Philadelphia is an awesome beer city, currently at the forefront of the American craft beer renaissance and home to a large roster of formidable beer artisans — including some of the best breweries in the country.

The city has won a slew of beer-related accolades, including being named one of the 14 best beer cities in the entire world by Frommer’s and being recognized as one of the best beer cities in America by both GQ Magazine and Thrillist. Plus, the city’s brewers frequently win awards at the beer scene’s two biggest annual events: the Great American Beer Festival (three medals in 2018 for Philly area breweries) and the 2018 World Beer Cup (five medals in 2018).

Plot a visit to the best breweries in Philadelphia and the surrounding region (Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County and Montgomery County) with our comprehensive guide, sortable alphabetically or by Untappd rating. Counting millions of users, popular beer rating/social app Untappd allows users (both beer mavens and beer novices alike) to rate and share their thoughts on the beers they’re drinking.

Want more info on what makes Philadelphia great for breweries and brewpubs? Read more below.

Pickup & Delivery from Craft Breweries in Greater Philadelphia



Most of the craft breweries on this list are offering curbside pickup — and a number are offering delivery — while patrons are unable to visit taprooms in person. Scroll down to learn more about breweries in the region and check out our guide to delivery from breweries in Greater Philadelphia to see how to snag cans, crowlers, growlers — and even sixtels and kegs — filled with fresh, sudsy, flavorful craft beer, and support small-business owners while you sip.

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Overview

Philadelphia breweries range widely in size and scope.

There are the pioneering names, like Dock Street, Philadelphia Brewing Co., Sly Fox, Victory, Weyerbacher and Yards, which create some of Philadelphia’s most well-known and widely accessible craft beers.

Comparative newcomers like Conshohocken, Neshaminy Creek, Round Guys and Stickman have steadily expanded into multiple locations and wider distribution throughout the region.

The tide on independent full-service brewpubs is rising, too, as standalone stalwarts like Earth Bread + Brewery and Manayunk Brewing are joined by distinctive destinations (Crime & Punishment, Fishtown Brewpub, La Cabra) as well as locally based chains (Iron Hill, McKenzie Brew House).

Innovation and originality are major strengths of the scene, as well, with breweries like Evil Genius, Fermentery Form, Imprint, Free Will, Forest & Main and Tired Hands garnering national buzz by focusing on esoteric, hard-to-find or altogether new varieties, styles and techniques.

And Pennsylvania breweries based outside the immediate region, such as Roy-Pitz and Separatist, have even made an effort to make their presence permanently known in the city with Philadelphia outposts.

All this action is bolstered by a lineup of still-in-the-works concepts, a promising sign that beer here will continue its boom.

Beer Tours and Philly Beer Week

Many of the breweries in the five-county region have tours and/or tastings at their facilities, and a number of local groups — including City Brew Tours, the Philly On Tap tour from Urban Adventures and Liberty Brew Tours — offer comprehensive experiences that include multiple breweries across the breadth of Philadelphia’s deep, dynamic beer scene.

Taking place every June, the 10-day Philly Beer Week is the largest beverage celebration of its kind in America and its organizers, Philly Loves Beer, keep the sudsy events going year-round.

Philadelphia Beer History

Philadelphians have embraced beer and beer culture since the very beginning of our nation. After all, this is the birthplace of America, and great ideas have been known to hatch over a pint.

Case in point: Local taverns served as vital meeting points during the American Revolution, providing the well-stocked gathering spaces required by Founding Fathers and common colonists alike to birth modern democracy.

Philadelphia would also play a crucial role in the wider maturation of American beercraft. In the mid-19th through the early-20th centuries, more than 90 breweries operated in Philadelphia proper, and another 100 operated in the surrounding areas, making it one of the region’s most stable and essential industries.

The brewery uptick came to an end in 1920, when Prohibition brought on the near-demise of virtually all of Philadelphia’s beer producers, the majority of which remained shuttered beyond the repeal of the “Noble Experiment” in 1933.

But the enterprising, independent spirit of the originators never left the fabric of Philadelphia’s civic identity, setting the scene for a serious comeback that began gaining steam in the early 1980s.

Throughout the next 20-plus years, innovative craft breweries proudly reclaimed the region’s reputation by brewing some of the country’s best beer.