USA TODAY 10Best
Best brewpub in the U.S.? Readers vote 18th Street Brewery
Best Brewpub (2019)
What's better than a craft brewery? A craft brewery with an on-premise bar where you can sit back, relax and enjoy a cold one. These 10 brewpubs, nominated by a panel of beer experts and voted as the best in the U.S. by our readers, serve their own house beers, often alongside guest taps and a menu of tasty food options.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Brewpub are as follows:
Photo courtesy of HighSide Brewing
No. 10: HighSide Brewing - Frisco, Colo.
Beer lovers at HighSide Brewing in Frisco, Colorado can sip on a selection of the brewery’s dozen offerings while sinking their teeth into dishes from 720 Kitchen @ HighSide Brewing. Specialties include flatbreads, charcuterie and cheese boards, poutine and tacos.
Photo courtesy of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
No. 9: Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats - Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Dogfish Head Brewing & Eats in Rehoboth Beach pours the brewery’s award-winning beers alongside a pub menu with comfort classics like crab corn chowder, house-baked pretzel bites, burgers and wood-fired pizzas. Non beer drinkers can choose from a menu of creative cocktails as well.
Photo courtesy of Alan Maxcy / Torched Hop
No. 8: Torched Hop - Atlanta
Founded by Atlanta natives Chris and Stephen Bivins, Torched Hop pours nearly a dozen house beers – IPAs, kettle sours, pilsner, kölsch and coconut porter – with an extensive food menu of small plates, salads, sandwiches, pizzas and even brunch.
Photo courtesy of Matt Seaver / Urban Village Brewing Co.
No. 7: Urban Village Brewing Co. - Philadelphia
Along with the dozen house-brewed taps, Urban Village Brewing Co. in Philadelphia cooks up a menu of small plates, sandwiches, salads and pizzas made from naturally leavened dough.
Photo courtesy of Orono Brewing Company
No. 6: Orono Brewing Company - Orono, Maine
Orono Brewing specializes in unfiltered beers, served in their flagship Maine tasting room alongside a menu of flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, tacos and shareable tater tots served buffalo, poutine or nacho style.
Photo courtesy of Chorus Photography / Root Down Brewing Company
No. 5: Root Down Brewing Company - Phoenixville, Penn.
Situated within the old Superior Beverage Co. building in Phoenoxville, Pennsylvania, Root Down offers a laidback spot for beer lovers to drink and dine. The tap list includes a dozen beers, with creative offerings like 3 Legged Rabbit Altbier, Franc Blanc French-Style White Ale, Doof Warrior Smoked Imperial Stout and Dinkel Spelt IPA. The brewpub kitchen cooks up classic pub food with some standout vegetarian-friendly options.
Photo courtesy of Janelle Sorenson / Ocean Beach Brewery
No. 4: Ocean Beach Brewery - San Diego
Ocean Beach Brewery was the first microbrewery to open on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, California. Creative beers include offerings like the Salt Water Crocodile Red Ale brewed with chipotle peppers, chocolate and orange zest or the award-winning Roof Top Saison with hints of white pepper and coriander. The food menu offers creative takes on pub classics –fish and chips, tacos, nachos and fries among them.
No. 3: Hopstix - Chamblee, Ga.
Fusion food and craft beer join forces at Hopstix in Atlanta, an Asian fusion brewpub where diners can nosh on poke bowls, miso ramen, chicken katsu or Asian-inspired tacos, all while sipping one of over a dozen house taps.
Photo courtesy of Trevor Rose-Hamblin / Old Irving Brewing Co.
No. 2: Old Irving Brewing Co. - Chicago
Chicago's Old Irving Brewing Co. brews up a range of 10 beers, including a Belgian quad, a few IPAs, two kölsch beers and a pair of milk stouts. Hungry drinkers enjoy a menu of salads, sandwiches and shared plates made from locally sourced ingredients.
Photo courtesy of © 2019 18th Street Brewery
No. 1: 18th Street Brewery - Hammond, Ind.
Indiana's 18th Street Brewery brews up several varieties of beer in their Hammond brewpub, including Imperial Blud Imperial Russian stout, Temporal Purgatory pale ale, Here Comes the Wolf old ale and Sex and Candy American IPA. The brewpub also serves pub grub and dinner menus with house-baked bread and pastries.
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 brewpubs!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
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, host, speaker and beer judge to name a few of his roles. While passionately traveling the globe to cover everything from automobiles to culinary scenes, celebrity profiles, sports, hotel destinations, art, and what he terms “the world’s best beverage,” Ale has contributed to more than 30 magazines and websites combined. His current media outlets include USAToday, Thrillist.com, Craft Beer & Brewing, CraftBeer.com, Theinfatuation.com, ButterATL.com, James Beard Foundation, Atlanta Magazine, and others. Along with being featured in various publications, on the web, radio, podcasts, television, beer fests, conferences, and ongoing Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’ video series, Ale utilizes his Cornell University School of Hotel Administration education and vast work experience to consult in the culinary industry as well. Forbes, Smithsonian Institution, UNTAPPD, Good Beer Hunting, and numerous others have showcased Ale’s accomplishments. In a collaboration going on six years with brewing giant New Belgium, Ale has produced a beer he conceptualized called Piano Keys–a chocolate vanilla imperial stout–geared to support diversity and racial equality. This project with New Belgium also spawned his initiative, BrewGether, which raises funds to support nonprofits embracing the same mission as Piano Keys. Ale proudly owns AllWays Open Creative Solutions, an agency specializing in creative direction, logo design, branding, web design, video production, photography, consulting, and social media. Although a native New Yorker, Ale proudly calls Atlanta his home. Follow Ale’s globetrotting adventures on his captivating Instagram (@realalesharpton).
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, host, speaker and beer judge to name a few of his roles. While passionately traveling the globe to cover everything from automobiles to culinary scenes, celebrity profiles, sports, hotel destinations, art, and what he terms “the world’s best beverage,” Ale has contributed to more than 30 magazines and websites combined. His current media outlets include USAToday, Thrillist.com, Craft Beer & Brewing, CraftBeer.com, Theinfatuation.com, ButterATL.com, James Beard Foundation, Atlanta Magazine, and others. Along with being featured in various publications, on the web, radio, podcasts, television, beer fests, conferences, and ongoing Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’ video series, Ale utilizes his Cornell University School of Hotel Administration education and vast work experience to consult in the culinary industry as well. Forbes, Smithsonian Institution, UNTAPPD, Good Beer Hunting, and numerous others have showcased Ale’s accomplishments. In a collaboration going on six years with brewing giant New Belgium, Ale has produced a beer he conceptualized called Piano Keys–a chocolate vanilla imperial stout–geared to support diversity and racial equality. This project with New Belgium also spawned his initiative, BrewGether, which raises funds to support nonprofits embracing the same mission as Piano Keys. Ale proudly owns AllWays Open Creative Solutions, an agency specializing in creative direction, logo design, branding, web design, video production, photography, consulting, and social media. Although a native New Yorker, Ale proudly calls Atlanta his home. Follow Ale’s globetrotting adventures on his captivating Instagram (@realalesharpton).
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 a regular guest on “You Oughta Know,” on WHYY-TV, a PBS station based in Philadelphia. Gary also hosts one-minute beverage updates on several southern NJ radio stations. From 2010-2017, he was seen on the History Channel show called “The Epic History of Everyday Things.” He is the author of the book, “Artisan Beers.” After a 41-year career as a NJ- based educator, Gary now teaches beer appreciation classes at Wilmington University. Gary has appeared on many television programs discussing craft beers and has guested on BBC radio offering an American perspective on the beverage. In late 2014, he lent his expertise to CBS News New York, by offering fall beer recommendations. One of the highlights of his career was a three-year stint on the Sirius Satellite Radio network, talking about the latest happenings in the beer world. 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 a regular guest on “You Oughta Know,” on WHYY-TV, a PBS station based in Philadelphia. Gary also hosts one-minute beverage updates on several southern NJ radio stations. From 2010-2017, he was seen on the History Channel show called “The Epic History of Everyday Things.” He is the author of the book, “Artisan Beers.” After a 41-year career as a NJ- based educator, Gary now teaches beer appreciation classes at Wilmington University. Gary has appeared on many television programs discussing craft beers and has guested on BBC radio offering an American perspective on the beverage. In late 2014, he lent his expertise to CBS News New York, by offering fall beer recommendations. One of the highlights of his career was a three-year stint on the Sirius Satellite Radio network, talking about the latest happenings in the beer world. 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.
Ruth Berman
Dr. Ruth Berman is the CEO and BBB (Brains Beyond... Read More
Dr. Ruth Berman is the CEO and BBB (Brains Beyond the Beer) of Bon Beer Voyage, an award-winning international beer-centric vacation company for Belgian and Craft Beer Enthusiasts. Bon Beer Voyage was created by Ruth and her husband, Mike Arra, as the beer lover’s casual but exclusive version of elite wine tours. They offer high-quality, small group, gourmet Beercations in the US and abroad; providing their guests with one-of-kind experiences, locally guided sightseeing, great food, brewery insider visits and VIP beer tastings. Ruth is also a Certified Tour Director, Licensed Tour Guide and Cicerone Program Certified Beer Server and has served as one of the beer experts for USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Beer awards since 2014. She is member of the Pink Boots Society, Brewer’s Association, Florida Brewer’s Guild, North American Guild of Beer Writers and World Food Travel Association.
Ruth Berman
Dr. Ruth Berman is the CEO and BBB (Brains Beyond the Beer) of Bon Beer Voyage, an award-winning international beer-centric vacation company for Belgian and Craft Beer Enthusiasts. Bon Beer Voyage was created by Ruth and her husband, Mike Arra, as the beer lover’s casual but exclusive version of elite wine tours. They offer high-quality, small group, gourmet Beercations in the US and abroad; providing their guests with one-of-kind experiences, locally guided sightseeing, great food, brewery insider visits and VIP beer tastings. Ruth is also a Certified Tour Director, Licensed Tour Guide and Cicerone Program Certified Beer Server and has served as one of the beer experts for USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Beer awards since 2014. She is member of the Pink Boots Society, Brewer’s Association, Florida Brewer’s Guild, North American Guild of Beer Writers and World Food Travel Association.