Hop Lot Dubbed One Of The Best Beer Gardens In The Country

The second-best beer garden in the United States is in Leelanau County.

So says the USA Today with the results of a recent 10Best readers choice poll. After a lengthy voting process, the USA Today last week published a list of the top 10 beer gardens in the country. Leelanau’s own Hop Lot Brewing Co. landed in the runner-up position.

“Embracing its Northern Michigan roots, Hop Lot Brewing’s beer garden invites guests to warm up around the campfire or relax at picnic tables while enjoying their brews,” reads the blurb in the USA Today article. “In winter, you can even reserve your own igloo! Hop Lot was established in 2015 as a family-friendly brewery and offers a tap list of around a dozen traditional ales.”

Hop Lot is the only Michigan beer garden featured on the 10Best list, and the only one in the entire Midwest. Other breweries that scored slots include the Crux Fermentation Project in Bend, Oregon, Maui Brewing Co. in Kihei, Hawaii, and No-Li Brewhouse in Spokane, Washington. The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery & Biergarten in Charlotte, North Carolina – described as “the largest beer garden in the southeastern U.S.” – edged out Hop Lot to score top honors.

Per USA Today, the 10Best list was executed by convening a panel of beer experts to select their favorite spots in the country “to enjoy a beer outdoors.” Readers then voted on their favorites across several rounds to finalize the ultimate list.