Travel

One of the 10 best new breweries in America is in Vermont, according to USA Today readers

You'll find it in Vermont.

By Kristi Palma

March 26, 2021

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Hundreds of new craft breweries open up across the country each year, and New England is home to one of the best, according to USA Today readers.

Red Clover Ale Company in Brandon, Vermont, ranked No. 7 on the publication’s list of 10 best new breweries in the U.S., which was published Friday as part of its 2021 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards.

The No. 1 new brewery in the nation is The Seed: A Living Beer Project in Atlantic City, N.J.

The breweries on the list were founded in the past three years.

Here’s what USA Today wrote about Red Clover Ale Company:

“Red Clover Ale Company operates a small brewery and taproom in Brandon, Vermont, where the beers take inspiration from farming, the changing seasons and the surrounding natural beauty of the state.”

Other New England locales and businesses were recognized for their craft beer and cider.

Portland, Maine, has one of the 10 best beer bars in the country: Novare Res Bier Cafe ranked No. 10 and has more than two dozen rotating taps and around 300 bottles, as well as outdoor picnic tables for enjoying a beverage during nice weather. The No. 1 beer bar in the country is Salud Beer Shop in Charlotte, N.C.

When it comes to craft cider, New England has two of the best: North Country Hard Cider in Rollinsford, N.H., ranked No. 7, and Citizen Cider in Burlington, Vermont, ranked No. 8. The best cidery in America is Milk & Honey Ciders in St. Joseph, Minn.

And finally, New England is home to two of the best small town beer scenes in the country: Portsmouth, N.H., ranked No. 3, and Derby, Conn., ranked No. 5. Portsmouth was lauded for its more than half a dozen breweries and brew pubs, as well as its Granite State Growler Tours. Derby was recognized, in part, for its “huge” taproom at Bad Sons Brewery and new “brew-centric” restaurant The Quail & Ale opening inside its historic Brewery Building. The top small town beer scene destination is Avondale Estates, Georgia.

For the 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards lists, USA Today travel experts select 20 nominees in topics from food to lodging, destinations to things to do. Then the publication asks readers to cast votes to determine the top 10.

View all of USA Today’s best craft beer and cider lists.

As always, travelers should research COVID-19 travel restrictions before crossing state lines.