One Of America's Best Beer Cities Is A Midwestern Gem With German Breweries And Oktoberfest Festivals

A city that takes its beer seriously should probably have a German brewing district, beer gardens by the dozens, and an annual festival where adults compete to see who can hold a heavy beer stein the longest. The Midwestern city of Columbus, Ohio, ticks all three. Its early German immigrants helped establish the breweries that eventually made up a whole city district, while a modern craft-beer scene has flourished alongside a fall schedule packed with Oktoberfest celebrations (including the aforementioned steinholding contests). The city ranked among USA Today's 2026 10Best Readers' Choice picks for the best beer cities in the country, a fitting credential for a place where some of its best sightseeing is accompanied by malt and hops.

In the USA Today ranking, Columbus came in ninth following an expert panel's selection of nominees, with the final 10 determined by public voting. It made the top 10 for best American beer cities for 2025 and 2024, too. These bona fides are backed up by the fact that the area has nearly 50 breweries as of April 2026, according to NBC4 Today — and the Columbus Ale Trail gives visitors a passport to work their way through a sprawling collection of them. On the city's beer calendar, there's the Columbus Brew Festival (featuring 150 beers) and Schmidt's Columbus Oktoberfest. The latter is itself a nominee for USA Today's top 10 Oktoberfests (results to be announced on September 16, 2026). As for why Columbus is so beer-soaked, Seventh Son Brewing owner Collin Castore told NBC4 Today, "We don't have beaches, we don't have mountains ... craft beer has kind of filled that niche that people can really identify with it and enjoy it. And it's become a part of what Columbus is."

Columbus' beer history hinges on its German immigrant community, which began settling into the area in the 19th century. One German immigrant, Louis Hoster, opened City Brewery in 1836, making it the first brewery in what would later become the Brewery District, per Columbus Neighborhoods. Within a few decades, five were operating in the area. The original ones are long gone, but you can see some of the old buildings in the district that have been preserved, if you're interested in a bit of beer history. One of those sites (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) is the L. Hoster Brewing Company complex, which included City Brewery. Visitors can get even more context about the area on the Columbus Food Adventures' Brewery District Walking Tour (running seasonally, between July and September), where you'll sample some pints and hear the stories behind them.

Columbus' modern breweries still revolve around some faithful recreations of German traditions. At Hofbräuhaus Columbus in Grandview Yard, the connection to beer traditions is as direct as it gets. The brewery operates under the supervision of Munich's Staatliches Hofbräuhaus, brews on-site according to the German Purity Law, and uses recipes passed down from the Duke of Bavaria, some dating back more than 400 years. It has a lively biergarten and Bavarian food to match. In Olde Towne East, Gemüt Biergarten centers traditional styles like helles, pilsner, and hefeweizen in a particularly stunning location: an old brick firehouse adorned with stained glass. Both of the aforementioned breweries participate in the Columbus Ale Trail, which you should follow for a longer tour of the city's beer offerings (but if you prefer spirits, the Distillery Trail in Columbus connects craft distilleries and local flavor).

September and October can be trying months for anyone attempting to exercise restraint around beer in Columbus. The city's calendar fills with Oktoberfest celebrations, from a massive fairground festival to smaller events tucked into historic neighborhoods and brewery patios. One of the biggest is Schmidt's Columbus Oktoberfest, held at the Ohio Expo Center in mid-September. The free festival has two stages of live music and an abundance of German food and beer, plus the gloriously bonkers Gemütlichkeit Games, where competitors throw stones, toss kegs, and attempt to lift a 508-pound stone. About a week after Schmidt's, the long-held Germania Oktoberfest takes over the beer garden at the Germania Singing & Sport Society with keg tapping, dancing, live music, and a steinholding contest. If you'll be attending one of these big festivals, read up on the Oktoberfest rules Americans often break to make sure you have a more authentic experience.

The seasonal fun continues at a neighborhood scale, too, with numerous smaller Oktoberfest gatherings to fold into a day of exploring the city. Head to the German Village, an idyllic neighborhood right outside downtown Columbus, for Tap the Keg Oktoberfest at the German Village Society's courtyard. The event features small-business vendors and a special Wolf's Ridge beer brewed for the occasion. Gemüt Biergarten and Hofbräuhaus Columbus both hold their own celebrations, too. Come on a September weekend, and you can hop between the various events until you've more than had your fill.