Cold beer, anyone? American beer drinkers have their fair share of options, no matter where they might live.
Indeed, a market once dominated by a handful of major brands has become far more diverse since the craft beer scene expanded sixfold between 2008 and 2016. In 2024, independent craft brewers still accounted for 23.1 million barrels, although that figure represents a 4% drop from 2023, while craft beer's market share by volume remained steady at 13.3%. On the retail side, craft beer's value grew by about 3% to roughly $30 billion, comprising nearly 25% of all beer sales by dollar amount. After years of robust expansion, the number of U.S. craft breweries dipped slightly to 9,612 in 2024—from 9,747 in 2023—marking the first net decline since 2005, with 434 openings and 501 closures. That's still a remarkable rise from 3,108 breweries in 2013, equating to about a 209% increase in 10 years. Cheers to that!
Why the ongoing obsession? Putting aside the fact that people simply love their brew, beer has emerged as a wildly versatile beverage category. Craft breweries explore beer to its fullest potential and tend to rank highly as a result.
Another thing about beer is that every sip tells a story. It's first and foremost the journey of the beer's own production, namely one involving water, malted grains, botanical hops, and yeast. However, it's also a chronicling of the area in which the beer was produced since every state has its own respective history, climate, geography, and resources. Then there's the tale of the people who produced it, turning their love of carbonated alcohol into a passion project and hiring all kinds of local talent.
Combine America's love of beer with endless flavor possibilities, and you arrive at a sensational pastime and a thriving national industry. With nearly 10,000 craft breweries bubbling up across the nation, each one offers its own unique qualities, some complete with guided tours and tasting rooms (and maybe some hearty gastropub fare).
Many of the nation's highest-rated breweries are so small and independent that the only way to sample their suds is to visit them in person. In contrast, others distribute their products around the country—or even across the globe.
To find some top spots near you, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated breweries in North Carolina using data from Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor ranks places using a combination of metrics, including overall rating, reviews, and number of page views. As a result, a business with a 5 out of 5 overall rating might rank lower than one with a 4 out of 5. Data is as of Aug. 12, 2025.
Regardless of the brewery's size and scope, one thing is for sure: Now is a great time for a beer!
