The 50 Best Craft Beer Bars in the World 2026

Tap room and bottle shop in one. The taps rotate constantly; the staff knowledge is genuinely encyclopaedic.

Order: Whatever the rotating IPA tap is

You're shushed by the bartenders if you talk too loudly. Belgian beer focus, mediaeval-monk theme, an East Village landmark.

Order: A Trappist tripel

Original Clerkenwell location. Thirty-plus taps, deep cellar list, knowledgeable staff. The London craft pub standard.

Order: Cask of the day, with a flight

At the Beavertown brewery itself. Drink the beer where it's made, often within 24 hours of brewing.

Order: Gamma Ray, fresh

Paris's longest-running serious craft beer chain — own brewing operation, multiple Paris locations. Solid, never gimmicky.

Order: Their flagship pale ale

Friedrichshain neighbourhood favourite. Brews on-site. Pilsner, dunkel, hefeweizen done properly.

Order: Their unfiltered pilsner

American-influenced craft brewery in Wedding. The IPAs are aggressive in a way that surprises German drinkers.

Order: Their West-Coast IPA

At the foot of De Gooyer windmill. Iconic Amsterdam brewery. The taproom serves only their own beer.

Order: Zatte (Belgian-style tripel)

Brussels's temple to traditional lambic and gueuze. The list of vintages alone justifies the visit.

Order: A flight of vintage gueuze

Operating since 1928 in a Belle Époque room. Their own gueuze, bottled and on tap.

Order: Mort Subite Gueuze, on tap

The Pilsner Urquell pub Václav Havel and Bill Clinton drank at together. No reservations, no menu, just beer.

Order: A pilsner from the tank

Despite the touristy name, the rotating tap selection is one of the city's deepest. Czech-only.

Order: A flight of dark and pale beers

Munich's most beautiful beer garden under chestnut trees. The Augustiner Edelstoff served from wooden kegs.

Order: A Maß of Edelstoff

The original Mikkeller location. Twenty taps of rotating Mikkeller and friends. The cleanest, simplest beer bar in Copenhagen.

Order: Their Spontan or whatever's barrel-aged

500+ beers and a serious whisky list. Akkurat has been Stockholm's beer geek pilgrimage since 1995.

Order: A vintage Swedish stout

Oslo's craft beer reference. Thirty rotating taps, cellar releases, unpretentious staff.

Order: Whatever's on Tap 1

Ireland's first craft brewpub. The Porterhouse Plain stout outsells Guinness in this room.

Order: Plain stout, room temperature

Tiny pub off the Royal Mile. The cask ale rotation is one of Scotland's most carefully curated.

Order: A cask ale + a malt whisky

Twenty-four taps, smoked-meat menu. Modern Scottish craft beer at its best.

Order: Their flagship IPA + a brisket plate

Brews on-site in a converted bank. The malt-forward style suits Glasgow.

Order: The Modern Helles, fresh from tank

Manchester's reference craft beer pub. Rotating taps, cellar releases, no nonsense.

Order: A north-west IPA from the rotation

The original American craft beer pilgrimage site. Forty-plus taps. Famously surly bartenders.

Order: Whatever's the rarest tap that day

Bottle shop with a small drinking area. The cellar list is one of the West Coast's deepest.

Order: A barrel-aged stout from the bottle list

Don Younger's legacy. Fifty taps in a deeply English-styled pub, dating to 1976. Portland's craft beer ground zero.

Order: A cask ale, hand-pulled

Bike-park outside, fifty taps inside. Portland-defining beer-bar atmosphere.

Order: Whatever's on cask + a slice of pizza next door

Sixty taps, plus a wall of bottles. Family-friendly, food trucks outside. The Seattle craft beer model.

Order: A flight from the rotating taps

Walls covered in maps, thirty rotating taps, deep bottle list. Chicago's craft beer institution since 1992.

Order: Whatever's on the 'rare and weird' tap that day

Belgian beer focus paired with Belgian-style frites and mussels. Chicago's reference Belgian-American beer pub.

Order: A trappist + mussels

Twenty-eight rotating taps in a tight West Village room. NYC's longest-running serious craft beer pub.

Order: A cask ale with cheese plate

The most ridiculous beer list in Boston — over a hundred taps. Pub food. Boston's craft beer extreme.

Order: A flight + a burger

Looks like a dive, drinks like a craft beer pub. Bukowski quotes on the walls.

Order: Whatever's on the chalkboard new arrival

Italian-style craft beer focus. The Italian beer list is the deepest outside of Italy.

Order: A pizza + a Birra del Borgo selection

Iconic Quebec craft brewpub. The Péché Mortel imperial coffee stout is the drink to come for.

Order: Péché Mortel, on draft

Vancouver's craft beer pilgrimage. British Columbia-focus, fifty taps, gastro-pub menu.

Order: A flight of BC sours

Mexico City's reference Belgian-style beer bar. The Mexican craft beer scene's first serious tap room.

Order: A Mexican-Belgian-style tripel

Buenos Aires's reference Argentine craft beer house. Twenty-four rotating taps, almost all Argentine.

Order: A Patagonian-hop IPA

Brews on-site. The Brazilian craft beer scene's most consistent venue.

Order: A Vermelha (red lager)

Tokyo's seventy-tap craft beer pilgrimage. Japanese craft focus.

Order: A flight of three Japanese craft beers

Modern Shibuya craft beer bar. Forty taps, mostly Japanese. Clean, contemporary, serious.

Order: A Japanese saison

Inside Chinatown Complex Hawker Centre. The most unlikely craft beer bar in Asia. Locals' favourite.

Order: A Singaporean craft IPA + chicken rice

Italian-style craft beer focus in Sheung Wan. Surprisingly serious cellar list.

Order: A vintage Italian craft beer

Brews on-site, beachside in Manly. The Australian beach-craft style at its best.

Order: Their flagship pale ale

Riverside German-style beer hall, but the list is far broader than the German theme suggests.

Order: A wheat beer with sausages

New Zealand's first serious brewpub. Cask conditioning, English pub atmosphere.

Order: Their flagship cask ale

Thirty South African craft taps, plus a deep bottle list. The South African craft scene's home base.

Order: A flight of three SA craft beers

At the V&A Waterfront. Tourist-adjacent location but the beer list is genuine.

Order: A Devil's Peak Brewing flight

The Icelandic Mikkeller outpost. Tiny room, twenty taps, surprisingly good Icelandic craft selections.

Order: An Einstök white ale + a Mikkeller barrel-aged stout

East Nashville craft beer + live music. The live programming is genuine; the rotating tap list is curated.

Order: A Tennessee saison + bluegrass

Sixty taps, all Texas brews only. The Texas craft beer scene's flagship.

Order: A flight of three Texas craft IPAs

The San Diego sister of Toronado SF. West Coast IPA programme.

Order: A West Coast IPA, double if you can handle it