North Carolina City One Of The Best Beer Cities According To New Poll
When it’s a hot summer day, nothing hits quite like an ice-cold beer. Here in Charlotte, you can’t go two blocks without hitting a brewery. There is 100’s in our city and in the surrounding areas. Oddly enough, Charlotte did not make this new list of the best beer cities, but another North Carolina town did.
According to USA Today, Grand Rapids, Michigan is the ‘Best Beer City’ in the U.S. Readers vote yearly on numerous ‘best’ categories. This is the third year in a row that Grand Rapids is the best beer city. They have an official ‘Beer City Ale Trail’ which has more than 80 breweries surrounding it. Beer festivals, events, and promotions are happening often in Grand Rapids.
Although Charlotte didn’t make the USA Today list, Asheville, North Carolina did. It’s been years since I’ve been to Asheville! It’s a gorgeous town, but like many towns in our state, it’s becoming more populated. Asheville offers a number of impressive breweries and fun beer bars. In addition, there are lots of bottle shops with access to over 100 local beers. In the USA Today article, Asheville is referred to as the ‘Paris of the South’. That’s a new term for me as I’ve never heard it called that before.
Asheville is a fun, eclectic town that not only offers numerous breweries and beer bars, but also amazing restaurants. Since it’s not a far drive from Charlotte, it’s a great place for a weekend getaway or a day trip. The last time I got married, it was in Asheville at the Grove Park Inn. It was snowing when I got married and we went outside and had some pictures taken on the large steps of the Grove Park Inn. The pictures are gorgeous! Sadly, the husband wasn’t as great! LOL!
Best Beer Cities In The United States
Asheville came in at number five on USA Today’s list of ‘The Best Beer Cities’. Here is the complete list after Grand Rapids, Michigan:
The rest of the top 10, in order, are:
- Philadelphia
- Indianapolis
- San Diego
- Asheville, NC
- Milwaukee
- Tampa
- Chicago
- Atlanta
- Minneapolis
Even though Charlotte didn’t make the list, it’s still a solid beer city. As Charlotte continues to grow, our beer bars, beer festivals, and breweries will only increase. Maybe we’ll make the list next year!