To the BAs in North Carolina

Have him drive down to South Carolina and pick up beers from COAST and Westbrook. In NC, you will want beers from Foothills, Olde Hickory and Duck Rabbit, for starters. NoDa, in Charlotte, is another brewery worth seeking out, but that is mostly growlers, for now. Some of the breweries I mentioned have focused on a tight list of standards, others supplement that with lots of one-offs and rotating items.

 

"Have him drive down to South Carolina and pick up beers from COAST and Westbrook."

No offense,---those are worthy breweries indeed, but a $3/gallon for gas, why spend that much money and drive time when there are so many good NC breweries which he could ship and which the OP can't get in CA? In addition to the ones mentioned, there's Mother Earth, Aviator, Olde Mecklenburg, Big Boss, French Broad, Highland etc etc

Plus, there are some Primo beers, not made in NC but available there, that his friend in CA guy can't get: Hoppin Frog, Great Lakes, Founders, Terrapin, Weyerbacher, Brooklyn, yadayadayada

 

Wingate is closer to SC than uptown Charlotte. 10, maybe 15 miles?

 

Dont forget Bell's stuff. For current releases, have him get an Olde Hickory Death by Hops (best bottled NC IPA) and French Broad Wee Heavy-er. He might find Big Boss Big Operator (Belgian Dark aged on raspberries).

 

Well, technically it's closer to SC, but I'm guessing there's nowhere in that area that Coast or Westbrook can be purchased. Rock Hill (nearest larger city) and Wingate are both basically bedroom communities of Charlotte anyway. And uptown Charlotte isn't going to have any good bottle shops; it's all business headquarters & restaurants, few retail outlets, so that's not a relevant comparison. There are plenty of shopping districts at the south end of Charlotte with good places to buy beer, including Brawley's Beverage and a Total Wine within walking distance of each other.

 

You would be incorrect if you are assuming there's no where in Rock Hill to get COAST or Westbrook

 

That was why I suggested the drive to SC. Not disparaging the good brewers of NC or the beer stores in Charlotte in any way. There are a couple of beer stores just across the border in SC (Frugal Macdoogal and Southern Spirits) that might be more convenient to your friend in Wingate than Brawley's. It is not just the distance, it is the traffic. I looked at the websites for both beer stores and they were not particularly good about posting their inventories but I did see that Westbrook beers were available at Frugal's.

 

"You would be incorrect if you are assuming there's no where in Rock Hill to get COAST or Westbrook."

We are both partially correct, or incorrect, as it were.

According to Westbrook's website, the Earthfare in Rock Hill carries their beers. According to Coast, the nearest retailers for them are Greenville, SC and Columbia, both a hefty drive from Wingate.

 

Actually Earth Fare carries COAST, it just isn't available very often this time of year. Hopart, Kolsch, and Boyking have all been in the cooler there at some point recently. Grapevine in Ft. Mill also gets COAST if and when it's available. During the busy tourist season however COAST keeps most of their product in Charleston.

 

"Actually Earth Fare carries COAST, it just isn't available very often this time of year. Hopart, Kolsch, and Boyking have all been in the cooler there at some point recently. Grapevine in Ft. Mill also gets COAST if and when it's available."

As often happens, apparently Coast doesn't update their website. No mention of availability around Charlotte.

I stand corrected and REcorrected. So, if Caost and/or Westbrook are available, the OP's friend should definitely ship some...along with some good NC beers and maybe a Hoppin Frog or two. The newest HF, Goose Juice, is terrific.

 

As someone that grew up in Monroe (directly beside Wingate) your best bet is Grapevine in Fort Mill or Earth Fare in Rock Hill. It will be closer than Charlotte. However, if driving isn't a problem for your friend, have him check out Brawley's Beverage in Charlotte. Mike can give him great options for California trades.

 

I would definatley go for Big Boss, Red Oak, Duck Rabbit, Lone Rider, & my personal favorite Natty Greene's. They have and amazing Southern Pale Ale. All of these are carried at a Total Wine or Bottle Revolution, if available. I know we have on in Raleigh.

 

I gotta second Southern Pale Ale ... that's a darn good APA. Red Oak... meh. As for D-R, I hope they have their infection issues resolved. If so, above average beers with some really good seasonals. If not, drainpour.

 

I hadn't heard anything about infection issues w/ DR. and for Red Oak, its ok but not my favorite. but its loved here locally. But I would definately go for any thing produced by Natty Greenes or Big Boss. A+ in my book