NC/SC/VA non mainstream session beers

I tend to prefer hoppier beers, and two of my favorites in the ~5.5% range that I can get around here (Durham) are Boulevard 80-Acre and Ballast Point Grunion. If I'm leaning towards a maltier beer, I like Bell's Best Brown and Devils Backbone Vienna Lager. For the dark stuff, Highland makes some quality local brews, as does Duck-Rabbit (milk stout and schwarzbier).

 

Old Stitch is a traditional English brown from Alewerks, its great, very flavorful and low abv.

 

They are taproom only right now but Brothers Craft Brewing (VA) Coffee Breath and their Mild are both very nice. The Mild just won gold at GABF.

 

I'm a big fan of Lickinghole Creek's Magic Beaver when I want a six pack to crush.

 

Mother Earth: Park Day Pils & Endless River Kolsch
Oskar Blues Pinner - too hoppy to be session yet only 4.9%
Fonta Flora - Almost everything they have is ~5%, but its taproom only & totally worth the trip
Great Lakes - Eliot Ness
Olde Hickory - Chicory Stick Stout & most of their other flagship non-ipas
Fullsteam - Working Man's Lunch, Common Lager, a few others I cant remember

 

Pig Pounder's (GSO, NC) Mild Mud only clocks in at about 3.6% ABV, but it has a nice bit of coffee and cocoa in the taste. It is an English Mild after all, so it isn't going to knock you over with flavor, but I'm impressed with how much flavor it does have for such a low ABV. It isn't bottled, so you'll have to grab a growler of it.

Steel String has a couple of Berliner Weisses and Goses in bombers that are <4%. They're polite beers--not too tart and not too salty, so they make for great sessionable drinking.

Red Oak's Hummin' Bird Golden Munich Lager (12 pack 12oz bottles) is great for drinking several in one sitting.

 

Terrapin Recreation Ale is one of my recent go to cans. I'm not big on most Terrapin beers, but this one is GTG.
Pisgah Pale ale, Astral Bootie Beer IPA, Rocket Girl are good low abv choices.

 

I know you said most don't but AleWerks Shorty Time is a great session IPA that does hit the mark imho. It's only available on tap and seldom seen outside of the brewery (it does make the rounds though).

 

I wish O'Connor would bring back Mild Child... a hopped-to-death mild ale.