Pittsburgh Tops List of Best Beer Cities

The Steel City has been named the best beer city in the U.S. in a recent study by ranking locations throughout “America the brew-tiful.”

The study by Real Estate Witch scored the 50 largest metros in the country on their beer scenes, weighing the criteria based on breweries by capita, average price of beer, affordability of domestic beer, affordability of imported beer, average Yelp rating of breweries, average Yelp rating of bars, bars per capita and “Beer passion” score based on Google Trends data.

Pittsburgh topped the list because it has more bars and breweries than the average city, high online search interest in beer and low prices. The average beer price in Pittsburgh is $4.40, compared to the national average of $4.78. If the average resident bought one domestic beer every night, it would cost just 2.3% of their annual income, cheaper than 47 of the 50 cities ranked.

According to the report, Pittsburgh scored a near-perfect 96 out of 100 in their Google Trends metric, which measures how often residents search the web for beer-related terms.

“With Pittsburgh undergoing a renaissance in many areas over the years – including the food and beverage industry – it’s no surprise that our city hit the top of the list for Best Beer Cities in 2023,” said Dominic Janidas, president of the Realtors® Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh.

Janidas offered a few popular locations to grab a frosty drink, “There are many options no matter what your pallet or dietary restrictions are. Some fan favorites around town include Trace Brewing, Arsenal Cider House, Grist House, Aslin Beer Co. and East End Brewing, to name a few.”

And the Pittsburgh beer scene offers options for those with gluten allergies. “For those with gluten allergies like me, I love Auroch’s Brewing. They are a completely gluten-free facility and brewery and make it safe and comfortable for people who can’t have gluten to enjoy a beer,” he added.

Philadelphia ranked No. 29 on the list, with the average beer cost at $5.31.

The study noted that Philadelphia and Boston are the most “passionate beer cities,” each scoring a perfect 100 in the Google Trends metric, which measures online search volume for beer-related terms.