This Columbia area brewery simply dominated our local best beer poll. Here are the results

The perfect place to get a beer in Columbia has finally been unveiled for 2026.

The State’s Best Beer poll, which ran between May 27 and June 2, aimed to figure out which bar, brewery, restaurant or tavern has the best beer in the Columbia area. Now that the poll has concluded and more than 1,500 votes have been cast, one place has been crowned the winner.

Although alcohol sales have dropped significantly across the U.S., possibly in part because of health concerns, beer is still the most popular drink of choice, especially among men and young adults.

Out of the hundreds of local spots to get a beer, this brewery was the majority of respondents’ favorite place to get a drink. Start the drumroll:

The State’s Best Beer poll winner

Angry Fish Brewing Co., located in Lexington, dominated the competition and received the most votes in our poll.

The brewery, established in 2018, is South Carolina’s first commercial brewery and serves dozens of flavored IPAs, seltzers, stouts, ales and beers.

The business’ name came from a fishing trip at Lake Murray, when one of the brewers caught a giant catfish with two red eyes. According to their website, when the brewer came back to the dock after a brief break, the catfish was gone. One of the guys in his group said, “Wow, that was one angry fish,” and the name was born.

In our poll, Angry Fish Brewing Co. received a whopping 84% of respondents’ votes, or a total of 1,320 votes. That’s a difference of 1,220 votes from the 2nd-place winner, Bierkeller Brewing Company.

If you’re ever craving a beer and want to try something new and spectacular, then Angry Fish Brewing Co. is the place to go. This is their address: 106 Fabrister Ln C, Lexington, SC 29072

Here are the other Columbia joints that made it to the top of our poll:

Honorable mentions

While these restaurants and bars weren’t voted the best places to get a beer in Columbia, they made it close to the top.

• #1. Bierkeller Brewing Company - 100 votes
• #2. Craft and Draft - 51 votes
• #3. Hazelwood Brewing Company - 26 votes
• #4. Weco Bottle and Biergarten - 18 votes
• #5. Three Notch’d Brewery & Craft Kitchen - 14 votes

Thank you to everyone who participated!