Brewing in North Carolina

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This article regards brewing in North Carolina.

History

The earliest documented commercial brewery in North Carolina was in the Moravian town of Bethabara in Wachovia. According to the Moravian Diaries, a log house was constructed for a distillery and brewery in 1756.[1] The May, 1764 brewery and distillery inventory listed 270 gallons of brandy, 40 gallons of rye whisky, and 90 gallons of beer on hand.[2] The Bethabara brewery and distillery continued operating until the last brewer moved away in 1814.[3] The Bethabara brewery operated longer than the Single Brother's Brewery in nearby Salem, NC

In 1985, Uli Bennewitz pushed a change in the North Carolina law books. This change made it legal for a brewpub to exist under state laws. The next year (1986) Bennewitz opened NC's first brewpub, Weeping Radish Bavarian Restaurant.

On August 13, 2005, House Bill 392 from the NC General Assembly was signed by then-Governor Mike Easley. HB 392 (commonly known as the "Pop The Cap" Bill[4]) defined a "malt beverage" as any "beer, lager, malt liquor, ale, porter, and any other brewed or fermented beverage" that contained between .5% and 15% alcohol by volume.[5] This represented an increase from the previous limit of 6%. As of 2021, there were more than 340 active breweries in North Carolina.[6]

Western North Carolina breweries are transforming into gathering places for the community, by offering a variety of entertainment, expanding amenities like playgrounds and dog parks, and hosting local social groups. This approach help brands build deeper local connections.[7]

List of breweries

Name City County Opened References
Angry Troll Brewing Elkin Yadkin 2016
Appalachian Mountain Brewery Boone (original)
Mills River (2nd location)		 Watauga
Henderson		 2013 (original)
2023 (2nd location)		 [8]
Asheville Brewing Company Asheville (3 locations) Buncombe 1998 (original)
2006 (South Slope)
2012 (South Asheville)		 [9]
Ass Clown Brewing Cornelius Mecklenburg 2011 [10]
Avdet Brewing Company Elizabeth City Pasquotank
Bearded Bee Brewing Company Wendell Wake 2020 [11]
Beech Mountain Brewing Company Beech Mountain Avery 2014 [12]
Belleau Wood Brewing Company Lillington Harnett
Bill's Brewing Company Wilmington New Hanover 2016 (original)
2024 (2nd location)		 [13][14]
Birdsong Brewing Company Charlotte Mecklenburg 2011 [15]
Blowing Rock Brewing Company Blowing Rock (2 locations)
Hickory (3rd location)		 Watauga
Catawba		 2005 (original)
2013 (Ale House & Inn)
2018 (Hickory)		 [16]
Boojum Brewing Company Waynesville Haywood 2014 [17]
Booneshine Brewing Company Boone Watauga 2012 [18]
Bryson City Brewing[a] Bryson City Swain 2023 [19]
Carolina Brewery Chapel Hill (original)
Pittsboro (2nd location)		 Orange
Chatham		 1995 (original)
Club West Brewing[b] Charlotte Mecklenburg 2013 [20][21]
Floating Goat Brewing Lexington Davidson 2026 [22]
Goose & Monkey Brewhouse Lexington Davidson 2020 [23]
Grove Cartel Brewing Company China Grove Rowan 2021 [24]
Gizmo Brew Works Raleigh (original)
Chapel Hill (2nd location)
Durham (3rd location)		 Wake
Orange
Durham		 2013(original)
2019 (Chapel-Hill)
2022 (Durham)		 [25]
Green Man Brewery Asheville Buncombe 1997 [26]
Mad Mole Brewing Wilmington New Hanover 2018 [27]
Mother Earth Brewing Kinston Lenoir 2008 [28]
New Belgium Brewing Company Asheville Buncombe 2016 [29]
Pinehurst Brewing Co. Pinehurst Moore 2018 [30]
Ponysaurus Brewing Durham (original)
Wilmington (2nd location)
Raleigh (3rd location)		 Durham
New Hanover
Wake		 2013 (original)
2022 (Wilmington)
2023 (Raleigh)		 [31][32][33]
Railhouse Brewery Aberdeen Moore 2010 [34]
Railhouse Brewery-Penn Station Southern Pines Moore 2026 [35]
Red Buffalo Brewing Company Statesville Iredell 2018 [36]
Red Oak Brewery Whitsett Guilford 1991 [37]
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Mills River Henderson 2012 [38]
Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery Chapel Hill Orange 1996 [39]
Weeping Radish Farm Brewery Grandy Currituck 1986 [40]
Wicked Weed Brewing Asheville (original)
Candler (2nd location)		 Buncombe 2012 (Asheville)
2019 (Candler)		 [41][42]
Wiseman Brewing Winston-Salem Forsyth 2017 [43]
Wrightsville Beach Brewery Wilmington New Hanover 2018 [44]
  1. Orginally Nantahala Brewing. Sold and rebranded-branded to Bryson City Brewing in 2023.
  2. Formerly Sycamore Brewing, re-branded to Club West in 2026.

List of closed breweries

Name City County Opened Closed Notes References
Cotton House Craft Brewers Cary Wake 2018 2025 [45]
Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery Farmville Pitt 2004 2025 [46][47]
Edward Teach Brewing Wilmington New Hanover 2017 2026 [48]
Kernersville Brewing Company Kernersville Forsyth 2018 2024 Acquired by Little Brother Brewing [49][50]
Nantahala Brewing Company Bryson City Swain 2009 2023 Sold and rebranded as Bryson City Brewing. [51]
Red Moose Brewing Company Pittsboro Chatham 2021 2025 [52][53]

See also

References

  1. Fries, Adelaide L. (1921). Records of the Moravians in North Carolina, Vol. I. Raleigh, N.C.: Edwards & Broughton. p. 156.
  2. Naturalien Tabelle den Monatlichen Bestand. Winston-Salem, N.C.: Moravian Archives. 1764. p. C122:3.
  3. Fries, Adelaide L. (1947). Records of the Moravians in North Carolina, Vol. VII. Raleigh, N.C.: State Department of Archives and History. p. 3230.
  4. "Pop The Cap North Carolina". Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  5. "House Bill 392 (2005-2006 Session) - North Carolina General Assembly". www.ncleg.gov.
  6. "North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild". Archived from the original on March 1, 2021.
  7. "Breweries Use Their Brands to Build Community | WNC Business". www.wncbusiness.com. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  8. "About Us". AMB.beer. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  9. "About Asheville Brewing Company". Asheville Brewing. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  10. https://www.assclownbrewing.com/
  11. Andrews, Betsy; Grinberg, Danielle (March 17, 2021). "North Carolina's New Bar Owners Show the Spirit to Succeed During Covid". vinepair.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  12. "Beech Mountain Brewing Company is Now Open!". Beech Mountain Resort. January 6, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  13. "Our Story". Bill's Brewing Company. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  14. "New Taproom". Bill's Brewing Company. January 16, 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  15. Delgado, Maria (April 5, 2024). "The story behind Birdsong Brewing's beer names". CLT Today. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  16. Wood, Jesse (June 25, 2013). "Local Brew on Tap: Blowing Rock Ale House and Inn Now Open Downtown, Grand Opening Set For Thursday". High Country Press. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  17. Kiss, Tony (March 5, 2015). "Boojum Brewing Opens Waynesville Taproom". Citizen-Times. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  18. "Our Story". Boonehine. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  19. "Our Story".
  20. "About". Sycamore Brewing. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  21. Sands, Alexandria (March 17, 2026). "Club West Brewing opens in Charlotte: What's actually different?". WBTV. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  22. Doss-Raines, Jill (April 30, 2026). "About Us". The Dispatch. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  23. "About Us". Goose and Monkey Brewhouse. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  24. "Our Story". The Grove Cartel. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  25. "About Gizmo Brew Works". Gizmo Brew Works. July 9, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  26. "The Brewery". Green Man Brewery. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  27. Ballard, Allison (June 5, 2026). "A look at what may be the most sustainable brewery in the Wilmington area". Star News Online. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  28. "About Up". Mother Earth Brewing. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  29. "Our Story". New Belgium. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  30. "Pinehurst: The Best of the 2010s". Pinehurst Resort. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  31. "Ponysaurus Brewing Co". Ponysaurus Brewing. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  32. Nun, Scott (January 22, 2022). "Ponysaurus Brewing Works On Opening Wilmington Location". Wilmington Biz. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  33. "Ponysaurus, Eastcut Sandwich Bar to open Raleigh locations". WRAL. August 1, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  34. "Railhouse Brewery". Home of American Golf. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  35. Writer, EMILEE PHILLIPS || Staff (May 26, 2026). "Railhouse Brewery Expands to Southern Pines". The Pilot Newspaper. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  36. Hoodline (November 19, 2018). "Red Buffalo Brewing Opens Its Doors in Statesville". Hoodline. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  37. "History of the Brewery". Red Oak. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  38. "Our Story". Sierra Nevada. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  39. "About". Top of the Hill. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  40. "This Massive Barn Restaurant In North Carolina Serves Sausage To Die For". May 8, 2026.
  41. "About Wicked Weed Brewing". Wicked Weed Brewing. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  42. "Beer Scout: Wicked Weed West serves the blossoming Candler community – Mountain Xpress". July 19, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  43. "Our Story". Wise Man Brewing. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  44. Maurer, Jessica (May 8, 2026). "Wrightsville Beach Brewery Now Open". Wilmington Biz. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  45. WRAL Staff (April 13, 2025). "Cary-based Cotton House Craft Brewers files for bankruptcy". WRAL. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  46. "Home". Duck-Rabbit Brewery. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  47. Markovich, Jeremy (May 8, 2025). "Goodbye to the Duck-Rabbit". NC Rabbit Hole. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  48. Staton, John (February 18, 2026). "With brewery's closure, future unknown for downtown Wilmington building". Star News Online. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  49. Lopez, Robert (September 26, 2018). "NEW BREW: Kernersville Brewing Company". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  50. Johnson, Lillian (September 7, 2023). "Little Brother Brewing to take over Kernersville Brewing Company at end of September". Triad Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  51. "Nantahala not flowing in Sylva". The Slyva Herald. February 14, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  52. Ginsburg, Eric (May 5, 2022). "'A Little Crazy': From Making Beer at Home to Opening Chatham's Newest Brewery". Chatham Magazine. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  53. Corcoran, Bil. "Red Moose Brewing Announces Closure In Pittsboro, North Carolina". My Beer Buzz. Retrieved June 6, 2026.