It may not have the cachet of California, Colorado or Washington, but North Carolina has also become one of the nation’s craft-beer meccas.
“North Carolina is home to more than 200 breweries, stretching from the mountains through the foothills to the coast,” says Anne Fitten Glenn, the author of Western North Carolina: A Mountain Brew History and Asheville Beer: An Intoxicating History of Mountain Brewing. “Breweries of all shapes and sizes now dot the state: back-room one-barrel systems, small brewpubs, regional distributing breweries and internationally renowned expansion breweries.”
Asheville, “commonly referred to as Beer City, USA,” is home to the second-most breweries per capita in the nation, Glenn says.
The Asheville area houses breweries of nationally known craft brewers Sierra Nevada and New Belgium, and Sierra Nevada's facilities, grounds and restaurant may be the Shangri-la of the craft-brewery world. There are also many local success stories, including Burial Beer and Wicked Weed Brewing, and another craft-beer giant, Oskar Blues, brews about 35 miles southwest in Brevard.
Charlotte and the triangle region of Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill “are also centers of suds,” and “almost every small town now hosts its own brewery,” says Glenn, a former public relations director and East Coast marketing manager for Oskar Blues.
With so much craft beer to choose from, it may be wise for travelers — and locals — to listen to Glenn’s recommendations when in search of the state’s best breweries.
Here are her recommendations from west to east— “from the mountains to the sea” — for anyone wishing to embark on a craft-beer journey. The name of each recommended brewery is followed by its location and Glenn’s comments.
Innovation Brewing Company, Sylva and Dillsboro. “Innovation Brewing founders Nicole and Chip Dexter took their love of sour and barrel-aged beers to these tiny towns in the far western reaches of North Carolina. After some initial apprehension, Innovation’s customers now drink up these specialty beers almost as quickly as the couple can make them.
“The brewery’s second location is in a former train depot in Dillsboro, just across the street from the Great Smoky Railroad. Starting a train journey through the Smoky Mountains with a one-off sour beer sounds like a delicious adventure.”
Asheville Brewing Company, Asheville. “The city’s third-oldest brewery opened in 1998 as a second-run movie theater and brewpub. The second location was one of the first to open in the part of town now known as Asheville’s brewery district. Both locations offer great pizza, a creative list of rotating beers and dog and family friendly outdoor areas. Wet Nose Wednesday on the downtown brewery’s huge covered patio with spent grain doggie treats is a local favorite.”
Home Place Beer Company, Burnsville. “The tiny town of Burnsville didn’t allow alcohol sales until 2010, and Yancey County, outside the incorporated areas, remains dry. But that didn’t stop native son John Silver from opening his own brewery near Burnsville’s town square after paying his dues working for several other western North Carolina breweries.
"The homey spot is a great place to visit after hiking or biking up nearby Mount Mitchell, the east coast’s highest mountain.”
Beech Mountain Brewing Company, Beech Mountain. “One of only a few breweries owned by a ski resort, this one offers local flare for visitors who come to ski in the winter and mountain bike in the summer. You don’t need to be partaking of either to visit the brewery and quaff a few small-batch brews. The views from this mountain brewery are stunning.”
Fonta Flora Brewery, Morganton and Nebo. “Fonta Flora founder Todd Boera creates Appalachian-inspired beer styles. To this end, he’s a master forager and regional farm supporter. The brewery’s ever-changing options might include beers containing beets, carrots, wild cherries or fennel. The new Whippoorwill Farm location is evolving into a farmhouse brewery and conservation site.”
Wooden Robot Urban Farmhouse Brewery, Charlotte. “Not on a farm but embracing the farmhouse aesthetic, Wooden Robot now has two locations in North Carolina’s largest city. The Chamber location, a wood-aging facility in the NoDa district, is super slick — definitely more urban chic than most North Carolina breweries. The brewery predominantly produces Belgian farmhouse-style ales. Like several other breweries I really dig, Wooden Robot supports local agriculture, using all local malt and many other artisanal ingredients.”
Foothills Brewing Company, Winston-Salem. “Foothills offers two brewery locations in the lovely town of Winston-Salem. The brewpub has some of the best pub food around, including great burgers and creative sandwiches. This brewery produces the much sought after Sexual Chocolate, a cacao-infused imperial stout, which brings loads of beer-loving revelers to the brewery every February for its release.”
Fullsteam Brewery, Durham. “Fullsteam specializes in Southern-style beers using locally farmed ingredients such as sweet potato and scuppernong grapes. The brewery also has a kitchen that offers a myriad of vegetarian and vegan dishes. Brewery owner Sean Wilson spearheaded the “Pop the Cap” bill movement, which increased North Carolina’s alcohol by volume limit on malt beverages from 6% to 15% in 2005. This paved the way for many more breweries to open and significant job creation in the industry.”
Crank Arm Brewing, Raleigh. “Combining two of my favorite 'b' words, Crank Arm springs from the owners’ passions for bikes and beers. Many North Carolina breweries, including New Belgium and Oskar Blues, support community biking initiatives, but, for Crank Arm, it’s a mission. Add in great beer and a cool location in downtown Raleigh’s warehouse district, and you’ve got a winner.”
Mother Earth Brewing, Kinston. “The small town of Kinston in the former tobacco belt was pretty down and out a decade ago. Then, Mother Earth Brewing and the now famous Chef & The Farmer restaurant opened. Both businesses share a vision — to help transition some of the area’s tobacco farmers into farmers of food and beer ingredients. Mother Earth’s taproom is 100% solar-powered, and the brewery, which was started by Kinston natives, sources beer ingredients as locally as possible.”
Front Street Brewery & Pub, Wilmington. “This brewpub resides in an 1865 building built during the Civil War, when battles were fought on much of the Carolina coastline. Front Street opened in 1995, making it one of North Carolina’s oldest continuously operating breweries. It’s a quick, easy drive from the beach for excellent microbrews and delicious pub food.”
Weeping Radish Farm & Brewery, Grandy. “North Carolina’s oldest continuously running microbrewery, founded by Uli Bennewitz in 1986, includes a restaurant, a farm and a butchery. To open the business, Bennewitz had to work with the state’s legislature to change archaic Prohibition-era laws that forbade breweries from selling beer directly to customers. Thus, the Bavarian native is the grandfather of modern-day North Carolina beer.”
