Grand Rapids Named Best Beer City in The Country

Readers of ‘USA Today’ placed the city in the No. 1 spot in the publication’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for the third year in a row.
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Brewery Vivant is one of the more than 80 breweries in the Grand Rapids area. Photograph by Teri Genovese.

With more than 80 craft breweries in the area, it’s no wonder that Grand Rapids has been nicknamed “Beer City USA” for the last decade — and no surprise that it has been named the Best Beer City in the U.S. by USA Today.

For the third year in a row, USA Today readers gave the city the prestigious No. 1 spot in the publication’s 10Best Readers’ Choice for best beer city.

“This is a strong testament to our community’s breweries who consistently pour their passion and extraordinary craftsmanship into the work they do for our local community and visitors,” Doug Small, the president and CEO of Experience Grand Rapids, said in a press release.

USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards is an annual contest that ranks destinations around the country. To choose the winners, USA Today asks their readers to vote for their favorite travel destinations in a variety of categories including food, lodging, sports, riverwalks, town squares, and more.

Readers named 20 finalists in this year’s “Best Beer City” category. From there, a panel of beer experts from Philadelphia, Indianapolis, San Diego, Asheville, Milwaukee, Tampa, Chicago, Atlanta, and Minneapolis chose the top 10.

Grand Rapids came out on top due to its sheer number of breweries, along with nearly constant festivals, events, and promotions celebrating its beer scene.

To celebrate the win, Experience Grand Rapids is inviting beer lovers everywhere to become a “Beer City Brewsader” the next time they’re in town. Simply download the Beer City Bresader app, visit and check-in at eight of the more than 40 participating breweries.

Participants will earn a collectible t-shirt and bragging rights. They can also work their way up to “Ultimate Bresader” to get access to special offers from select breweries.

“We’re encouraging every craft beer lover to celebrate with Beer City Brewsaders from around the world and experience why we’ve been ranked the nation’s Best Beer City for three years in a row,” Small said in a press release, adding:

“Cheers to our area brewers who, once again, earned Grand Rapids top honors in a head-to-head competition with the greatest beer cities in the country.”

For more information about the competition, visit 10best.com and check out the Beer City Brewsader Passport on experiencegr.com.