Drink around the world at this nationally acclaimed bar in Birmingham

If you want to discover the latest creations from breweries and brewpubs in your city, go to their bars. But if you want a taste of what the rest of the world is drinking, beer bars with dozens of taps are the place to be.

Hop City Craft Beer and Wine in Birmingham, a retail store and bar that offers about 1,200 brews, is one of the best places for those global sips, according to USA Today. He recently named Hop City the second best beer bar in the country.

It’s a repeat honor for Hop City, which also was named the nation’s second best in 2022. It ranked 10th.^th nationally last year.

The rankings begin with a panel of beer experts assembled by USA Today, who come up with a list of 20 nominees. Readers choose the final Top 10.

Birmingham’s Hop City is among the giants in this year’s ranking. The other nine are based in metropolitan areas much larger than Birmingham, which ranks 47th^th nationally. Many of the honorees are familiar to beer connoisseurs, including Monk’s Café in Philadelphia and The Brick Store Pub in the Atlanta area.

“It’s no easy task to pick just one drink at these 10 bars,” USA Today noted when it announced this year’s rankings in March. “Each offers an excellent selection of draft, bottled and canned beers, many with an emphasis on local or regional selections. Combine that with a relaxed atmosphere and knowledgeable bar staff ready to help any guest become a beer connoisseur and you have a recipe for a great beer bar.”

The only Alabama outpost of an Atlanta-based chain, Hop City in Birmingham’s Pepper Place district hits all of those highlights. The 80 taps include a rotating selection of over 65 beers.

The options are a solid mix of popular craft brews and unusual offerings from Europe and North America, such as Chicago’s Pipeworks Horchata Ale, a 7% alcohol beer flavored with the rice, lactose, vanilla bean and cinnamon used in the namesake refreshment from Mexico. . The current lineup also includes microbrews from Birmingham, Huntsville, Trussville and Gadsden.

Hop City Bar serves 4-ounce samplers and full 8- or 12-ounce pours (depending on beer strength) to drink on property. Draft is available to go in 32 ounce or 64 ounce growlers. It also sells cocktails, draft wine or cider, and non-alcoholic beverages such as Abita root beer, grapefruit-flavored hemp fizz and Birmingham-made Better Kombucha.

In addition to bar seating, Hop City also has a welcoming patio area.

Bottled and canned malts dominate the retail side of Hop City (which also has a good selection of bottled wine). Refrigerators with cold drinks run along an entire wall. Densely packed shelves containing beer, including large-format bottles, are divided by style.

With hundreds of options and a knowledgeable staff to offer directions (and even take packages to the drive-thru), Hop City Craft Beer and Wine is a destination for any beer lover.

Hop City is located at 2924 Third Avenue South. Hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-21:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-22:00, Sunday noon-6:00 p.m.