5. Prague. The Czech Republic is the birthplace of Pilsner, and claims to be home to the world's heartiest beer drinkers. If you're in Prague and "here for the beer," a good place to start your tour is the 500-plus-year-old U Fleku, the city's answer to the Hofbräuhaus (try to visit in the afternoon, before the tourists arrive in force). After a mug or two of rich, dark U Fleku beer, you're ready to rub elbows with Praguers in the Old Town's ancient--and smoky--beer halls. Czech beer, malty and low in alcohol, is perfect for an evening out. It's a bargain, too; a liter will cost you less than a dollar, and the house tap just might be Pilsner Urquell or Budweiser Budvar.
4. San Francisco. Modern craft brewing began here in the Sixties, when Fritz Maytag bought the Anchor Brewing Company and saved California common (a/k/a "steam") beer from extinction. "The City" has been a great bar town since Mark Twain's heyday, and one of its best establishments is Toronado, an alehouse in the Haight-Ashbury district. Not far away, you'll find the Magnolia Pub and Brewery, which pours classic English ales. While Twenty Tank Brewing fell victim to high rents during the dot.com mania, plenty of brewpubs remain; they include the smart Gordon Biersch, and the South Pacific-inspired E&O Trading Post. A bonus: you're a short train ride from Berkeley, the home of Jupiter and Triple Rock Alehouse.
3. Portland, Oregon. Depending on who's counting, the Rose City has more breweries per capita than any city in America. There are many reasons why: an abundance of fresh water, hops, and barley; a sympathetic state government; and sophisticated drinkers. The city took its first step toward becoming "Beervana" in 1976, when the Horse Brass Pub opened its doors. The pub introduced Portlanders to classic English ales, and whetted their appetite for long-lost beer styles. In short order, Mike and Brian McMenamin opened Oregon's first brewpubs since Prohibition. Before long, a cadre of brewers, inspired by the beers of Europe, fired up their kettles. Every summer, the city showcases its beer heritage at the well-respected Oregon Brewers Festival.
2. London. The pub is a venerable institution, and the British capital offers more than 6,000 to choose from. The best pubs still serve ale the old-fashioned way: fermented in wooden casks and carbonated by yeasts that are still alive when you drink it. Real Ale, as it's called, will banish forever those myths about warm, flat British beer. You can find Real Ale at the J.D. Weatherspoons pub chain; at establishments owned by London's two breweries, Young and Company and Fuller, Smith and Turner; at the hundreds of pubs recommended by the Campaign for Real Ale; and every summer at The Great British Beer Festival.
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