NC Vacation Beer!

Not sure about brewery tours. This thread is recent: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/charlotte-breweries.421195/#post-4796917
The ongoing thread about the best IPAs in NC likely would be a good resource.

And, as always, Places (in upper nav bar) >> North Carolina >> Charlotte

 

Legion and Wooden Robot have the best beer, Sycamore has the best venue and outdoor space (live music too). Birdsong and Unknown are good stops too.

 

Be sure to stop by Brawleys on Park Rd.

 

Bottle shops: Brawley's, Good Bottle Co, Salud
Breweries: Heist, Wooden Robot

Heist and Wooden Robot are making the best IPAs in the city. If you like sours you'll want to go to Wooden Robot for sure.

 

IMO Heist is making the best beer in Charlotte. They are consistently putting out amazing IPA's (the best in all of NC) They have their recent World Championship of Beer Winning English Mild on right now along with their base beer for the Cataclysm Series. They also have an awesome summer beer "Peaches and Cream" on as well.

 

When out of town, I just type "breweries" into Google maps. Gives me a lists, hours, reviews, and directions. Once you find one, talk to the staff, and other patrons.

 

Heist is releasing cans of citraquench'l tomorrow at 11. Not sure when you are coming in but you want to try and get these. They might last through the weekend but I highly doubt it.

 

Just go to Olde Mecklenburg. It may not be IPA heaven, but the beer is fantastic and the food is damn good too.

 

Yeah and according to their new ad campaign, every other beer on the planet is horrible and you shouldn't waste your time drinking anything that isn't their beer. Now we all know better.

 

Coming from a brewery that supports every other local brewery. At a certain point, craft transitions from a cool niche to a genuine industry. We're there if you ask me. The only way to make our lovely industry a more viable and sustainable segment of the economy is through competition and improvement. Also, name a better example of an alt made in CLT than Copper. Name a better Pilsner distributed to CLT than Capt Jack (Yes Burial Shadowclock but thats debatable). Name a better Dunkel made in NC than Dunkel.

I guess my overall point is this: while being brash and eye catching, I can't really argue with what the sign says. Their beer, inside the styles that they make, is the best in CLT.

 

I don't really want to get into a big debate about this since we will both obviously be on different sides of the fence on this one. But as someone who staunchly defended OMB and their style, as well as their being at the top of their game, to friends/family/acquaintances who don't like their beer (and probably their style of beer in general) this ad campaign that they are running does not, in any way, strike me as a "we have the best beer in our style campaign".

When you have billboards around town that say (and I'm paraphrasing and going off memory on these quotes, so they may not be 100% accurate but they're damn close) "Its not easy brewing great beer, the proof is other beer" and "the craft beer roulette was fun for awhile, now you know better" it doesn't seem like you're saying you have great German style beer, it sounds like you're telling people to only drink your beer.

The radio ads are much more arrogant in my opinion also.

So until their marketing changes, I won't be defending them to people who think their beer is the "bad craft beer" and I won't be purchasing their beer or frequenting their establishment.

 

Fair enough man.

Cheers!

 

Mother Earth Park Day Pilsner is a much better pils than capt jack and i love capt jack. I could name 20 better porters than fat boy. I have lost respect in Olde Meck.

 

I like Olde Meck but the "craft beer roulette" ad is a swipe at everyone they appear to support.

 

My opinion is to go to Wooden Robot and Heist. Also if you travel a few miles out of the city of Charlotte, I would definitely hit Primal Brewery. You can get growlers to go and they make a lot of great small batch beers. As for Olde Mecklenburg, I'd pass on them. Their beer and their attitude is a huge turn off. They aren't close to the best beer in the Charlotte area. I'd also avoid Ass Clown. Their beers are too hit or miss as the brew master has no recipes and "wings it", resulting in the same beer tasting differently every time you drink it.

 

What part of town will you be staying in?

Salud, Free Range, NoDa, Birdsong, and Heist are all just north of uptown, within a mile or so of each other, and would be a great run of places to go. Salud has a really helpful staff and good crew of regulars who would all be more than happy to point you in a good direction for your travels.

 

Don't waste your time with Olde Meck. Yes it is correct you won't find a better alt, Pilsner or dunkel in Charlotte. It that really saying a whole lot.

 

Change is already happening. http://www.oldemeckbrew.com/2016/07/know-you-know-better-nykb/