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These 10 American cities were chosen by 10Best readers as having the best beer scenes in the nation – stellar selections of established and up-and-coming breweries, beer bars, brewpubs, beer festivals and even thriving homebrew communities where novice brewers can get their foot in the door.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Beer Scene are as follows:
- St. Louis - Missouri
- Grand Rapids - Michigan
- Richmond - Virginia
- Milwaukee - Wisconsin
- Fort Collins - Colorado
- Asheville - North Carolina
- Philadelphia - Pennsylvania
- Chicago - Illinois
- Denver - Colorado
- Cleveland - Ohio
A panel of experts (listed below) partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning beer towns!
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The Experts
Mike Arra
Dr. Mike Arra is the CBO (Chief Beer Officer) and... Read More
Dr. Mike Arra is the CBO (Chief Beer Officer) and logistics guru of Bon Beer Voyage, an award-winning beer tour company for Belgian and Craft Beer Enthusiasts. Bon Beer Voyage was created by Mike and his wife, Ruth Berman, as the beer lover’s casual but exclusive version of elite wine tours. They offer higher quality, small group, gourmet beer vacations (Beercations) in the US and abroad; providing their guests with one-of-kind experiences, sightseeing, great food, brewery insider visits and beer tastings. Mike also is the beer instructor for Bon Beer Voyage’s monthly beer tasting classes and serves as the beer guide for their Beercation beer hunting sessions.
Mike Arra

Dr. Mike Arra is the CBO (Chief Beer Officer) and logistics guru of Bon Beer Voyage, an award-winning beer tour company for Belgian and Craft Beer Enthusiasts. Bon Beer Voyage was created by Mike and his wife, Ruth Berman, as the beer lover’s casual but exclusive version of elite wine tours. They offer higher quality, small group, gourmet beer vacations (Beercations) in the US and abroad; providing their guests with one-of-kind experiences, sightseeing, great food, brewery insider visits and beer tastings. Mike also is the beer instructor for Bon Beer Voyage’s monthly beer tasting classes and serves as the beer guide for their Beercation beer hunting sessions.
Rich Higgins
Rich Higgins is all things beer: brewmaster, beer... Read More
Rich Higgins is all things beer: brewmaster, beer travel operator, author, public speaker and a consultant to breweries and restaurants. He is one of 18 Master Cicerones in the world, and additionally is a Certified Sommelier. He runs Beer Immersions educational beer tourism trips to Belgium and Germany. To offer an organized approach to blind beer tasting, he is the author and developer of the Deductive Beer Tasting Method. He teaches public classes, industry trainings and is a public speaker and coordinator of events across the world. He spent over a decade as a professional brewer and brewmaster, three years as the President of the San Francisco Brewers Guild and three years as Event Director of San Francisco Beer Week. Contact him at www.richhiggins.com.
Rich Higgins

Rich Higgins is all things beer: brewmaster, beer travel operator, author, public speaker and a consultant to breweries and restaurants. He is one of 18 Master Cicerones in the world, and additionally is a Certified Sommelier. He runs Beer Immersions educational beer tourism trips to Belgium and Germany. To offer an organized approach to blind beer tasting, he is the author and developer of the Deductive Beer Tasting Method. He teaches public classes, industry trainings and is a public speaker and coordinator of events across the world. He spent over a decade as a professional brewer and brewmaster, three years as the President of the San Francisco Brewers Guild and three years as Event Director of San Francisco Beer Week. Contact him at www.richhiggins.com.
Gary Monterosso
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who... Read More
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is the host of the popular radio show, What’s On Tap heard on 99.9 FM, 1240 AM in southern New Jersey, and online at snjtoday.com. He can be seen on the two-hour History Channel show called “The Epic History of Everyday Things.” He is the author of the book, Artisan Beers. Gary is currently teaching beer appreciation classes at Wilmington University. In 2014, Gary was selected by Chilled Magazine to be a member of the “Chilled 100,” signifying him as one of the top 100 beverage personalities in the United States. He continues to be a fixture at regional beer events by hosting dinners and tasting seminars. He has qualified as a Certified Beer Server, a part of the Cicerone Certification Program, recognizing his knowledge of beer styles, culture, the brewing process and ingredients
Gary Monterosso

Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is the host of the popular radio show, What’s On Tap heard on 99.9 FM, 1240 AM in southern New Jersey, and online at snjtoday.com. He can be seen on the two-hour History Channel show called “The Epic History of Everyday Things.” He is the author of the book, Artisan Beers. Gary is currently teaching beer appreciation classes at Wilmington University. In 2014, Gary was selected by Chilled Magazine to be a member of the “Chilled 100,” signifying him as one of the top 100 beverage personalities in the United States. He continues to be a fixture at regional beer events by hosting dinners and tasting seminars. He has qualified as a Certified Beer Server, a part of the Cicerone Certification Program, recognizing his knowledge of beer styles, culture, the brewing process and ingredients
Jack Muldowney
Jack Muldowney is co-founder of The Hop Review and... Read More
Jack Muldowney is co-founder of The Hop Review and founder of Chicago-based design and illustration studio, Malt. Since 2012, he's been fortunate enough to sit down with some of beer's biggest personalities, as well as travel the U.S. and the globe to capture the industry's best stories. He's also hosted several events, including the annual fresh beer festival "Ultra Fresh", and is a two-time SAVEUR "Best Beer Coverage" nominee. Through his travels, Jack appreciates the varying perspectives of an industry that's always adapting, and enjoys sharing pints with beer enthusiasts of all types.
Jack Muldowney

Jack Muldowney is co-founder of The Hop Review and founder of Chicago-based design and illustration studio, Malt. Since 2012, he's been fortunate enough to sit down with some of beer's biggest personalities, as well as travel the U.S. and the globe to capture the industry's best stories. He's also hosted several events, including the annual fresh beer festival "Ultra Fresh", and is a two-time SAVEUR "Best Beer Coverage" nominee. Through his travels, Jack appreciates the varying perspectives of an industry that's always adapting, and enjoys sharing pints with beer enthusiasts of all types.
Dennis Malcolm "Ale" Sharpton
Dennis Malcolm Byron aka Ale Sharpton is a... Read More
Dennis Malcolm Byron aka Ale Sharpton is a world-renowned beer authority, award-winning journalist, blogger (AleSharpton.com), photographer, event planner, merchandise designer, and beer judge to name a few of his roles. While passionately traveling the globe to cover what he terms “the world’s best beverage” for more than two decades, his current media outlets include Thrillist.com, James Beard Foundation, Craft Beer & Brewing, CraftBeer.com, USAToday, and others. Ale has also recently launched his own beer called Piano Keys–a chocolate vanilla imperial stout–alongside brewing giant New Belgium geared to support diversity and racial equality through various initiatives including their burgeoning BrewGether fund. Although a native New Yorker and a Cornell University alumnus, Ale proudly calls Atlanta his home. Follow Ale's globetrotting adventures on his captivating Instagram (@realalesharpton), Twitter (@alesharpton), and his website (Alesharpton,com)
Dennis Malcolm "Ale" Sharpton

Dennis Malcolm Byron aka Ale Sharpton is a world-renowned beer authority, award-winning journalist, blogger (AleSharpton.com), photographer, event planner, merchandise designer, and beer judge to name a few of his roles. While passionately traveling the globe to cover what he terms “the world’s best beverage” for more than two decades, his current media outlets include Thrillist.com, James Beard Foundation, Craft Beer & Brewing, CraftBeer.com, USAToday, and others. Ale has also recently launched his own beer called Piano Keys–a chocolate vanilla imperial stout–alongside brewing giant New Belgium geared to support diversity and racial equality through various initiatives including their burgeoning BrewGether fund. Although a native New Yorker and a Cornell University alumnus, Ale proudly calls Atlanta his home. Follow Ale's globetrotting adventures on his captivating Instagram (@realalesharpton), Twitter (@alesharpton), and his website (Alesharpton,com)