To celebrate Triangle’s thriving brewery scene, start with this 12-pack of great beer
North Carolina is one of the country’s great beer states.
Asheville and Charlotte get most of that love, but the Triangle’s brewing scene has quietly grown into a deep collection of accomplished and award-winning breweries, showcasing every beer style imaginable and often highlighting North Carolina ingredients.
For National Beer Day on April 7 (a real holiday!), we assembled a flight of local breweries, offering a small taste of what the Triangle has to offer to the beer world.
Our list also serves as a preview for the upcoming Brewgaloo Beer Festival April 22 and 23 in downtown Raleigh. Many of those on this list will offer samples at the festival that fills Fayetteville Street. For details on the 110 breweries who will be there, plus how to get tasting tickets, go to shoplocalraleigh.org/brewgaloo.
Cheers!
Barrel Culture
4913 S. Alston Ave. Durham. 919-908-9659 or barrelculture.com
13100 Falls of Neuse Road, Suite 100, Raleigh. 919-263-1699
Go for: While a little under the radar, this brewery is one of the Triangle’s best for fruited sours and super-hopped IPAs. You might also want a beer slushie or a cone of fruity beer soft serve.
Bond Brothers
202 East Cedar St., Cary. 919-459-2670 or bondbrothersbeer.com
602 E. Chatham St., Cary. 919-650-1125
Go for: Award-winning beer that helped put the Triangle on the national beer map. Sour fans will find lots to love.
Crank Arm Brewing Company
319 W. Davie St., Raleigh. 919-324-3529 or crankarmbrewing.com
Go for: A true urban brewery, Crank Arm brought beer-making culture to the heart of downtown Raleigh. There are nearly 20 house brews on tap, but Whitewall Wheat reminds us how good wheat beers can be.
Deep River Brewing Company
700 W. Main St., Suite 2, Clayton. 919-585-2296 or deepriverbrewing.com
Go for: One of the only breweries in Johnston County, Deep River helped lead a resurgence in downtown Clayton. The Mango Tango Foxtrot is one of the great local IPAs.
Fullsteam Brewery
726 Rigsbee Ave., Durham. 919-682-2337 or fullsteam.ag
Go for: Award-winning beers brewed with North Carolina ingredients. You might want the crispy sweet potato lager Carver, or the recently revamped Humidity pale ale, a contender for the most North Carolina of beers.
Gizmo Brew Works
5907 Triangle Drive, Raleigh. 919-782-2099 or gizmobrewworks.com
Go for: This nimble brewery now has a location in the three corners of the Triangle, with its new Durham taproom unveiled this year.
Lonerider Brewing Company
8816 Gulf Court, Suite 100, Raleigh. loneriderbeer.com
Go for: This influential Raleigh brewery is quickly expanding, and its Sweet Josie brown ale is on the Triangle beer Mt. Rushmore.
Lynnwood Grill & Brewing Concern
4821 Grove Barton Road, Raleigh. 919-785-0043 or lynnwoodbrewing.beer
1053 E. Whitaker Mill Road, Raleigh.
Go for: One of Raleigh’s most popular breweries and one of its oldest, Lynnwood’s Dock 1053 location has become a destination for beer lovers. For years, its clean and classic IPA Hop on Top has endured, despite the larger beer world’s haze craze.
Ponysaurus Brewing Company
219 Hood St., Durham. 919-584-4265 or ponysaurusbrewing.com
Go for: A brewery experience that has it all, with a huge outdoor lawn filled with picnic tables, a top pizzeria and an always solid draft list. Biere de Garde is an All-Triangle beer.
Standard Beer
205. E. Franklin St., Raleigh. 919-322-1499 or standardbeerandfood.com.
Go for: A sister project for Bond Brothers, this downtown Raleigh brewery makes idealized versions of the classic beers. You’ll find pilsners and lagers so crisp and clean it’s like drinking sunshine.
Steel String Brewery
106A S. Greensboro St., Carrboro. 919-240-7215 or steelstringbrewery.com
6901 N.C. 54 West, Mebane.
Go for: One of the Triangle’s most fun taprooms, where the draft list always features something for all tastes, from the crispy lovers to those who like it tart and sour.
Trophy Brewing
656 Maywood Ave., Raleigh. 919-803-1333 or trophybrewing.com
Go for: This brewery continues to set the pace for Triangle beer and is the creator of the session IPA Trophy Wife, perhaps the most iconic local brew.
This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 12:56 PM.
