I'm starting to plan a beer trip through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and (possibly) Florida. Looking for the 10 or so best brewery towns and/or can't miss breweries (even if somewhat isolated). I've been to some of these states and have a few ideas of my own, but would appreciate advice from the regional experts. TIA!
It depends on how zig zaggy you want to get with your route. I would say the Top 4 beer towns/cities are, North to South... Richmond Asheville Charleston Tampa/St. Pete I'm assuming that if Florida is just a maybe, that you're not interested in going all the way down to Miami. From there any of the other big cities would be worth hitting up for one reason or another. Just depends on how much driving you want to do. Of the individual breweries I've been to, the ones that I would most recommend hitting up for a beer adventure kind of trip, where both experience and beer are important... Triple Crossing Veil Burial Sierra Nevada Fonta Flora Bhavana Westbrook Edmund's Oast Angry Chair Cigar City Cycle But it also depends on what you're looking for, and if you prefer or don't prefer certain styles.
In VA: Richmond for sure; Charlottesville area has a number of solid breweries; Northern VA, I'd recommend hitting Ocelot, Solace and Crooked Run as all are really close to each other (Rocket Frog and Dynasty are also in this area but I've never been). Aslin is not far either but you can't drink there and they may or may not be in Herndon (moving to Alexandria) when you make you trip but worth checking out if you just want cans to go.
I know you say beer "towns"...but if you don't stop at Fonta Flora on the way to Asheville, you are missing out on one of the best breweries in NC. Their Whippoorwill location is literately on a farm in the middle of nowhere...but its fantastic (especially if the weather is nice). Mountain view of Table Rock. Acres to spread out on. Well worth the 20 minutes detour off of I-40. The downtown Morganton location is nice, but its very small and typically crowded on a weekend and only a few small tables outside. The upside to the downtown location is that its only a few minutes off of I-40 and some restaurants to grab a bite at.
If you are driving from Richmond to Asheville and don't stop in Charlotte for a day, you are missing out. Resident Culture, Heist, and Wooden Robot are top three here (and Salud {also a small brewery} was named best beer bar in the country by USA Today this morning).
Agree with everything said here, but would add that Wilmington has 3-4 excellent breweries as well as a swarm of ok ones downtown.
Creature Comforts in Athens GA is worth a visit. Also, check out the Atlanta area forum. Enjoy your trip!
How many days is this trip and where are you starting from in PA? South Atlantic beer trip is so broad that you’d need like an entire month to hit everything, especially if you try to get Florida in there. From Jacksonville to Tampa to Miami is over 7 hours of driving by itself.
I agree with the Charleston choices mentioned above (Edmund's Oast and WB) but would Charles Towne Fermentory to that list. Best IPAs in the state! A bonus for Edmund's Oast is that the bottle shop (Edmund's Oast Exchange) is connected to the restaurant. Cheers!
I like wooden robot but I have made a detour to Heist . Love their beers and had a nice dinner on my visit
