Best American Beer Pilgrimages

What is it?
Bend is a historic Oregon town of just over 80,000, yet it boasts more than a dozen breweries—all of which make some seriously great beer. No wonder beer geeks refer to it, lovingly, as "Beer Town USA."

Why should you go?
The Ale Trail covers nine breweries over a few miles, and you can hit them all nearly any weekend day when all the breweries are open. The options for non-car transportation are vast—you can hoof it, bike it, unicycle it, or even hire a pedicab, horse and carriage, an 1800s trolley car, or a 16-passenger bike. Seriously. Start your day at Deschutes, where you’ll receive a free pint before you tour the brewery and have some serious beer-geek knowledge bestowed upon you. Follow that up with a much smaller-scale tour of Silver Moon, which concludes with a flight of their seven offerings. After that, you’ve got seven more breweries to visit.

Learn more: VisitBend.com

How well do you know your beers? Take our quiz to find out.

PHOTOGRAPH: BYRON ROE PHOTOGRAPHY/VISIT BEND

What is it?
A 25-brewery expedition through Vacationland that starts at the New Hampshire border and moves 200 miles up the rocky coast to Bar Harbor. The trail requires at least a long weekend to do well, but it’s well worth every minute.

Why should you go?
The question isn’t if you should go; it’s when you should go. The time of year you embark dictates how the journey will shape up. Would you like to enjoy a Geary’s Vacationland Summer Ale while gnawing fried seafood on a sunny beach? Or would you prefer to sip on a Shipyard Pumpkinhead as you watch the New England leaves turn? Maybe you’re more into drinking a Gritty’s Pub Style at the base of Shawnee Peak Ski Resort? Or you could always wait till spring and quaff a refreshing Allagash white on the first warm day of the season. Decisions, decisions.

Learn more: MaineBrewersGuild.org

PHOTOGRAPH: SHIPYARD BREWING COMPANY

What is it?
You probably know Sonoma for its wine, but it turns out that it’s also hoppy beer heaven. Indeed, this Northern California county houses a few renowned breweries—all within a short drive of each other—that produce some of the world’s most sought after hop monsters.

Why should you go? If you’re a hop head, this is the trip for you. Hop flavor begins to dissipate as soon as a beer leaves the brewery, so the closer you get to the source, the more pine, citrus, and spice you’ll find in your brew. First stop, Lagunitas, in Petaluma. Try Maximus on tap, a balanced double IPA that goes down incredibly easy despite its 8.2% alcohol content. Next up, Bear Republic in Healdsburg. Grab a Racer 5, a clean, fruity American IPA that puts shame to what you usually order. Finally, head to Russian River for a pint or two of the rockstar: Pliny the Elder, a much sought-after double-IPA that many argue is the best beer on the planet.

Learn more: SonomaCounty.com

PHOTOGRAPH: SONOMA COUNTY TOURISM

What is it?
Beer and bluegrass, that’s what Asheville, North Carolina does, and the yearlong celebration of both culminates with an epic daylong festival every September. Here you’ll listen to big-name bluegrass bands shred banjo while you tip back brews from over 40 breweries from close-by and far-away.

Why should you go? Brewgrass celebrates Asheville’s beer culture—arguably the best south of the Mason Dixon. That culture is so strong in Asheville that big brewers have taken notice. Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, and Oskar Blues are currently expanding by opening breweries in town. After the festival, visit one of the nearby national forests for a little mountain biking or hiking, followed by a late night in any of Asheville’s 20 respectable beer bars.

Learn more: BrewgrassFestival.com

PHOTOGRAPH: ANNE FITTEN GLENN

What is it?
This is beer Mecca. More than 500 brewers, pouring 2,000-plus beers, over the course of four days. It’s the country’s biggest summit of beer and brewery, and it takes place in Denver in mid October.

Why should you go?
Although the main events are the four tasting sessions—where you can sample beer for four and a half hours straight—the seminars and talks are a beer geek’s dream. On day one you might find yourself listening to the brewers at Three Floyds, Surly, and Mikkeller talk about the fruition of their XV Anniversary collaboration, and on day two you might sidle up alongside one of your favorite brewers—say Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head or Greg Koch of Stone—to find out what it’s like making the world’s best beer.

Learn more: GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com

Check out the 40 best and worst beers in America.

PHOTOGRAPH: JASON E. KAPLAN

What is it?
Created by the Alström Brothers, founders of BeerAdvocate.com, this Boston-based festival happens every February and brings together 125 wild beers that test and break the boundaries of what a beer is.

Why should you go? If you’re adventurous when it comes to drinking, this is the festival for you. Most of the libations are brewed specifically for the festival, and years past have included untamed mixtures like:
Allagash Respect Your Elderberries: American sour ale, barrel aged on freshly picked Maine Elderberries
Dogfish Head Dirty Fermentini: a martini-inspired beer brewed with pureed olives and the botanicals used in Dogfish Head Gin.
Heavy Seas Pleasure of Land and Sea: American Dry Stout brewed with crab, oyster, and shrimp, aged on a variety of wood species.

Learn more: BeerAdvocate.com

31 things you can do with beer (besides drink it).

PHOTOGRAPH: BEERADVOCATE

What is it?
One day each year, just south of Chicago, 6,000 intrepid beer fans gather outside Three Floyds Brewing to cash in their ticket in for Dark Lord—arguably the world’s best stout, made only once a year.

Why should you go? Even if you can’t get your hands on Dark Lord—golden tickets for four bottles of the stuff sold out in just four minutes last year—you should still go for the craft beer party. Midwestern guys fire up grills and smokers and eat brats while they debate the merits of different styles of beer. Others load up backpacks with hard-to-find brews to trade and sample amongst themselves while heavy metal bands perform in the background. And hey, who knows, maybe someone will give you a sip of the Dark Lord.

Learn more: DarkLordDay.com

PHOTOGRAPH: THREE FLOYDS BREWING

What is it?
This pilgrimage combines two things that guys love: outdoor adventure and good beer. By day, you’ll raft down the Rogue River, and by night, you’ll tip back craft beers by Oregon microbrewery Ninkasi.

Why should you go? This isn’t that Keystone Light fueled float down a lazy creek that you did back in college—this is the real deal. Experts will lead you on a three-day float over some of the best rapids in the country. A stretch called Grant’s Pass, in particular, will have you screaming for your mother and crying for dry land. And once the day is over, you’ll relax (and quell your nerves) by sipping excellent brews while beer expert Ginger Johnson explains the brewing process and intricacies behind each one.

Learn more: RowAdventures.com

PHOTOGRAPH: JARED CRUCE/ROW ADVENTURES