Top 52: A Curated List of the Best Breweries and Distilleries for 2021!

We, at Rocky Mountain Barrel Co, have always been keen on barrels.

Whether you talk about oak barrels or the ones differentiated depending on their use, we’ve expanded our knowledge over the years.

Since we’re a small business, we ensure our customers get the best with transparency and a bunch of excitement.

Our business requires us to know much other stuff related to barrels like the USA’s best distilleries, the biggest breweries globally, and much more.

Recently we’ve discovered that a lot of the people we talk to don’t really have much knowledge about where their alcohol comes from, how it’s matured, or how long the process is.

So, we decided to come up here and discuss a few things with all of you!

If you’re one of those who have wondered where your favorite alcoholic beverage comes from, then you’re going to want to stick around!

Let’s begin by talking about the basics and moving on to the best part.

What is a Brewery or a Brewing Company?

In the simplest of terms, a brewery is where beer is made, and a brewery company is a business that sells it.

You may have also heard some people say beerhouse when referring to a brewery. That’s because they can be used interchangeably.

Would you believe us if we said that breweries initially fell under the category of cottage industry?

That’s right!

Beer used to be produced at home in small batches and then sold off in the local market.

If you are looking for used bourbon casks for sale – Rocky Mountain Barrel Company is there for you.

Today, a high-end commercial brewing company could be as big as a baseball stadium. And as of 2019, there were approximately 8000+ breweries in the United States alone!

A brewery needs to accommodate the nine primary steps to be able to serve a sip-worthy beer:

• Milling
• Malting
• Mashing
• Lautering
• Boiling
• Fermenting
• Conditioning
• Filtering
• Filling

The number of craft breweries and microbreweries coming up in all corners of the world is fantastic!

Here’s a fact we think you should know:

The overall sales and production of beer decreased by 1.6% in 2019, but the sales of craft beer went up by 3.6%.

Now, moving on to another vital part of the spirits industry is a Distillery.

What is a Distillery and How it Works?

First off, yes!

They’re entirely different because distilleries do not brew beer.

If you like hard alcohol like rum, Whiskey, vodka, gin, etc., then this is the place where you’ll see it being produced.

Each type of alcohol will have a different recipe to be followed, but the basic idea remains the same as beer.

Let’s take a look at the process used by some of the best distilleries in the USA:

• A mixture of yeast, grains, and water is created.
• The distilleries give time to the mix until grains break down and convert the starch to sugar.
• The yeast in the mix ensures that sugar is converted into alcohol.
• After this, the grains are drained, and the liquid is poured into a still.
• Here, the liquid is heated. You must know that alcohol is boiling faster than water, right?
• So, the vaporized liquid is collected, condensed by cooling it, to result in drinkable alcohol.

It seems like an easy process, right?

It’s not.

This alcohol will now be stored in different barrels like wooden oak barrels, packed tight, and left to mature.

Wanna know a bit more about barrels and how they’re used once their initial purpose is fulfilled?

We got you!

All right, we promised to share with you the top distilleries and breweries in the USA, and we deliver!

Top 26 Breweries or Brewing Companies in the USA in 2021

We’d love to cover some well-known and other not too famous breweries to keep things interesting. This way, you can explore a lot more beers and create a unique palate for yourself.

D.G. Yuengling and Son Inc., Pottsville, PA. Before we go ahead, we want to mention that this is the oldest brewery in the United States.

1. Amalgam Brewing, Denver, CO
2. Artisanal Brewing Ventures, Brooklyn, NY
3. Boston Beer Co, Boston, MA
4. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, Chico, CA
5. Corporate Ladder Brewing Co., Palmetto, FL
6. Duvel Moortgat (Paso Robles, CA; Kansas City, MO; Cooperstown, NY)
7. Elsewhere Brewing, Atlanta, GA
8. New Belgium Brewing Co, (Fort Collins, CO; San Francisco, CA)
9. The Good Society Brewery & Public House, Seattle, WA
10. Gambrinus (Berkeley, CA; Portland, OR; Shiner, TX)
11. Stone Brewing, Escondido, CA
12. Junkyard Brewing Co., Moorhead, MN
13. Necromancer Brewing, Pittsburgh, PA
14. CANarchy, (Longmont, CO; Tampa, FL; Salt Lake City, UT; Comstock, MI; Inglewood, CA; Dallas, TX)
15. Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
16. North Park Beer Co., San Diego, CA
17. Mountains Walking Brewery, Bozeman, MT
18. Bell’s Brewery Inc, Comstock, MI
19. SweetWater Brewing Co, Atlanta, GA
20. Great Lakes Brewing Co, Cleveland, OH
21. Wild Provisions Beer Project, Boulder, CO
22. Trace Brewing, Pittsburgh, PA
23. Long Trail Brewing Co, Bridgewater Corners, VT
24. Karl Strauss Brewing Co, San Diego, CA
25. Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont, CO

Top 26 Distilleries in the USA in 2021

It’s time to talk about some of the distilleries that should be checked out when vacationing at a different location. After all, enjoying local booze is one of the best ways to get to know about the city in a much better way!

1. Ironroot Republic Distillery, Denison, TX
2. Lost State Distilling, Bristol, TN
3. Castle & Key in Frankfort, KY
4. Westland, Seattle, WA
5. Blaum Bros. Distilling Co., Galena, IL
6. Hatch Distilling Company, Egg Harbor, WI
7. Ghost Coast Distillery in Savannah, GA
8. Balcones, Waco, TX
9. Rhode Island Spirits, Pawtucket, RI
10. Immortal Spirits & Distilling Company, Medford, OR
11. Sagamore Spirit Distillery, Baltimore, MD
12. Ferino Distillery – Reno, NV
13. Treaty Oak Distilling, Dripping Springs, TX
14. Charbay, St. Helena, CA
15. Virginia Distillery Co., Lovingston, VA
16. Ko Hana Distillers, Kunia, HI
17. Sugarlands Distilling Company, Gatlinburg, TN
18. Dread River Distilling Co., Birmingham, AL
19. Garrison Brothers Distillery, Hye, TX
20. Leopold Bros., Denver, CO
21. Redwood Empire Whiskey, Graton, CA
22. Wise Men Distillery, Grand Rapids, MI
23. Dragon Distillery in Frederick, MD
24. Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey in Denver, CO
25. Altered State Distillery, Erie, PA
26. Amalga Distillery, Juneau, AK

You must check out all of the breweries and distilleries we’ve mentioned here. You might end up having a new favorite!

Also, if you’re a bourbon fan and always looking out for the perfect bottle, we might be able to help.

Here’s how you can hunt a rare bourbon!

Barrels are an Important Part of the Brewing Process

All of the alcohol you see in the market requires a lengthy process to ensure that what reaches you is of the best quality.

All the breweries and distilleries need barrels for beer, wines, whiskeys, and all spirits.

We shared a brief description of the breweries and distilleries’ processes, but we never talked about how both of these use barrels.

Both these sectors use barrels for different purposes and require different kinds of barrels to deliver the correct product type.

Using Wooden Barrels to Brew Beers

Brewers around the world are always on the lookout for whiskey barrels for sale. This is because certain places require distilleries to not use a barrel more than once for their spirits.

These barrels come in handy for brewery owners, as they can easily incorporate different flavors such as char, oak, vanilla, and caramel into the beer.

Elevating the taste of a beer is in the hands of a brewer!

Using Wooden Barrels to Make Spirits and Liquor

Every distillery will use different types of barrels to age its product. Each barrel can offer a unique taste, texture, and aroma to the liquid stored in it.

To make sure we’re explaining it right, take a look at this list:

1. Straight Whiskey (in the States) should be stored for at least two years in a new and charred oak container or barrel.
2. This gives people the opportunity to purchase whiskey barrels for sale and use them to store their homemade beer or wine and incorporate a complex group of notes.
   
   P.S. If you’re looking to age whiskey at home, then you have got to read this!
   
   
3. Wine is fermented in wooden barrels and then aged in different barrels. French and American oak is often used to make these barrels, each offering its distinctive features.
4. Brandy is typically aged in oak casks with wood acquired only from specific regions and made in a particular way.
   
   

If you think about it, there’s a lot of thought process that goes into creating an exclusive or unusual beer, liquor, or spirit.

When we consider all of these, we begin to appreciate these drinks’ flavors a lot more.

Plus, the more you explore, the more you know.

So, keep your mind open about the possibilities of drinks that the world of breweries and distilleries has to offer you!

And for all of you folks who like to experiment with aging their own spirits and wines, you’re going to need some used oak barrels.

You know where to look.

Rocky Mountain Barrel Company is the best place to shop for these barrels. We pride ourselves on providing high-quality barrels, casks, and other brewing items from around the world.

We’ve got experts to answer your questions, and you can always check out the informative content we put up on our blogs.