Does Portland have best beer scene in US? Oregon hauls in awards for best bars, breweries
Ginnie SandovalUSA Today released its 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards for America's beer scene, with several cities and establishments in Oregon making the lists.
Categories for the awards include Best Beer Bar, Best Beer City, Best Beer Club, Best Beer Festival, Best Beer Garden, Best Beer Label, Best Beer Brewery Tour, Best Brewpub, Best New Brewery and Best Small-Town Beer Scene.
Oregon had six establishments and cities appear in five of the categories.
Here's what to know about Oregon's beer scene and who made the lists.
Portland, Oregon ranked sixth best beer city in US
Portland placed sixth in the top 10 Best Beer Cities list.
According to the list, the locations across the U.S. were nominated by an expert panel and voted by readers as "the 10 best beer cities for hosting the most outstanding beer scenes in the nation." That includes featuring "stellar collections of established and up-and-coming breweries, beer bars, brewpubs, beer festivals, and even thriving homebrewing communities where a novice brewer can get their foot in the door."
Portland has more than 80 breweries and hosts annual beer-loving events that include Oregon Craft Beer Month held in February, PDX Beer Week in June, Oregon Brewers Festival and SheBrew.
Here is the full list of the 2025 top 10 Best Beer Cities:
- Grand Rapids, Michigan
- St. Louis, Missouri
- San Diego, California
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Columbus, Ohio
- Portland, Oregon
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Denver, Colorado
Portland's The Horse Brass Pub and Belmont Station ranked among Best Beer Bars in US
The Horse Brass Pub in Portland placed sixth in the top 10 Best Beer Bars in the U.S. list.
The English-styled pub features more than "50 superlative beers" on tap. Its menu includes items like bangers and mash, Scotch eggs, sausage rolls, Ploughman’s lunch, pot pies and pasties, and award-winning halibut fish and chips.
Belmont Station in Portland placed seventh on the list for the top 10 for Best Beer Bars.
Belmont Station's Can & Bottle Shop features more that 1,400 beers, ciders, meads and wines, along with 35 rotating taps at their adjacent Biercafé.
Here is the full list of the 2025 top 10 Best Beer Bars:
- O'Brien's Pub (San Diego, California)
- The Ohio Taproom (Columbus, Ohio)
- Weathered Ground Brewery (Cool Ridge, West Virginia)
- Hop City Beer & Wine (Birmingham, Alabama)
- Tallgrass Tap House (Manhattan, Kansas)
- Horse Brass Pub (Portland, Oregon)
- Belmont Station (Portland, Oregon)
- La Taberna Lúpulo (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
- Side Project Brewing (Maplewood, Missouri)
- Salud Beer Shop (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Brujos Brewing in Portland voted among best new breweries in US
Brujos Brewing in Portland placed seventh in the top 10 Best New Breweries list.
Brujos Brewing opened in March 2024 and has since become a popular destination. The brewery offers customers lager and West Coast IPA drafts, cans and bottles.
Here is the full list of the 2025 top 10 Best New Breweries:
- Frazier Creek Brewing & Distilling Co (Stuart, Florida)
- RAK Brewing Co (Frederick, Maryland)
- Hot Plate Brewing Co. (Pittsfield, Massachusetts)
- Vine Street Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri)
- Caius Farm Brewery (Branford, Connecticut)
- Crooked Culture Brewing (Cumming, Georgia)
- Brujos Brewing (Portland, Oregon)
- Carbon Copy (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Anglesea Aleworks (Wildwood, New Jersey)
- Keepsake Brewery (Gastonia, North Carolina)
Bend's Deschutes Brewery tour among best in US
Deschutes Brewery in Bend placed eighth in the top 10 Best Brewery Tour list.
The brewery was established in 1988, selling a modest 310 barrels of beer that year. The business has continued to grow as craft beer and microbrews became more popular. Today, Deschutes Brewery sells more than 225,000 barrels per year and their beer can be found in all 50 U.S. states, according to their website.
Deschutes Brewery offers tours to visitors that showcase the brewery and brewing process. Guests are provided a complimentary beer they can sip along the way while following their guide and learning about all things Deschutes.
Here is the full list of the 2025 top 10 Best Brewery Tours:
- Tröegs Independent Brewing (Hershey, Pennsylvania)
- Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner, Texas)
- SweetWater Brewing Company (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Anheuser-Busch Brewery Experiences (St. Louis, Missouri)
- Burial Beer Co. Forestry Camp (Asheville, North Carolina)
- Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin)
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, California and Mills River, North Carolina)
- Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon)
- Bell's Brewery (Comstock, Michigan)
- Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, Maine)
Oregon Coast town Astoria voted second best small town beer scene in US
Astoria took the No. 2 spot on the top 10 Best Small-Town Beer Scene list.
According to the list, the towns each have a population of fewer than 30,000 residents and were selected by an expert panel and voted by readers for having "the most outstanding beer scenes in the nation. These spots offer plenty of festivals, great breweries, brewpubs, and beer bars to enjoy — all accompanied by small-town hospitality."
Here is the full list of the 2025 top 10 Best Small-Town Beer Scenes:
- Avondale Estates, Georgia
- Astoria, Oregon
- Boone, North Carolina
- Traverse City, Michigan
- Littleton, New Hampshire
- Fredericksburg, Virginia
- Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
- Cody, Wyoming
- Fredericksburg, Texas
- Bryson City, North Carolina
Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval can be reached at GSandoval@gannett.com or on X at@GinnieSandoval.