ETHAN HYMAN -- ehyman@newsobserver.com
Jesse Clark, tavern manager, fills a pint with Super Chief at the Big Boss Tap Room on July 16, 2009.
There are about 49 breweries and brewpubs in North Carolina - a number that has been quickly growing, said Anna Lockhart, executive director of the N.C. Brewers Guild.
"In the Southeast, we're really ahead of the curve," Lockhart said. "Our craft brewing industry got a late start compared to states like Oregon and California. Even though we've come onto the scene a little bit later, in the next 10 to 15 years or so we'll catch up."
Most of the state's breweries and brewpubs are concentrated around Asheville and the Triangle, where there are more than a dozen.
Lockhart also links the increasing popularity to a grassroots lobbying effort in 2005, called Pop the Cap, which helped persuade N.C. lawmakers to change the law increasing beer alcohol content limits - from 6 percent to 15 percent.
"That let the craft-beer community know that there are more craft enthusiasts than they know," Lockhart said. "The demand is there."
Seth Gross, who opened Bull City Burger & Brewery in Durham six months ago, said the Triangle's foodie reputation also has helped fuel the growth.
"The Triangle is so food-centric as far as people wanting to know where their food comes from," he said. "It's just natural that the next step is natural beers grown close to home."
Gross said the brewery's Bryant Park Gateway Golden is usually the first beer everybody tries because it's the lightest. From there they move on to the brewery's less-mainstream beers.
"It's the gateway into Durham, and it's our gateway drug," he said. "We're getting a super reputation with the beer."
Big Boss Brewing Company, which got it start in Raleigh in 2006, sells 7,000 barrels of its various brews a year in stores and restaurants from Raleigh to Asheville, said Geoff Lamb, co-founder and owner of the brewery.
"My strategy is conquer your backyard before you look over the fence," Lamb said. "The Triangle is good because you're centrally located. It's a growing area. You've got people who are interested in craft beer, all the universities around, and you also have a lot of people who are moving in from different areas who are willing to try new and different things.
"It's a very fast-growing market for craft beer."
