When looking for a good brewery to visit, there are a host of factors you should consider. The number one thing about beer is the quality of course but another important thing is HOW will the brewery’s space enhance your experience? Beer itself can make ordinary moments feel extraordinary but if you are drinking good beer in a good place, that memory can stick with you forever. If this all sounds introspective and romantic, well, it is.
I’ve been to breweries where the beer is excellent but the way the tasting room positioned their places was thoughtful, inviting, or at that moment, exactly what I wanted. Here are some of those places that I recommend visiting in 2026.
The thing that stuck with me at Meanwhile was how could a brewery be so inclusive? They had a kid place area, a stage, seating for everyone, an outdoor bar, and an indoor space should you want to escape from the Texas sun. From the outside, it didn’t seem the brewery could do it all but I’ve never seen a brewery with such a commitment to making sure everyone had a good time. I enjoyed their IPAs while working on my tan and the quality of the beer matched the quality of the space.
Schilling Beer Co. – Littleton, NH
Take an adorable New England town and cross it with a large selection of beers, a roaring fire and the air thick with the aroma of the hint of snow, and you have Schilling Beer Co., a lager focused brewery in Northern New Hampshire that feels pulled straight from the pages of some glossy magazine you’d find in a rich woman’s home. I was there very recently and I highly recommend a visit to the facility away from the touristy times of summer or leaf peeping as I got a front row seat to their fireplace, stoked by their bartender Melissa with care and a smile. It was quiet, peaceful and everything you expect from New England hospitality.
Green Cheek Beer Co. – Oceanside, CA
Green Cheek has a few locations throughout Southern California, but I can only speak to their Oceanside location, which has lovely corners to hide away, multiple bars for convenience, and more of a restaurant vibe than a brewery. When I went, the facility was bopping with a private party, families enjoying meals, and people drinking classic west coast IPAs al fresco because, after all, you’re in California, you should be outside. Green Cheek understands its location and its responsibility to its west coast mentality. For me, it’s sticky west coast IPAs, something Green Cheek excels at spectacularly. Give me all of these and an umbrella to drink them under and I’ll never leave.
Hinterland Brewery – Green Bay, WI
I’ve never seen a brewery share a parking lot with an American institution but Hinterland is right there with a front row seat to Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. Outside, it was snowing and the temperature was hovering around 10F. Inside, how Hinterland made a cavernous space feel welcoming and inviting is beyond me but I was there after football season had ended so the place was calm and placid. The beer list had something for everyone and the food options were varied and tasty. Hinterland is a great place to watch the snow fall while having a few cherry wheats.
Gold Dot/Heater Allen – McMinnville, OR
“We wanted to create a 70’s Dive Bar meets German beer hall,” said co-owner and brewer Kevin Davey when I went to visit him and his wife Lisa Allen’s brewery in McMinnville, Oregon in September, The seats are comfy, there’s dark wood (a nod to Schlenkerla in Bamberg, Germany whose walls are painted with oxblood) and fun old time beer signs are lit up around the space. The special touches are there even in the bathroom where a Pilsner Urquell lunchbox holds feminine items for use should you need them. And the beer is spectacular; easily one of my favorite lager breweries in America. Oregon’s dive bar scene is epic and it’s great to see breweries take cues from this culture to create a space they love.
Cheers to enjoying inviting spaces in 2026 and make sure you enjoy your pints responsibility and to drink with people you truly care about.
All About Beer receives support from underwriters who understand and appreciate the importance of independent journalism in the beer space. Please subscribe now and keep the content flowing and fresh.
Em Sauter
Called the “Bob Ross of beer” by Imbibe magazine, Em Sauter is an award winning cartoonist, author, beer judge, journalist and public speaker based in the US and is the founder of the website Pints and Panels which teaches visual drinks education. She has an MFA in cartooning from the famous Center for Cartoon Studies, is an Advanced Cicerone®, holds WSET Level 2 in Spirits and Wine and is an BJCP certified international beer judge who has judged high-profile competitions on every continent but Antarctica. She is the co-host of the All About Beer podcast along with Canadian drinks writer Don Tse. She has contributed to Forbes, Brewers and Distillers International, Craft Beer and Brewing, Vinepair, Outside, The Alcohol Professor and more. She is the author of four books on beer.
