Beer is big business in Charlotte. From the scene’s early stages in the late 1990s, to today, with a brag worthy 50-plus breweries, the Queen City’s craft brewers not only serve up cold ones throughout the city, but they also create community.
Now a Charlotte mainstay, NoDa Brewing Company (NoDa is short for North Davidson, the street and neighborhood where the brewery got its start) opened in 2011, when husband-wife duo Todd and Suzie Ford decided it was time for Charlotte’s nascent beer scene to grow. The community embraced their idea, and today, over 10 years later, the brewery has three locations, including an outpost at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.
The brewery draws with its award-winning and inventive brews, from Hop, Drop N Roll to seasonal IPAs and more. An equally important component of its success is its dedication to community: the brewery hosts a popular running club, yoga sessions and supports local nonprofits like the Charlotte Symphony, which plays its On Tap series at the NoDa location.
Long before Charlotte was known as a beer city, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery served up German-style beers. This OG of the Charlotte beer scene opened back in 2009 when John Marrino decided to bring German-style beer to the city.
Today, in an expanded location that features a brauhaus and outdoor beer garden, Olde Meck transports visitors to the beer halls of Germany, with its vaulted ceilings, wooden accents and a boisterous vibe. Perennial favorites include Mecktoberfest Mӓrzen Lager, Hornet’s Nest Hefeweizen and Fat Boy Baltic Porter. OMB also serves Bavarian-style pretzels, currywurst, pork schnitzel and a large selection of sausages, salads and sides.
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At Birdsong Brewing Co., it all began with burnout. In 2010, husband-and-wife team Chris and Tara Goulet were both ready to run from management roles and the corporate grind. About the same time, a friend and colleague, Conor Robison, was dabbling in home-brewing and they got an idea: brew fresh, unfiltered, American-style ale that would bring their community together while also focusing on charitable causes and sustainability.
Today the brewery, located in the NoDa district, draws with favorites like Higher-Ground West Coast IPA and Lazy Bird Brown Ale, plus seasonal favorites like Fake Plastic Trees Hazy IPA and creative limited releases.
At Wooden Robot Brewery, inspiration comes from the traditional Belgian farmhouse breweries, coupled with the inventiveness of the American craft scene. Middle school buddies Josh Patton and Dan Wade grew up together and eventually honed a love of homebrewing. Wooden Robot prides itself on using local malt and fresh ingredients, usually foraged or sourced from local farms.
For something notable, try Good Morning Vietnam, a popular pick made with locally roasted coffee and Madagascar vanilla beans, making this blonde ale not just interesting, but smooth and tasty.
Triple C Brewing Company, located in Charlotte’s historic South End neighborhood, serves up original brews in an industrial space. The River Tube Session IPA is a crisp West Coast-style session IPA brewed with hops with citrus and pine aromas. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Noir is a Brett Beer, aged for 2 years in red wine barrels and then brewed with red grape must and skins. Seltzers and ciders are also worth a look.
Triple C is about more than just beer, though. Commitments to area sustainability efforts include donations to Catawba River clean-up, an in-brewery recycling program and ensuring the beer-making process waste makes its way back to local farms for livestock feed. Cheers to that.
Legion Brewing hopped on the Charlotte beer scene back in 2015, and founders Phil Buchy and Newton Craver haven’t looked back since. The flagship shop is located in a historic building in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood and draws with its indoor-outdoor buzz, trivia nights and live music. In recent years, the brewery has grown, adding a location in SouthPark and, in 2021, building a production facility, Trolley Barn Fermentory, on the west side.
With stand-out favorites like Juicy Jay, an easy-drinking east coast IPA, and Penguin Pils American Pilsner, plus seasonals like Winnie the Brew (fittingly, a honey double IPA), Legion keeps locals and visitors alike returning.
In 2014, husband-and-wife duo Sarah and Justin Brigham opened Sycamore Brewing in Charlotte’s historic South End neighborhood. Since then, it has become one of the largest in the state of North Carolina.
With year-round favorites like Southern Girl Blond Ale, Haziness IPA, and Double Candy Double IPA, plus seasonal standouts like Pumpkin Latte Blonde and Peak Farm IPA, and a hearty dose of inventiveness, with a “Barista” line including Cinnamon Bun Latte Blonde Ale, Sycamore keeps locals and visitors alike flocking to its Hawkins Street taproom and beer garden.
At Free Range Brewing, beer is a family affair. All raised in North Carolina, Jason, Jeff, Sarah and Brittany Alexander believe in connecting the community and sourcing locally whenever possible. In 2015, they opened Free Range in the NoDa neighborhood in northeast Charlotte and its beers have gained a loyal local following.
Beers here range from the dark—Shellum’s Mussel Beach, a Carolina Maritime Stout, and Softly Covered In Darkness, a Carolina Farmhouse Ale—to lighter options like Susie, the Queen Bee, a honey- and flower-infused Carolina Grissette, and Therapy Session IPA. Newer partnerships have bloomed, including a collaboration with local coffee purveyor Night Swim Coffee to create a Carolina barrel-aged coffee stout.
Recognized as one of the pioneers of the craft-brew craze in the Carolinas, Catawba Brewing Co. began as the passion project of brothers Billy and Scott Pyatt. In the late 1990s, the two embarked on their adventure, purchasing the parts of a defunct Colorado brewery, and bringing them back home to North Carolina to jumpstart their dream.
Catawba’s original production facility is located in downtown Morganton, just under an hour-and-a-half drive from Charlotte, where the 30-barrel brewhouse produces the brand’s popular White Zombie White Ale and other favorites. After opening in Asheville, the team set their sights on Charlotte. In early 2017, the expanded to Plaza-Midwood, where it still draws with its 10-barrel brewhouse, tasting room, and views of uptown.
With origins in producing non-alcoholic kombucha in 2011, Lenny Boy Brewing Co. opened its first location in 2012 in South End. By early 2013, the company became the only certified organic producer of kombucha in the southeast. That fall, the team opened up their microbrewery, and now they offer not just kombucha, but beers, sours, wild ales, and hard kombucha.
Today in their 32,000 square foot facility and taproom, Lenny Boy offers not just a good, cold brew—these range from IPAs and porters, to stouts, Belgians, and more—but art shows, recurring fitness events, non-profit events, film showings, farmer’s markets, and more.