From North Carolina to Oregon, These Are the Most Beautiful Breweries

By day, Bob Carbaugh designs hospitality spaces as a senior associate with Scott Edwards Architecture, based in Portland, Oregon. Off the clock, he’s an avid traveler and hiker. Those two passions, as dissimilar as they may seem, are actually in pursuit of the same goal.

“When you’re hiking a trail or getting to the end of an arduous climb, there’s that big reveal, that big ‘aha’ moment, and you get chills to feel that magic,” he says. “I feel like I’ve created a great project when I can give that sense of exploration and excitement to people who use a space.”

Brewery taprooms aren’t typically synonymous with that sense of awe. Most need to function, at least partially, as sterile manufacturing businesses full of stainless steel and industrial-grade cleaners. But Carbaugh still pays a lot of attention to natural elements of light, sound, and texture when he’s designing a brewery, restaurant, or hotel. In particular, he takes inspiration from the geological textures and colors that define a given place, whether it’s sun-beaten southern California or lake-dappled New York State. The more guests feel those outdoor elements inside an interior, the more that a business feels integrated into its surroundings.

For most of us, that harmony with nature is soothing. Rebecca Spears, principal with RB+B Architects in Fort Collins, Colorado, says it’s why “biophilia”—an innate desire to seek out living things—has lately become a guiding principle in architecture and design. In taprooms, it requires a balance between reminding guests of “process-oriented” details of the brewing happening on-site as well as comforting them with organic elements. “Nature reenergizes us and centers us,” Spears says. “It’s desirable in pretty much any indoor environment.”

Below, we’ve collected the most scenic breweries across the United States. Stop in for brew and awe.

Fonta Flora Brewery-Whippoorwill Farm

Nebo, North Carolina

Less than one mile as the crow files from Lake James State Park, Fonta Flora makes full use of the former dairy farm on which it’s situated. Local produce flavors seasonal beers, and even the decorative bouquets were grown on-site. Dozens of miles of singletrack extend out the brewery’s door.

Maine Beer Co.

Freeport, Maine

Maine Beer Co.’s ethos, “do what’s right,” is inspired by and extends to its natural surroundings. The outdoor campus is rewilded with native plants, while inside, a sculpted bronze willow tree fountain, moss art installation, and a 53-foot finback whale skeleton bring the sounds and textures of an oceanside environment to the tasting room.

Pelican Brewing at Siletz Bay

Lincoln City, Oregon

Floor-to-ceiling windows and a deck offer prime views of the bay. At low tide, you can watch clammers dig for mollusks, and at high tide, the water laps right up to the deck’s edge. Opened in 2022, this brewpub is the newest addition to Pelican Brewing’s three other (equally beautiful) coastal Oregon locations. Can’t make it to Coastal Oregon? Chase the zen with Pelican Brewing’s webcam, which streams live beach views at pelicanbrewing.com/webcam.

Scratch Brewing

Ava, Illinois

Shaded by woods on all sides, Scratch’s patio is ringed by a retaining wall of river stone scooped from the creek behind the patio. In the fall, the sound of hickory nuts falling on the roof of the pavilion punctuates sips of beers brewed with foraged ingredients.

Upward Brewing Company

Livingston Manor, New York

Awarded an honorable mention in the 2020 World Design Awards, this brewery’s reclaimed mahogany millwork and warm color palette evoke fall in the surrounding Catskill Mountains. Hiking trails offer a chance to more deeply explore the brewery’s 120-acre property.

Twin Oast

Catawba Island, Ohio

Businesses on Catawaba Island tend to lean nautical in their design, but Twin Oast literally draws from its 60-acre farm. Its two towers, or oasts, plus firepits and facade are made from Catawba stone excavated during the brewery’s build-out, while local black walnut wood forms the bar top and wall coverings.

The Drowned Lands Brewery

Warwick, New York

Inside The Drowned Lands’s expansive taproom, the lines between inside and outside feel softened, almost blurred. Muted tones, clean lines, and intentionally minimal design keeps the focus on views of the Warwick Valley and the changing light filtering through the windows.

Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Waitsfield, Vermont

Lawson’s plays multiple roles in different seasons: it offers a front-row seat to the splendor of summer wetlands as well as a cozy refuge during winter’s ski season. Architects were careful to minimize the building’s environmental impact, keeping with the brewery’s commitment to solar energy, electrical vehicle charging, and other sustainability efforts.