In the contest for Best Brewery Tour, two breweries came out of the gates strong in a fierce battle to the finish line. After four weeks of voting, USA TODAY 10Best readers named the brewery tour at Charlotte's Olde Mecklenburg the best in the nation, with Magic Hat in Burlington, Vt. coming in a very close second.
Across the country in Fort Collins, Colo., New Belgium Brewery fans voted the makers of Fat Tire into a respectable third place finish, but it was back to the East Coast – Susquehanna in Pittston, Pa. and Samuel Adams in Boston – to round out the top five.
With thousands of breweries in the USA, selection by our panel of beer experts for inclusion in the contest was an honor in itself, and being voted by USA TODAY 10Best readers into the top 10 is certainly worth bragging about!
The full list of winners in the 'Best Brewery Tour' contest category for 10Best Readers' Choice is as follows:
- Olde Mecklenburg Brewery - Charlotte
- Magic Hat Brewing Co. - Burlington, Vt.
- New Belgium Brewing Co. - Fort Collins, Colo.
- Susquehanna Brewing Co. - Pittston, Pa.
- Samuel Adams - Boston
- Tröegs Brewing Co. - Hershey, Pa.
- Oskar Blues Brewery - Longmont, Colo.
- Philadelphia Brewing Co. - Philadelphia
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - Chico, Calif.
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Milton, Del.
Congratulations to all our winners!
The other ten nominees, also worth a visit (and a cold pint) were:
Abita Brewing Co. - Abita Springs, La.
Anchor Brewing - San Francisco
Brewery Ommegang - Cooperstown, N.Y.
Budweiser - St. Louis
Flying Dog Brewery - Frederick, Md.
Great Lakes Brewing Co. - Cleveland
Lagunitas Chicago TapRoom - Chicago
Rogue Farms Hopyard - Independence, Ore.
Stone Brewing Co. - Escondido, Calif.
Yuengling - Pottsville, Pa.
License the 10Best Readers' Choice Award Logo
The Experts
Tara Nurin
Tara Nurin is a veteran freelance journalist based... Read More
Tara Nurin is a veteran freelance journalist based just outside Philadelphia. The former TV reporter specializes in craft beer, dining and destination coverage and writes regularly about her three passions – Philly, food, drink – for local and national pubs. Tara, who grew up speaking Spanish and French, spent childhood holidays on a Puerto Rican beach and bummed around Paris for her junior year of college. She’s lived in more than a dozen American cities and still travels globally in search of a plate of local food, an artisanal beer and a hearty laugh with the countrymen.
Tara Nurin

Tara Nurin is a veteran freelance journalist based just outside Philadelphia. The former TV reporter specializes in craft beer, dining and destination coverage and writes regularly about her three passions – Philly, food, drink – for local and national pubs. Tara, who grew up speaking Spanish and French, spent childhood holidays on a Puerto Rican beach and bummed around Paris for her junior year of college. She’s lived in more than a dozen American cities and still travels globally in search of a plate of local food, an artisanal beer and a hearty laugh with the countrymen.