Põhjala Brewery
(Tallinn, Estonia)
Põhjala Brewery’s amazing and incredibly talented brewers are making some of the most awesome Baltic porters on the planet! Not only are they producing really well-made and delicious beers across a broad range of styles, but they are incorporating native and foraged ingredients into their recipes seamlessly, creating a true taste of the Baltics. They are in the process of expanding their brewery and are arguably breathing new life into the beverage scene in Estonia. A visit to this brewery should be on every beer drinker’s bucket list.
Brasserie Dunham
(Dunham, Quebec)
In the countryside of Quebec near the border of Vermont, Brasserie Dunham is making some of the best beers in North America. Their beers are soft, balanced, highly drinkable, and as close as one can get to true French and Belgian farmhouse beers outside of Europe. Their brewpub is in the middle of prime ski country and offers a world-class kitchen and lodging onsite.
Cervejaria Granizo
(Valparaiso, Chile)
Although the beer scene in Chile (and much of the rest of South America) is still quite nascent, Cervejaria Granizo is one brewery that is not only producing some of the best-quality clean beers, but it is also pushing the boundaries for wild-beer production. Their master brewer brings many years of winemaking experience to the table and is blurring the lines in a way that American wild-beer producers should be paying attention to. Their award-winning brewery is worth the day trip from Santiago, but beer drinkers will have no problem finding their beers at bottle shops and great restaurants in Santiago.
Pennylan
(Bornholm, Denmark)
A small mixed-culture fermentation project on a tiny island off the coast of Sweden, Pennylan is making some of the very best beer in Scandinavia. The beers are delicate but complex and incredibly drinkable. The brewer here is incorporating foraged ingredients and a lot of patience to make beers that certainly exhibit a sense of place. Given that Bornholm is one of the most beautiful islands in the world, it is no surprise that the beers are equally as beautiful. The brewery itself is small with limited hours open to the public, but beer drinkers can try the Pennylan beers at a few select European beer festivals and a handful of restaurants in Copenhagen.
Tamamura Honten
(Nagano-ken, Shimotakai-gun, Japan)
A lovely brewery in northern Japan, Tamamura Honten is producing incredibly high-quality beers. Their IPAs and saisons are some of the best in Japan, but they have also been diligently developing a barrel and mixed-culture fermentation program over the past several years. The beers are balanced and drinkable and certainly honor the deep appreciation for flavor of Japanese cuisine. The brewery is immaculate and is located in one of the most gorgeous villages in Nagano.