Located in Grand Rapids, the crown jewel of the booming Michigan beer scene, Siciliano’s is a natural pick for its massive trove of beers from near and far. The pioneering beer, wine, liquor, and homebrew shop deserves credit as one of the first shops to specialize in craft beer, and it offered single-bottle sales decades before most stores caught on.
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In a state known for its “Minnesota nice,” you still won’t find a friendlier bunch than the crew at Heritage. The suburban (it’s located in Maplewood, technically) shop is your best destination to find the latest gems from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, whether you’re seeking a special release from Surly or want to discover what’s brewing up on the shores of Lake Superior (try Castle Danger).
You’ll find the best brews Mississippi has to offer at this casual cigar lounge. Tucked away in the bucolic town of West Point, the SmokeStack (and its packed coolers) is doing more than its fair share of the work to help Mississippi grow into a great beer state.
There’s more to St. Louis than the Clydesdales, and the team at Lukas is there to help you explore its 1,400 beers. So grab a glass from the tasting room and take your time perusing the coolers for the best beers the Midwest has to offer.
Montanans are fiercely passionate about their beer (the state ranks fourth in the U.S. for breweries per capita), and you’ll be hard pressed to find any bar—whether the town has a stoplight or not—without at least a couple local options. Missoula’s Summer Sun is the first place you should go to tap into Big Sky Country’s beer scene.
This beer boutique (you’ll find no Bud or Miller Lite) claims 650 beers, but we’d bet there’s even more now that Beertopia started stocking its shelves with premier Midwest brewers Surly and Bells. Browse the ample cooler space or get a growler to go from one of the six taps. Either way, this place won’t leave you disappointed—or thirsty.
Vegas may have bigger casinos, but Reno undoubtedly has better booze—thanks in large part to Craft Wine and Beer. This cozy shop offers the best craft beer selection in the state and limits itself to small, independent operations.
As a beer state, New Hampshire gets overshadowed by its heavy-hitting neighbors (Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine), but Bert Bingel (and his shop) is one of the best champions of local beer in the Granite State.
Across the Delaware River from Pennsylvania (where the beer laws are scarcely better than Utah’s), Free Bridge may be a beacon to Keystone State residents with its 31 taps, but it’s also an easy standout in New Jersey. The Phillipsburg shop is one of the most comfortable places you’ll find to shop for the world’s finest brews. If you’re lucky, the owners’ St. Bernards will be lounging about and waiting for a good scratch behind the ears.
Jubilation has sold more beers than we can dream of in its 75 years, but today it offers the widest selection of the best brews you’ll find in New Mexico. This Albuquerque shop’s success stems from its commitment to supporting small, independently owned brands—which means the liquor and wine selection is also amazing.
New York is awash with beer boutiques run by incredibly passionate and knowledgeable folks, but nobody offers quite the breadth of beers that Half Time does while matching the service of a smaller shop. This upstate operation is also one of the best online retailers for beer, with roughly 2,000 individual bottles ready to land on your doorstep.
Tasty Beverage should be your first stop to experience North Carolina’s booming craft scene. Both locations are incredibly well stocked, but Asheville is our favorite, with 25 taps for pints and growlers, frequent events with our favorite brewers, and a convenient location between Wicked Weed’s Funkatorium and Burial Brewing.
The North Dakota beer boom has been a long time coming, but this Fargo and Grand Forks institution has jumped into the deep end of craft by installing high-end growler filling stations in all five locations.
This combination of a massive selection, giant walk-in cooler, and ridiculously friendly staff would be tough to beat in any state. Mack’s is actually in the suburb of Parma, but it’s well worth the trip, whether you’re looking to pick up local beers (try Fat Head’s, Jackie O’s, and Hopping Frog) or seeking international oddities.
Oklahoma’s better beer is spread across the sprawling state, but this craft-focused shop is your best bet to taste what Oklahoma has to offer. Residing in the suburb of Jenks, Biergarten also wrangles hard to find one-offs and special releases from across the country.
This Portland bottle shop and cafe is a must-visit craft beer landmark in Stumptown. Belmont Station was one of the world’s first great craft beer stores when it opened over 20 years ago, and today it offers 24 taps and 1,400 bottles.
Pennsylvania still abides by several odd Prohibition-era beer laws, one of which requires you to buy smaller amounts of beer (like a six-pack) from a restaurant. While this limits bottle shops, it’s also resulted in a few amazing tasting room-style stores — with Sabatini’s at the front of the pack. In addition to 23 taps and a tasty pizza kitchen, Sabatini’s offers 2,500 beers to-go for enjoyment off the premises.
Rhode Island may be the smallest state, but it has a big thirst, and Nikki’s has been making sure locals stay quenched with independent craft breweries. The store stocks 1,200 beers, but its biggest strength is pulling in hard to find local brews from around New England.
The folks manning the Edmund’s Oast Exchange are about the most passionate you’ll find in any boutique beer store. The shop offers 900 beers plus nine taps, and they have a restaurant and their own brewery in Charleston as well.
We love that this beer store has a weekly group run (beer really can rehydrate you), but the 42 taps and porch to enjoy them on are really what put this bottle shop on our radar. Craft Brewed also plays the role of homebrew shop and craft spirits store, making it pretty much everything you could ask of a retail alcohol establishment.
