Is Philadelphia Really America’s Best Beer-Drinking City?

Beer Gardens, Breweries & Beer-Drinking Pub Crawls

To find the top beer drinking cities in the USA, you would start in Portland, Oregon, first real home of the microbrewery.

You could also go to kind of a Portland-of-the-east, Asheville, N.C. Or any city or town in Colorado. And certainly the long-standing big-time beer-drinking American cities of Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis.

But Philadelphia?

Well, that’s what Discover Philadelphia, the Convention & Visitor’s Bureau for the city, would like you to believe; its latest PR campaign calls Philly “America’s Best Beer-Drinking City.”

And the CVB certainly make a compelling argument. Philadelphia has a “rich history dating back to the mid-19th century,” it proclaims and then it goes on to list beer gardens, breweries and something that certainly caught PubClub.com’s attention, brewery tour pub crawls.

This last one may turn even the most hardened “best beer-drinking city” people into Philly Phanatics.

Philadelphia’s Beer Gardens

Here’s the beer gardens you can find in Phily.

Frankford Hall

German beer and German food are served here at Frankford Hall, where groups share large picnic tables. There’a also a ping-pong table.

Independence Beer Garden

This is a20,000 square-foot garden overlooking the Liberty Bell and Independence National Historic Park operated by restaurateur Michael Schulson.

Pop-Up Gardens at South Street and Viaduct Rail Park

Returning for the third year to its popular flagship site (15th and South streets), the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Pop-Up Garden features craft beers, cocktails and a menu reflecting the “diverse cuisines” of South Philly.

On key dates and weekends, the garden will also be firing up the grill for barbecues. A second pop-up site launched in 2016 at Viaduct Rail Park (10th and Hamilton streets) will feature six craft beer taps.

Parks on Tap, a Traveling Beer Garden

For the first time, “Parks on Tap,” a program that will bring a mobile beer garden from park to park for 14 weeks, will take place from June 29-Oct. 2. The beer garden will spend several days in one park location, highlighting and enhancing the offerings that Philadelphia city parks provide, before moving on to the next location.

In addition to beer gardens, Philadelphia is also home to several seasonal parks where adults can kick back with a brew and where there is also plenty for kids to do! Check them out here.

Philadelphia’s Breweries

Here’s the breweries located in Pnily.

2nd Story Brewing

The 2nd Story Brewing Co., is a craft brewery that combines a craft brewery and restaurant in the Old City neighborhood.

Manayunk Brewery

The picturesque neighborhood of Manayunk got its name from the Lenape Native American word meaning, “place where we drink,” which identified its ideal location at the confluence of the Schuylkill River and the Wissahickon Creek. Manayunk is the neighborhood’s brewery, which has a restaurant and outdoor dining.

Beer Tours In Philadelphia – Philly Brew Tours & Big Red Pedal Tours

Philly Brew Tours are all-inclusive beer-focused tastings and tours. Every tour includes a 15+ different beers, at at least three breweries, a beer lunch/dinner tasting and round-trip transportation from downtown Philadelphia.

For other beer tours, check out Big Red Pedal Tours, where you and others ride an open-air, roofed 15-passenger bike on a pub crawl, or the history-themed Tippler’s Tour.