ON our annual hunt for the country’s top beer bars, it became clear that craft beer is everywhere, from gas stations to grocery stores. Best of all, we saw hundreds of beer bars with inspiring selections, well-versed bartenders and perfectly poured pints all across the country. We can’t imagine we’ll will ever go back to the days when “selection” meant light lagers and light lagers from Europe, but some things have stayed the same: Namely, the bars that championed craft beer (before we even called it that) are still leading the way. Hamilton’s, Falling Rock, Map Room—they’re still on this list. While a handful of phenomenal new bars cracked the top 100 this year, overwhelmingly, those who’ve been there all along are still the places every beer lover should visit. Below, our nation’s 100 finest:

MORE: The best beer bar chains, and FAQs about this list

APEX

1216 SE Division St., Portland, Ore.; apexbar.com

Bailey’s TapRoom

213 SW Broadway, Portland, Ore.; baileystaproom.com

Bazi Bierbrasserie

1522 SE 32nd Ave., Portland, Ore.; bazipdx.com

Beer Bar Before Beer Bar, there was The BAR-X, its cool, older sister speakeasy known for classic cocktails with a twist. But before BAR-X, there was Beer Bar. The minds behind both spots—including Ty Burrell of “Modern Family” fame—knew they wanted to do something with beer even before BAR-X opened four years ago; last spring, they kicked in the space next door, launched 31 taps and created another buzzed-about spot for Salt Lake’s energetic (and often undersold) nightlife. With concrete floors, exposed-beam ceilings and beer-garden communal tables, it’s got all the contemporary trappings we’ve come to love in craft-forward spots. But what we really love is Beer Bar’s commitment to brew: They’ve brought new beer to Utah with their own truck, and a huge walk-in cooler ensures once it’s there, it has a proper home. Always served in proper glassware, tap pours are by and large local: State law dictates spouts can only have beer that’s 4% ABV or less, which once upon a time might’ve been a drawback, but today simply means a killer session selection, including the perfectly constructed house helles. Before Beer Bar, there was The BAR-X, its cool, older sister speakeasy known for classic cocktails with a twist. But before BAR-X, there was Beer Bar. The minds behind both spots—including Ty Burrell of “Modern Family” fame—knew they wanted to do something with beer even before BAR-X opened four years ago; last spring, they kicked in the space next door, launched 31 taps and created another buzzed-about spot for Salt Lake’s energetic (and often undersold) nightlife. With concrete floors, exposed-beam ceilings and beer-garden communal tables, it’s got all the contemporary trappings we’ve come to love in craft-forward spots. But what we really love is Beer Bar’s commitment to brew: They’ve brought new beer to Utah with their own truck, and a huge walk-in cooler ensures once it’s there, it has a proper home. Always served in proper glassware, tap pours are by and large local: State law dictates spouts can only have beer that’s 4% ABV or less, which once upon a time might’ve been a drawback, but today simply means a killer session selection, including the perfectly constructed house helles.

Beer Bar

161 E. 200 S., Salt Lake City, facebook.com/beerbarslc

Beer Revolution

464 3rd St., Oakland, Calif.; beer-revolution.com

Belmont Station

4500 SE Stark St., Portland, Ore.; belmont-station.com

Beveridge Place Pub

6413 California Ave. SW, Seattle; beveridgeplacepub.com

Blind Lady Ale House

3416 Adams Ave., San Diego; blindlady.blogspot.com

Craft and Growler

3601 Parry Ave., Dallas; craftandgrowler.com

Craft Pride

61 Rainey St., Austin, Texas; craftprideaustin.com

Draught House Pub & Brewery

4112 Medical Parkway, Austin, Texas; draughthouse.com

Encinitas Ale House

1044 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, Calif.; encinitasalehouse.com

Falling Rock Tap House

1919 Blake St., Denver; fallingrocktaphouse.com

Hamilton’s Tavern

1521 30th St., San Diego; hamiltonstavern.com

The Hay Merchant

1100 Westheimer Rd., Houston; haymerchant.com

Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom

3090 SE Division St., Portland, Ore.; imperialbottleshop.com

The Mayor of Old Town

632 S. Mason St., Fort Collins, Colo.; themayorofoldtown.com

Mikkeller Bar If world-famous brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergso is Willy Wonka, this cool brick bar in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood is his Chocolate Factory. Sleek taps identified only by numbers appear sterile, but what pours is one of the most colorful, prolific beer collections on Earth. The 42 always-changing selections offer a glimpse into Bjergso’s beautifully complicated beer mind, a combination of boundless brewing creativity blended with rigid serving standards. The menu’s organized by serving temperature: You’ll find cask ales and stouts under the 55-degree category, sessionables like kölsches and pilsners on the 40-degree list, and farmhouse ales, IPAs and the Mikkeller Tenderloin beers brewed just for the bar under the 45-degree heading. You’ll also find a slew of Mikkeller specialties like Spontanredgrape (a grape lambic), but unlike Wonka, Bjergso knows he’s not the only brewer capable of greatness—so he hosts the fruit of other beer genius, like Vermont’s Hill Farmstead and Oklahoma’s Prairie Artisan Ales, too. If world-famous brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergso is Willy Wonka, this cool brick bar in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood is his Chocolate Factory. Sleek taps identified only by numbers appear sterile, but what pours is one of the most colorful, prolific beer collections on Earth. The 42 always-changing selections offer a glimpse into Bjergso’s beautifully complicated beer mind, a combination of boundless brewing creativity blended with rigid serving standards. The menu’s organized by serving temperature: You’ll find cask ales and stouts under the 55-degree category, sessionables like kölsches and pilsners on the 40-degree list, and farmhouse ales, IPAs and the Mikkeller Tenderloin beers brewed just for the bar under the 45-degree heading. You’ll also find a slew of Mikkeller specialties like Spontanredgrape (a grape lambic), but unlike Wonka, Bjergso knows he’s not the only brewer capable of greatness—so he hosts the fruit of other beer genius, like Vermont’s Hill Farmstead and Oklahoma’s Prairie Artisan Ales, too.

Mikkeller Bar

34 Mason St., San Francisco; mikkellerbar.com

O’Brien’s American Pub

4646 Convoy St., San Diego; obrienspub.net

Petrol Station

985 Wakefield Dr., Houston; facebook.com/petrolstation

Pine Box

1600 Melrose Ave., Seattle; pineboxbar.com

Saraveza Bottle Shop & Pasty Tavern

1004 N. Killingsworth St., Portland, Ore.; saraveza.com

The Sixgill

3417 Evanston Ave. N., Seattle; thesixgill.com

Strangeways

2429 N. Fitzhugh, Dallas; 214.823.7800

Stumbling Monk

1635 E. Olive Way, Seattle; 206.860.0916

The Surly Goat

7929 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, Calif.; surlygoat.com

Tap and Handle

307 S. College Ave., Fort Collins, Colo.; tapandhandle.com

Tiger! Tiger!

3025 El Cajon Blvd., North Park, Calif.; tigertigertavern.blogspot.com

Tony’s Darts Away

1710 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, Calif.; tonysda.com

The Trappist

460 8th St., Oakland, Calif.; thetrappist.com

7 Monks Taproom

128 S. Union St., Traverse City, Mich.; 7monkstap.com

Bangers & Lace

1670 W. Division St., Chicago; bangersandlacechicago.com

Bier Station

120 E. Gregory Blvd., Kansas City, Mo.; bierstation.com

Bridge

1004 Locust St., St. Louis; thebridgestl.com

Clubhouse BFD

2265 Crooks Rd., Rochester Hills, Mich.; chbfd.com

Crescent Moon

3578 Farnam St., Omaha, Neb.; beercornerusa.com

El Bait Shop

200 SW 2nd St., Des Moines, Iowa; elbaitshop.com

Firkin

515 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville, Ill.; firkinoflibertyville.com

Fountainhead

1970 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago; fountainheadchicago.com

The Happy Gnome

498 Selby Ave., St. Paul, Minn.; thehappygnome.com

HalfCut Halfcut (the word) is 1920s slang for one’s state of mind after a few beers; HalfCut (the place) is a new beer parlor where you can achieve it. Nestled in Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, this bar boasts a giant “ghost sign”-style mural that pays homage to the Queen City’s storied German beer heritage. Across the room, a picture of a mountain climber, the mounted head of a billy goat and a grade-school map adorn the exposed brick wall, encouraging patrons to channel their inner explorer and try something new and daring, like Liefmans Goudenband sour or Rogue XS Old Crustacean barleywine. Customers form a deli-style queue to the counter to order; they can select from 16 taps, half of which highlight Midwest breweries such as Cincinnati’s MadTree and Rhinegeist, while others feature more distant delights. Try the carefully curated flavors of the Flight of the Night, or ask an expert “beerista” for recommendations; if you can’t stay, grab a jug through the walk-up Growler Window. Halfcut (the word) is 1920s slang for one’s state of mind after a few beers; HalfCut (the place) is a new beer parlor where you can achieve it. Nestled in Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, this bar boasts a giant “ghost sign”-style mural that pays homage to the Queen City’s storied German beer heritage. Across the room, a picture of a mountain climber, the mounted head of a billy goat and a grade-school map adorn the exposed brick wall, encouraging patrons to channel their inner explorer and try something new and daring, like Liefmans Goudenband sour or Rogue XS Old Crustacean barleywine. Customers form a deli-style queue to the counter to order; they can select from 16 taps, half of which highlight Midwest breweries such as Cincinnati’s MadTree and Rhinegeist, while others feature more distant delights. Try the carefully curated flavors of the Flight of the Night, or ask an expert “beerista” for recommendations; if you can’t stay, grab a jug through the walk-up Growler Window.

HalfCut

1128 Walnut St., Cincinnati; halfcut.com

Heorot

219 S. Walnut St., Muncie, Ind.; facebook.com/heorot-pub-and-draught-house

Hopleaf

5148 N. Clark St., Chicago; hopleaf.com

Krug Park

6205 Maple St., Omaha, Neb.; krugpark.com

Local Option

1102 W. Webster Ave., Chicago; localoptionbier.com

Map Room

1949 N. Hoyne Ave., Chicago; maproom.com

Mitten Bar

109 W. Ludington Ave., Ludington, Mich.; facebook.com/mittenbar

Palm Tavern

2989 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee; 414.744.0393

Republic

221 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; republicmn.com

Romans’ Pub

3475 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee; romanspub.com

Sugar Maple

441 E. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee; mysugarmaple.com

Avenue Pub

1732 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans; theavenuepub.com

Beer Run

156 Carlton Rd. Suite 203, Charlottesville, Va.; beerrun.com

The Beer Trappe

811 E. Euclid Ave., Lexington, Ky.; thebeertrappe.com

The Birch

1231 W. Olney Rd., Norfolk, Va.; thebirchbar.com

Brick Store Pub

125 E. Court Square, Decatur, Ga.; brickstorepub.com

Busy Bee Cafe

225 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, N.C.; busybeeraleigh.com

Closed for Business

453 King St., Charleston, S.C.; closed4business.com

Craft Brewed

2502 Franklin Pike, Nashville; craftbrewednashville.com

Craft Conundrum

630 Skylark Dr., Charleston, S.C.; facebook.com/craftconundrum

Growlers Pourhouse

3120 N. Davidson St., Charlotte, N.C.; growlerspourhouse.com

Holy Grale

1034 Bardstown Rd., Louisville, Ky.; holygralelouisville.com

Hops + Crafts

319 12th Ave. S., Nashville, Tenn.; hopscrafts.com

Laser Wolf Inside this squat building painted a few shades beiger than primer is a slapdash collage of stickers, irreverent art, combat-boot-wearing patrons and some of the rarest beers on tap in South Florida. (What you won’t find: TVs.) The bar’s motto is “No jerks. Yes beers,” and it’s with that spirit Laser Wolf caters to an un-jerky brand of beer drinkers with an affinity for cult movies and barrel-aged everything. Laser Wolf seems to have first dibs on special releases, especially from Cigar City Brewing: Owner Chris Bellus (or his brother Jordan) also seems to have an affinity for Evil Twin Brewing and cider; for a while, this was the only place around pouring Zombie Killer. While that’s music to the beer lover’s ears, there’s also real music for your ears, too: Chris recently launched a record label (expect speed metal and booty bass), and beertender Bleubird is a local underground-hip-hop celebrity. Inside this squat building painted a few shades beiger than primer is a slapdash collage of stickers, irreverent art, combat-boot-wearing patrons and some of the rarest beers on tap in South Florida. (What you won’t find: TVs.) The bar’s motto is “No jerks. Yes beers,” and it’s with that spirit Laser Wolf caters to an un-jerky brand of beer drinkers with an affinity for cult movies and barrel-aged everything. Laser Wolf seems to have first dibs on special releases, especially from Cigar City Brewing: Owner Chris Bellus (or his brother Jordan) also seems to have an affinity for Evil Twin Brewing and cider; for a while, this was the only place around pouring Zombie Killer. While that’s music to the beer lover’s ears, there’s also real music for your ears, too: Chris recently launched a record label (expect speed metal and booty bass), and beertender Bleubird is a local underground-hip-hop celebrity.

Laser Wolf

901 Progresso Drive #101, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; laserwolf.com

Mahogany Bar

3810 Hardy St., Hattiesburg, Miss.; mahoganybar.net

Mr. Beery’s

2645 Mall Dr., Sarasota, Fla.; mrbeeryssrq.com

The Nook

3305 Bob Wallace Ave. SW, Huntsville, Ala.; thenooktavern.com

Oak Barrel Tavern

825 Savannah Hwy., Charleston, S.C.; 843.789.3686

The Porter Beer Bar

1156 Euclid Ave. NE, Atlanta; theporterbeerbar.com

The Raleigh Times Bar

14 E. Hargett St., Raleigh, N.C.; raleightimesbar.com

Redlight Redlight

2810 Corrine Dr., Orlando, Fla.; redlightredlightbeerparlour.com

Sergio’s World Beers

1605 Story Ave., Louisville, Ky.; sergiosworldbeers.com

Tapwerks Ale House

121 E. Sheridan Ave., Oklahoma City; tapwerks.com

Armsby Abbey

144 N. Main St., Worcester, Mass.; armsbyabbey.com

Beer Street

413 Graham Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.; beerstreetnyc.com

Bierkraft

191 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.; bierkraft.com

Blind Tiger

281 Bleecker St., New York City; blindtigeralehouse.com

The Brewer’s Art

1106 N. Charles St., Baltimore; thebrewersart.com

Brouwerij Lane

78 Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.; brouwerijlane.com

ChurchKey

1337 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.; churchkeydc.com

Deep Ellum

477 Cambridge St., Allston, Mass.; deepellum-boston.com

Ebenezer’s Pub

44 Allen Rd., Lovell, Maine; ebenezerspub.net

Eulogy Belgian Tavern

136 Chestnut St., Philadelphia; eulogybar.com

The Grey Lodge Public House

6235 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia; greylodge.com

The Jeffrey

311 E. 60th St., New York City; jeffreynyc.com

Lord Hobo

92 Hampshire St., Cambridge, Mass.; lordhobo.com

Max’s Taphouse

737 S. Broadway, Baltimore; maxs.com

Memphis Taproom

2331 E. Cumberland St., Philadelphia; memphistaproom.com

Monk’s Café

264 S. 16th St., Philadelphia; monkscafe.com

Novare Res Bier Café

4 Canal Plaza, Portland, Maine; novareresbiercafe.com

Proletariat A must-visit in Manhattan’s West Village, Proletariat’s a slip of a place, intimately narrow and moody with photo-filled walls and a dozen barstools. Snag one to taste—as promised by the sign in front—new, unusual and rare beer. Originally (and quite accidentally) a speakeasy, Proletariat used to be tucked between a storefront that sold cinnamon buns and its kitchen, but the bar eventually pushed out to the window, where today it pours fun oddities from well-curated spouts, courtesy of general manager Cory Bonfiglio. Though the selection changes every New York minute, he vows there will always be something hoppy (though probably not a straightforward IPA), something boozy and most certainly a selection of funky and sour brews. Not sure what to get? The bartenders genuinely know their stuff, and, better yet, genuinely care that you get what you want. A must-visit in Manhattan’s West Village, Proletariat’s a slip of a place, intimately narrow and moody with photo-filled walls and a dozen barstools. Snag one to taste—as promised by the sign in front—new, unusual and rare beer. Originally (and quite accidentally) a speakeasy, Proletariat used to be tucked between a storefront that sold cinnamon buns and its kitchen, but the bar eventually pushed out to the window, where today it pours fun oddities from well-curated spouts, courtesy of general manager Cory Bonfiglio. Though the selection changes every New York minute, he vows there will always be something hoppy (though probably not a straightforward IPA), something boozy and most certainly a selection of funky and sour brews. Not sure what to get? The bartenders genuinely know their stuff, and, better yet, genuinely care that you get what you want.

Proletariat

102 St. Mark’s Place, New York City; proletariatny.com

The Publick House

1648 Beacon St., Brookline, Mass.; thepublickhousebeerbar.com

Rattle N Hum

14 E. 33rd St., New York City; rattlenhumbarnyc.com

Spuyten Duyvil

359 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.; spuytenduyvilnyc.com

Strangelove’s

216 S. 11th St., Philadelphia; strangelovesbeerbar.com

Teresa’s Next Door

124 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne, Pa.; teresas-cafe.com

Three Penny Taproom

108 Main St., Montpelier, Vt.; threepennytaproom.com

Top Hops Beer Shop

94 Orchard St., New York City; tophops.com

Torst

615 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.; torstnyc.com

Tria Taproom

2005 Walnut St., Philadelphia; triacafe.com/taproom