team (Zahaba, Benson and Certified Cicerone® Robyn Schumacher), Stoup is as humble in nature as it is consistent in quality. It has set a new standard for what it means to be a mouth-watering IPA or a fulfilling porter, capturing the true craft of craft.

Their beer exudes a certain soul that cannot be described, but only tasted. So fill your stoup (which is an old-age term for a drinking vessel) with their Citra IPA, Robust Porter or NW Red.

Reuben’s Brews | 5010 14th Ave NW

Just a few blocks away from Stoup is another Seattle beer scene staple: Reuben’s Brews. Adam and Grace Robbings, co-founders of the brewery and proud parents to son Reuben, continuously and effortlessly capture what it is to be a fine Seattle brewery. They have an ever-changing line-up, an energetic taproom and genuine intentions. Oh — and a killer resume.

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If you’ve heard of Reuben’s, it’s no surprise. This family-owned brewery has swept up handfuls of awards since opening in 2012, including two 2015 Great American Beer Festival awards, a gold medal at the 2015 World Beer Cup and over 30 World Beer Championship Medals. So it goes without saying that their beer surpasses good, and instead lands somewhere in the area between “worthy of writing home about” and “pour me another immediately.”

Though every beer you have will be worthy of your tastebuds, we suggest paying special attention to Reuben’s line-ups of pungent IPAs, rich stouts and smooth ales.

(MORE: Breweries Share Stories Behind Employee Nicknames)

Lucky Envelope Brewing | 907 NW 50th St

They might be one of the younger breweries on the block, opening the tasting room doors in 2015, but Lucky Envelope Brewing has quickly established itself as another Seattle staple. It’s a consequence of Brewmaster Barry Chan’s lineup being perfected for the Pacific Northwest palate. Expect quite a few IPAs on tap at any given time, with each bringing its own individualities to your table.

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Lucky Envelope is still new enough it might not have the universal recognition that their neighbors have earned, but it’s only a matter of time before it catapults into the limelight. With recent wins at GABF for the Helles Lager and the 2016 Washington Beer Awards for its ENIAC Mosaic IPA, Lucky Envelope will soon achieve household name status in Seattle. We’ll put 20 bucks on it.

We beg you not to leave the taproom without trying any of Chan’s IPAs or the Peanut Butter Stout — if it’s on tap.

Populuxe Brewing | 826B NW 49th St.

Perhaps the most unassuming brewery on the block, Populuxe Brewing could be easily missed if you’re not watching out for it. Keep an eye out for a charming, humble blue abode and you’ll know that you’ve found the spot. This place’s beer is a little deluxe here, a little popular there, hence it’s title — and it’s also a guarantee of a good time.

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Populuxe might be the dark horse in Leary Way’s race to fantastic craft beer. They are small but mighty, and new but growing. The brewery recently announced an expansion to the lot next door, which will be home to a 7-barrel brewhouse, 15-barrel fermenters and a larger taproom with 20 taps to meet the ever-flowing demand. All of Populuxe’s beers are rotating, so expect something refreshing and emerging any time you visit. The expansion should open in the spring.

Pick up one of their beers and play some cornhole, or perhaps cozy up around the fire out on the back patio. All of Populuxe’s beers are rotating, so you can expect something refreshing and emerging every time you stop by.

So, friends, put on your walking shoes, because it’s time to visit the neighborhood tucked behind Leary Way. And, just so you’re completely in the know, Ballard has, indeed, claimed the area. But, let’s be honest — that won’t stop us from saying Frelard as much as possible.

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Here’s the thing about Portland, Oregon: It’s home to 650,000 people and 65 breweries (we’re talking city limits, not greater metro). That’s one brewery for every 10,000 Portlanders. Part of the reason these two abutting hoods are flush with small and independent brewers is that Portlanders love variety in our beer, love supporting homegrown businesses and love to visit them by foot or bike.

Incidentally, divvied up among this embarrassment of riches are five GABF medals; that means within this wonderfully walkable route, you won’t just get to try a lot of beer — you’ll get to try a lot of award-winning beer.

(MORE: Walk This Way: A Beer Lover’s Guide to the Denver Highlands)

Grixsen Brewing Co. | 1001 SE Division St. #1

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A block away from two of Portland’s best beer bars and bottle shops is this walk’s newest brewery, Grixsen, which is actually still in its soft opening. The name is a portmanteau of the owners’ surnames: Kurt Gritman, DJ Moxley and Scott Petersen. Grixsen is one of a small handful of Portland breweries that doesn’t brew IPA. Having said that, the kölsch has a hop kick to it as does the dry-hopped saison, while among the malt-head pleasing offerings the brown ale leaves a delicious bitter chocolate finish.

Baerlic Brewing Co. | 2235 SE 11th Ave

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Two blocks away, Baerlic — olde English for “of barley” — is a back-to-fundamentals brewery. The brewers do have the propensity to add oats to nearly every grain bill, but the results are tasty, quaffable beers. Invincible IPA is, as expected, the best-seller. It’s a bit English-ier than most local versions built on Munich malts (and oats!) but grapefruity hop notes emerge. Cavalier Cream Ale is the second most popular call and the Basmati rice in there makes it smooth and refreshing. Speaking of refreshing, try to grab the Lacto-forward lemony tart Nice & Easy Gose.

Ground Breaker Brewery | 2030 SE 7th Ave.

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Ground Breaker Brewery and Gastropub is America’s first 100 percent dedicated gluten-free brewery. With beers made from chestnut flour and oats (not sorghum), I swear the beers are actually tasty to regular beer lovers’ palates even if the target demo are Celiacs and those leading a gluten-reduced lifestyle. The IPA is often evolving but its current iteration, IPA No. 5, took silver at the 2015 GABF. A new Tepache Ace, which is a radleresque mix of IPA with fermented pineapples, is simply mouthwatering as is Chef Neil Davidson’s menu.

Lucky Labrador Brewing Co. | 915 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

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The Lucky Lab is the epicenter of the cluster and is vintage Portland. The back patio is seriously composed of a muttley crew where the old school English ales flowing. It’s one of the few places you can find an ESB. Hellraiser ESB is rife with toast ’n toffee while Super Dog IPA is a big, fluffy IPA with a wet nose and offers lots to love, especially for fans of citrusy-pithy hops and ample malt body.

(MORE: Do’s and Dont’s of Your First GABF)

Green Dragon/Buckman Botanical Brewery | 928 SE 9th Ave.

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Walk five minutes due north of Lucky Lab and you arrive at the Green Dragon. The pub was bought by Rogue of Dead Guy fame and today boasts 56 taps, where at least four are devoted to the in-house nano Buckman Botanical Brewery. As indicated by the name, instead of hops, these beers generally focus on herbs, spices, teas, or fruit such as Chamomellow Pale Ale or Ginger Beer. If you’re looking for extra antioxidants, try the light and sour Kombeercha.

Cascade Brewing Barrel House | 939 SE Belmont St.

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Directly across the street is the world-renowned Cascade Brewing Barrel House. While the highly-coveted sour beers aren’t brewed on premise, wholly unique “Live Barrel” blends are tapped each Tuesday. You may end up wearing more than you drink if the tapping doesn’t go well. There’s no end to the creative blends but Apricot and its pit-meat cousin, Noyaux, are always great calls if you love wild ales. You can also find bottles to go including vintages. Perhaps you’ll find the 2009 GABF gold medal winning Bourbonic Plague or a 2013 Kriek if you can never have enough sour cherry.

The Commons Brewery | 630 SE Belmont Ave.

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Bank west and two blocks later arrive at The Commons Brewery for a deep list of Belgian-inspired beers, not to mention the Cheese Annex, courtesy of cheese monger extraordinaire, Steve Jones. The Commons excels at light, eminently drinkable farmhouse ales. Once again, no IPAs here. Starting with their flagship Urban Farmhouse, the fruity and peppery esters make it simple yet elegant. Myrtle has a tangy twang thanks to a Lacto ferment with part of the lemongrass kick coming from Meridian hops, while Flemish Kiss comes out of a foeder with a mellow funk and fruit cocktail finish.

Hair of the Dog Brewing Co. | 61 SE Yamhill St.

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Farther west just before reaching the Willamette River unleash yourself at Hair of the Dog. Alan Sprints is respected by young brewers around the world today, but has been brewing bold, brash beers since 1994. His “beers are individuals just like people,” Sprints once told me. “Don’t judge them based on what something else tastes like.” Michael, a sherry-aged Flanders Red, honors the late beer writer Michael Jackson, while Fred, a peppery strong ale that masquerades as a Belgian-style double IPA is an homage to Portland’s late, beloved Fred Eckhardt.

Base Camp Brewing Co. | 930 SE Oak St.

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Darting northeast from there, Base Camp ushers its love of the great outdoors into its adventure-themed tasting room. Their flagship In-Tents IPL (India Pale Lager) is fragrant and toasty thanks to resting on house-toasted oak. Celestial CDL (Cascadian Dark Lager or what outsiders might call an India Black Lager) is roasty and more dank than In-Tents. But when it comes to dark beers, S’more Stout stars biscuit malt in the role of graham crackers, roast malt conveys the chocolate character, and that sweet, vanilla gooeyness comes in at the finish. Glasses are garnished with mini marshmallows toasted to order.

Burnside Brewing Co. | 701 E. Burnside St.

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Rounding out the tour of the inner southeast Buckman brewer’s row is Burnside, a place popular among imbibers for its easy-drinking Couch Lager and equally sessionable Lime Kolsch. Sweet Heat, a wheat ale with apricot puree and spicy peppers, can be even more intriguing when pairing with food. I like Sweet Heat with the Kentucky-inspired Hot Brown open-faced sandwich or the Mexican-style chilaquiles with pork verde. The food here is almost an equal draw, as it’s at the top of the Portland-wide belief that brewpub menus can be as inspired as the beer (which is important, because it takes a lot of fuel to walk to this many breweries in one condensed area).

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Three of these distinct fresh beer emporiums within easy walking or biking distance of one another are Diebolt Brewing Company, the Factotum Brewhouse and Prost Brewing Company, the latter with a majestic view of downtown.

These three small tap rooms each have a distinct decor in addition to their beers, making the Highlands a wonderfully walkable neighborhood for craft beer lovers. Here’s how to make the best of it.

(MORE: 5 of America’s Beeriest Lake Towns)

Diebolt Brewing Co. | 3855 Mariposa St.

I decided to start on the upslope and work my way down the long Highlands hill, which meant a visit to Diebolt Brewing first. Located just north of 38th Ave., which means it is technically one block north of Highlands in Sunnyside, Diebolt is a family business launched in 2013 by a homebrewing father, Dan Diebolt and his son Jack. In a story reminiscent of how the West was settled by a variety of cultures, the signature beer is a French Ale called Anton Francois, named after Dan’s great-grandfather Anton and his brother Francois, who emigrated from the Alsace Lorraine region of France.

The Diebolt (pronounced dee-bolt) family is deep in fermenting talent. The family still produces the Diebolt-Vallois champagne in France. In the brewing area at Diebolt is an exquisitely preserved hand-cranked press used to crush grapes and make wine in America by previous generations.

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Currently, Jack is in charge of the brewing and the French Ale recipe developed by him, made from all French ingredients, has a distinctive earthy malt flavor. This delicious petite biere de garde with a 5.5 percent ABV has a dry, slightly bitter finish.

If you’ve ever been to a countryside French bar, the minimalist furnishings of the rectangular tap room are true to style and a good setting for the company’s signature Art Deco lightning bolt. Except for the Anton Francois, most of the chalkboard list beers are made with Scottish yeast. The brown ale called Braggarts is as close to a porter as you can come while remaining a tangy, translucent brown. This one garnered a silver medal from the Great American Beer Festival.

In the summertime, the Wiggy Wiggy, a honey hibiscus saison seasonal, has a flowery kick to it at 6.0 percent ABV and lives up to its energetic name derived from an Elvis movie. In a locale gaining a reputation for sours, given that Crooked Stave has its production brewery just up the road in Sunnyside, this tart Diebolt saison is worth the walk — or bike ride. The brewery also cans (in blue of course) the French Ale and has 225 accounts in the Denver area, so the beer travels locally as well.

Factotum Brewhouse | 3845 Lipan St.

Factotum Brewhouse is literally around the corner and down the street from Diebolt. Also in a re-worked business building, Chris Bruns and his sister Laura operate a one-of-a-kind teaching brewery. Bring your own recipe, a preferred style, just a specific flavor ingredient or even an occasion such as a wedding and Chris Bruns will help you fashion the final recipe — and then help you brew it. The guest brews are put on tap, so there’s no end to variety and creativity at this bar.

If the idea of brewing on a 7-barrel system sounds intriguing, or if you like the homebrew approach to the beers you drink, Factotum is a very engaging place to visit. I sampled a Kentucky Common called Kuzzin KYsser brewed by a fellow named Ian Martin; the Soldier’s Reward Pilsner, the house beer brewed by Bruns and his assistance Ray Packingham; a milk stout called Mandelmilch by Trina George and Matt Stanley; and Chickory Stout, a rotating beer made in-house on the 1/2-barrel system.

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My favorite was this latter Chickory Stout, because it intimated a bitter coffee without necessarily being overly roasty. There was a “Gentleman Johnny” English-style IPA brewed by one of Factotum’s regulars in honor of a family member known by that handle in England. The beers were done well, a testament to Bruns’ deep experience as a homebrewer and teaching skills. According to bartender Matt Schenck, all of the guest beers have made it to the chalkboard and taps. They are scheduled to ensure a variety of beer styles on the board.

In addition to name recognition, another benefit for guest brewers is a Brewer’s Night for those introducing their beers to friends at the tap room with a polished-metal theme. The idea of a regular putting up his own beer on the chalkboard, then hosting an open tap for friends takes the neighborhood brewery approach to its ultimate conclusion. Now in its second year, the concept appears to be working and new guest brewing opportunities are not available until the spring of 2017.

(Head’s up: the brewing is not necessarily done on weekends, so a day off from work may be required.)

(MORE: Single-Hopped Beers to Test Your Palate)

Prost Brewing Co. | 2540 19th St.

Highlands is an easy Uber-hood, but if you’re up for a walk of a mile or so, the path to Prost Brewing follows tree-lined streets and eventually takes in the LoHi district closer to downtown where the bourgeois bohemians, or BoBos, enjoy dining and drinking in converted, retro-fitted retail buildings. In my case, I took a bike along the new Inca Trail, a concrete pathway that starts several blocks east from Diebolt and Factotum. After crossing under I-25, eventually there’s a ramp up to the 20th St. bridge leading to Prost.

Serving German-style beers since 2012, Prost has the long fest tables on the patio as well as inside, which is festooned with Bavarian banners and colors.

Although I-25 is in the lower “front yard,” the patio provides an easy view of downtown. Like Diebolt and Factotum, the brewery is busiest in late afternoon and early evening hours when people stop off on the way home or to a restaurant. (Food at all three of these breweries is limited to packaged snacks and locally made baked pretzels until the evenings, when food trucks arrive.) The sightlines from Prost include Coors Field, the home of the Rockies, which is just a 15-minute walk on game days.

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Prost, which is also distributed in bottled six-packs, focuses on Bavarian styles (assuming you believe pilsner to be as much Bavarian as Bohemian), but Kolsch and Altbier are on the menu as well. There is a local angle in that the beers tend slightly toward a more hoppy approach. My favorite was the Keller-Pils, a cloudy unfiltered version of the classic which won the gold medal for Zwickelbier at the GABF in 2013 under former head brewer Bill Eye. The more robust keller style is not easy to find in the U.S., much less a cloudy, yeasty pilsner. The GABF medal-winning Maibock is a spring seasonal. Similarly, the Marzen (fall) and Doppelbock (winter) are brewed seasonally, which means they’re found on the menu until the season has passed.

Tours of the German-built brewing equipment at Prost cost a small fee and require at least eight participants. There are other places to visit in the Highlands including the tap room for the Denver Beer Co. near Prost. It was recently opened to replace the tap room at the production brewery in Sunnyside, which is undergoing a remodeling. West Highlands is home to neighborhood breweries Hogshead Brewery and Tennyson Street’s Call to Arms and little De Steeg Brewing Co., located in an alley. Further south in LoHi and closer to Mile High Stadium is Little Machine Beer.

When in Denver and looking to drink local while also meeting the locals, head for the Highlands.

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