Best Beer Cities

The Men's Journal http://www.mensjournal.com/top-five-beer-towns put out their list of the top 5 beer cities. San Diego of course topped the list. More importantly, the 3rd largest city in the country, the home of Engineering, Energy, NASA, and the most recession proof city on the planet is probably not in the top 25.

1. SAN DIEGO
San Diego isn’t just surfing and LaDainian Tomlinson anymore — it’s the new beer capital of the U.S. Stone (maker of our number one ale) exemplifies the local approach, with aggressively hopped but completely drinkable brews. The variety of beers across the city is the most eclectic in the country.

2. NYC
America’s alpha city is home to more young, finicky drinkers than any other city in the country. The result: the greatest beer-bar scene in the U.S. More than 20,000 bars and restaurants operate within the five boroughs, and even dives carry great imports such as Jever and Hoegaarden.

3. PORTLAND, OR
Portland brewers — once the anarchists of Craft Beer Nation — are now practically the establishment. But the Rose City’s festivals and a new vanguard of innovators haven’t let the city get all fusty yet.

4. PHILADELPHIA
The City of Brotherly Love boasts a huge crop of emerging microbreweries, an upsurge in beer-focused events, and a strong brewing tradition dating to before founding beer godfather Ben Franklin and the Revolutionary War. But what earns Philly its status as one of the country’s best beer cities is its abundance of truly world-class micro-pilsners.

5. CHICAGO
The neons may say Old Style, but now that Chicago has become the epicenter of the Midwest’s microbrewing revolution, most bars stack the chalkboard tap list with craft beers brewed an L ride away. As a result, the Windy City has become one of the country’s best places for small-batch beer you can’t get anywhere else.