Two North Carolina beer scenes rank among the nation’s best — and we’ll toast to that

Simone Jasper
·2 min read

North Carolina boasts two of the nation’s “most outstanding” places for beer — but that’s not the only reason to raise a glass, new rankings show.

Asheville ranks No. 8 on a list of “best beer cities,” and Bryson City is No. 7 on a separate list of top “small town beer scenes,” according to results published March 8.

In Asheville and beyond, several businesses with a North Carolina presence also ranked among the nation’s favorites for beer drinkers. They include:

  • The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery & Biergarten in Charlotte at No. 1 for beer gardens

  • Raleigh Beer Garden at No. 4 for beer gardens

  • Charlotte Beer Garden at No. 6 for beer gardens

  • The Whale in Asheville at No. 4 for beer bars

  • Lesser Known Beer Company in Winston-Salem at No. 5 for new breweries

  • New Origin Brewing in Asheville at No. 9 for new breweries

  • Burial Beer Company Forestry Camp in Asheville at No. 3 for brewery tours

  • Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Mills River at No. 7 for brewery tours

  • New Belgium Brewing Company in Asheville at No. 8 for brewery tours

The rankings are from USA Today’s 10Best, which creates lists of the most-beloved travel spots, food and attractions across the country. A group of experts and editors considered the top places to grab a pint before readers got a chance to choose their favorites. They could vote up to one time per day over the course of a month.

Why did Asheville and Bryson City make the lists?

On the resulting lists of readers’ choice award winners, it might not come as a surprise that Asheville earned recognition for its beer scene. The mountain tourist hot spot previously was named a top beer hub for its concentration of breweries and the variety of drinks they serve, McClatchy News reported.

This time around, 10Best said the city “offers an impressive number of breweries, friendly beer bars, and bottle shops” that “provide enthusiasts with easy access to more than 100 local beers.”

About a 65-mile drive west of Asheville, the mountain town of Bryson City made its mark among smaller destinations. 10Best called the town — home to about 1,500 people and near Great Smoky Mountains National Park — a “perfect destination for any outdoor-loving beer fan.”

“There’s plenty of hiking, whitewater rafting, tubing, and exploring to fill your days and several popular spots within walking distance of each other to enjoy local craft beer at night,” the report said.

Overall, the nation’s No. 1 beer city was Grand Rapids, Michigan. The top small town — an honor given to places with fewer than 30,000 residents — was Cody, Wyoming.

Though North Carolina destinations won several accolades, none ranked among the top brewpubs or beer festivals. 10Best has told McClatchy News in the past that it doesn’t share how many people vote in its contests.

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