BRIGHTON has made it onto a list of 20 best destinations in the country for craft beer.

New research by business comparison site Bionic reveals the best cities in the UK for independent pints and Brighton ranks in 16th place.

The city has an overall score of 44, with three top rated breweries, 881 pubs and 78 unique beers.

Popular independent breweries in the city include Brighton Bier, Bison Beer and Craft Beer Co.

Brighton beat Leicester, Colchester, Preston and Bradford.

Newcastle topped the list with four top-rated breweries and more than 1,000 pubs for punters to discover.

Manchester, London, Ipswich and Gloucester made up the top five.

The study combined data on customer reviews, number of unique beers and the number of top rated pubs and microbreweries in each city to create an index ranking.

It also looked at the most popular pints to share on social media and which independent beers are each generation’s favourite.

Glyn Britton, chief customer officer at Bionic, said people should consider visiting local shops and buying independent beers, rather than supporting chains.

He said: “More and more people are choosing to shop locally since the beginning of the pandemic. Nearly two-thirds of consumers in the UK have chosen to buy closer to home over the last 12 months - local retail shops like butchers and bakers are booming, as are craft beer and locally owned pubs that are also seeing increased footfall.

“A better customer experience seems to be a big driver behind the increased interest in independent locals. When you purchase a pint from a craft microbrewery, the person serving you has most likely toiled over your pint, brewing it by hand.

“They’re proud of their product, and will happily give you the history, the taste notes and the reasoning behind why they've brewed it.

“The entire experience is, well, an experience. It’s enjoyable, you get a real feel for the beer you’re drinking and you’re getting far more value back from purchasing your pint.”

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