North Carolina is a mecca for beer lovers—Asheville has continually been rated Beer City USA, Charlotte has almost 50 breweries itself, and essentially every other city in the state has their own local brewery they support. But which ones are making the absolute best beer? In alphabetical order, here are the best breweries in North Carolina:
Burial Beer Co. in Asheville & Raleigh, NC
Burial first opened it’s doors in the summer of 2013 and since then has become one of the best breweries in the country and arguably the best in North Carolina. They now have 3 locations—their original brewery and taproom in the South Slope neighborhood of Asheville, their Forestry Camp brewery and taproom in the Biltmore area of Asheville, and their downtown Raleigh location. They also are getting close to opening their Charlotte taproom and they are in the works of opening another space in Asheville. Burial is best known for their juicy New England IPAs, but they also make incredible Stouts and Lagers.
Dssolvr in Asheville, NC
Dssolvr is located in the heart of downtown Asheville and opened in December 2019. They focus on doing both worlds of beer well—old school Lagers, West Coast IPAs, Wild Ales + new school Hazy IPAs, Fruited Sours, and Pastry Stouts + everything in between. Their Fruited Sours can get a little crazy but everything they put out is well crafted and delicious.
Fonta Flora Brewery in Morganton, Nebo, and Charlotte, NC
Fonta Flora is one of the OG’s of the NC brew scene, having opened in 2013. They now have three locations—their original brewery and taproom in downtown Morganton, their Whippoorwill Farm location in Nebo, and their Charlotte taproom in Optimist Hall. Their award winning Wild Ales are the standout, but their Lagers and Hazy IPAs are phenomenal as well.
New Anthem Beer Project in Wilmington, NC
New Anthem opened in 2016 and they now have two locations in Wilmington—their original brewery and taproom at 116 Dock Street in downtown and their larger taproom and brewery at 110 Greenfield Street. New Anthem is best known for their New England IPAs which is reflected by their IPA-heavy tap list and can production.
Newgrass Brewing Co. in Shelby, NC
Newgrass opened in August 2015 and they are located in the heart of downtown Shelby right off Highway 74. Newgrass is an ideal stop between Charlotte and Asheville for Pastry Stouts, Hazy IPAs, and Fruited Sours. They have leaned into the hype beer game and it has treated them well—you can now find Newgrass cans and taps throughout the Carolinas.
Resident Culture Brewing Company in Charlotte, NC
Resident Culture is located in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood of Charlotte and opened their doors in September 2017. They are also close to opening a second brewery and taproom in the Gold District of Charlotte. The motto at Resident Culture is “where your weird is welcome” and they mean that—walking into their taproom you find a different vibe than most breweries. Their tap list is constantly changing but no matter the style RC does it well. Whether it’s a Mushroom Stout, Sour Patch Kids Sour, Lime Lager, Juicy IPA, or a Crisp Pilsner, if Resident Culture has leaned into it, they won’t steer you wrong.
Honorable Mention: Casita brewing Company
Casita is located in Wilson, North Carolina, a small town an hour east of Raleigh. They opened their taproom in 2020 after contract brewing for years at Hill Farmstead Brewery in Vermont and Duck-Rabbit Brewery in NC. Casita has already produced some phenomenal beers and as they continue to get comfortable in their new home the future looks bright.
