Looking For a Great Beer? Visit These Exceptional Breweries in 2026

While the beer industry headlines of 2025 focused on brewery closings and difficult headwinds, the fact remains that there are still more than 9,500 breweries operating in the United States.

There’s a certain thrill that comes with visiting a brewery for the first time. It’s a chance to try new beers, to see the creative design choices made by owners, and to really settle into a community.

One of the great privileges of being the editor of All About Beer is the opportunity to travel to new places and to experience breweries from both a barstool and standing among stainless steel. I get to hear the stories and struggles of owners, the intent and tasting notes on pints from brewers, and to bend elbows with friends and regulars.

Over the course of the last 20 or so years I’ve visited nearly 2,700 different breweries. For a while I was on a kick of trying to visit as many as possible each year to run up the tally. In 2025 I spent time revisiting breweries, soaking in changes and generally trying to live a little slower. As such, I only visited 62 new-to-me breweries last year.

Some were quick stops and other visits lasted a full weekend. While beer quality, hospitality, and ambiance are still goals some need to achieve, there were certainly some standouts that give me hope for the future of beer.

Here are nine breweries that I visited in 2025 that I encourage you to seek out in 2026.

Kismetic Beer Co., Indianapolis, Indiana

In 2025 the brewing community got to experience Indianapolis up close as it hosted the annual Craft Brewers Conference. There were a lot of great local options, but Kismetic stood out. Located in a warehouse space in the city’s near-east side, the taproom is immediately comfortable to first-time visitors. The beers are thoughtful, creative, and the kind you wish there were more of in the world.

The brewery, which has a kind of speakeasy vibe, opened in 2022 and has been quietly garnering attention from the right kind of beer fans. Owners Nicole and Ryan Oesch have extensive time in the beer and hospitality industry, and Kismetic is a reflection of their shared experiences. It’s a can’t miss when you visit Indianapolis, and you can hear more from their episode of Drink Beer, Think Beer.

Sky Puppy Brewery, Ybor City, Florida

One of the great trends of recent brewery openings has been owners focusing on a taproom aesthetic that is uniquely theirs. The interior design of Sky Puppy (a lot of other folks might call them bats) is a group of comfortable brick walled cave-like rooms inside an old fire station with small design flourishes for anyone who takes the time to look, let their eyes relax, and notice the striking artwork from local artist Copper Tritscheller.

On their website, co-owners Matthew McKinnon and Danielle Vergnaud-McKinnon describe Tritscheller’s art:

Drawn to what she considers the “misunderstood” animal, much of her work centers around burros and bats. Tritscheller approaches her subjects from all angles, sculpting them both as animals, as well as anthropomorphically.

Sky Puppy specifically chose to represent the brand identity with a bat. Bats often represent death and the sense of letting go of the old, and bringing in the new. They are symbols of transition, initiation, and the start of a new beginning.

The beers McKinnon is brewing are among the finest in the Tampa Bay area. It is easy to lose a happy afternoon going through all on offer, especially the India pale ales.

Templin Family Brewing, Salt Lake City, Utah

There’s a beehive-like feeling you get when visiting this brewery for the first time. Every employee, from the bartenders to the brewers, to the owners, all work in sync. Take a step back from your visit and look at it all from a distance: this perfect choreography results in a fully realized lager in your glass.

The Helles should be the immediate go-to. Come back to it often but sample around to the other beers. A particular standout during my visits was La Pils Du Flamant, a French pilsner brewed with pFriem Family Brewers. Brewed with Aramis hops, Weyermann Bohemian floor malt and 34/70 yeast, owner Kevin Templin said he expects to have it back on the menu again in the future.

Wheatland Spring, Waterford, Virginia 

Twilight falls, and the rain that had pelted the grounds that Friday evening subsides. John Branding sits down at a covered picnic table and opens a bottle of estate barleywine. He can’t contain his excitement at the pour. “This is Wheatland in a glass,” he says.

The seven-year-old brewery sits on land that focuses on regenerative farming. As the name suggests, there is an in-ground water source that gives the lagers and ales Branding and his team produce a sense of place. Same with the malt he grows. The rich flavor of the grains shine through each sip, as if boldly painted by stunning colors. There is a soul to the beers that is immediately felt, and it’s a call back to earlier European brewing. The farming helps the brewery stand out among competitors and puts a focus on agriculture at a time when consumers want to know where their food comes from.

“We say often that we’re ‘growing a new tradition’ and understand we’re not taking the easy, convenient, or expedient path,” he says. “We accept fully what feels like, at times, a Sisyphean task. We keep repeating the mantra: it’s all about the beer and not about the beer at all.”

Griffon & Sphynx, Brevard, North Carolina

It’s an understatement to say that beer fans were stunned when Monster Beverage, the energy drink company that purchased Cigar City Brewing, laid off brewmaster Wayne Wambles. So much of that brewery’s success was built upon Wambles’ meticulous attention to detail and his unwavering focus on creating world-class beer.

Wambles took the firing in stride and, as most smart people do, he didn’t get mad — he got even. He and his wife purchased a small brewery in Brevard, North Carolina, not far from an Oskar Blues Brewery, which is also owned by Monster. They rebranded it Griffon & Sphynx and, now on a tiny system, Wambles is again turning out world-class lagers and ales.

It’s a cozy neighborhood spot where tradition and innovation come together in the glass. From red ales to modern IPAs and traditional lagers, this should be a must-visit spot for anyone who travels to the Asheville region.

Omnium Brewery, Nashua, New Hampshire

Admittedly, I only had a limited amount of time to spend in this New Hampshire brewery, but the experience left a big impression. The four-year-old brewery is infusing non-traditional brewing ingredients into recipes and achieving sublime results. To wit: the Nutty Ale Thandai is made with the brewery’s “house masala blend, featuring lactose, fennel, almonds, pistachios, cardamom, and rose petals. Smooth, aromatic, and refreshingly unique.”

Don’t make the mistake I did. Plan to visit for an appropriate amount of time to fully experience Omnium’s vast and diverse offerings.

Urban Roots Brewery and Smokehouse, Sacramento, California

Beer and barbecue are a wonderful pair, and both are executed flawlessly at this spot in the California capitol. While the brewery has been open since 2018 it received a shot in the arm last spring when Julian Shrago, the longtime force behind southern California’s Beachwood Brewing, was announced as the Urban Roots co-brewmaster.

With ample space both indoors and out, this is a brewery made to visit with a crowd. Order the menu and share it family style, follow your bliss when it comes to beer in your glass. For me, the dark Mexican lager was a great complement to all the smoky and savory meats and sides.

Full Frame Beer, Denver, Colorado

Denver remains one of the great beer cities in America. One of the more recent additions is Full Frame, which occupies the previous Jagged Mountain space downtown, and is headed up by two long-time brewers, Alyssa Hoberer and Jacob Kemple.

With over eight years of brewing experience, Hoberer was previously the head brewer at Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery, so stepping into the brew deck was seamless. She is also the creator of the popular Instagram account Southern Beer Girl, where she shares her journey and promotes diversity in the brewing industry.

Before Full Frame, Kemple was brewing award-winning beers as the lead brewer at Our Mutual Friend and has worked in other various aspects of the hospitality industry. Together they had a shared vision of Full Frame, and that was on full display last year during the Great American Beer Festival.

The taproom is a comfortable community space, where close-together tables add to an atmosphere of camaraderie. The brewery’s diverse taplist features neat little lagers and bold IPAs, meaning there’s something for everyone at this downtown corner bar.

Newark Local Beer, Newark, New Jersey

The Garden State’s largest city has struggled with craft beer for years. A few craft breweries have opened over the years only to quickly shut. Same with beer bars, including an admirable run by Barcade, the well-established arcade and craft beer spot that runs several locations in New York City. Newark Local Beer has a casual, hang-out vibe with friendly bartenders well-versed in guiding customers through the options. It’s the kind of scene that the city needs to introduce craft to new drinkers.

Newark once had a proud brewing heritage. It was a major industry in the city, with large breweries like Pabst and Ballantine calling it home. The last of these great, large breweries, the Anheuser-Busch plant along Routes 1 & 9 across from Newark Liberty International Airport, will close later this year. Newark Local will carry on the tradition and hopefully lead the way for more small breweries to open.

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