One of North Carolina’s top breweries is opening a new Downtown Raleigh taproom
A new out-of-town taproom will open near downtown Raleigh later this year from one of Winston-Salem’s top breweries.
The five-year-old Incendiary Brewing has plans to open a new 2,300-square-foot taproom at 612 Morgan St. in Raleigh, across a courtyard from 321 Coffee. Look for an Incendiary opening in late summer or early fall.
Incendiary Brewing opened in 2018 in Winston-Salem and expanded this year by adding a production facility in Lewisville to the west.
Owners Brandon Branscome and John Bacon began homebrewing in college at UNC Greensboro back in the late 1990s when craft beer was in its infancy. Branscome said the beers they brewed back then might curl your lips, but that beer has come a long way since.
“There wasn’t an internet so you couldn’t troubleshoot as easily as you can now,” Branscome said. “Beer wasn’t really good back then.”
About a decade ago they became serious about homebrewing and in 2016 Branscome won the crowded IPA category at the national Master Championship of Amateur Brewing competition.
“Friends would always ask when we were going to open our own brewery and we’d say when someone gives us a million dollars,” Branscome said. “But that win gave us the confidence that maybe we could do this.”
Incendiary is one of NC’s top breweries
Today Incendiary is one of North Carolina’s top breweries to watch, specializing in IPAs, which continue to be the top sellers, and developing a reputation for its barrel-aged program. Riding with the trends in beer, Branscome said Incendiary currently has four lagers on draft, keeping with the wave of of easy-drinking beers.
Craft beer in general continues to react to tastes and trends in the industry, as breweries move away from the distribution model of a decade ago and look to open multiple taprooms. Branscome said Raleigh’s expansion is in line with that.
“You can keep control of your brand, you can keep control of your product, you can keep it cold and ensure customers drink your beer in its best condition,” Branscome said. “In the taproom you can create your own ambiance. In Raleigh we’re looking to mimic our original Winston location.”
The Raleigh taproom will share a courtyard with TVs already installed and move out onto its own private patio. In the future Branscome hopes to see a small stage.
Other out-of-town breweries in the Triangle
The Raleigh taproom will be Incendiary’s first satellite bar, but joins an ongoing trend of major North Carolina breweries setting up spaces in the Triangle.
So far Asheville breweries Hi-Wire and Burial have popular Triangle bars and Wilmington’s New Anthem opened in Smoky Hollow earlier this year. Asheville’s Dssolvr Brewery is also working on a downtown Durham location.
Branscome sees the trend as simply tied to a region of thirsty beer-drinkers always looking for more quality breweries.
“I think it’s been an under-served area,” Branscome said. “I think a lot of breweries see a gap there and are strong enough to come into the market.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 1:57 PM.
