My Favorite Charlotte Breweries
-Updated June 2021-
We’ve lived in Charlotte for almost two years now and we still haven’t been to all of the breweries in the area but we’ve made a pretty good dent in them. The list of breweries is also constantly changing, some close and even more open. I was sad when we left Florida because I adored Swamphead Brewery in Gainesville. But as great as that brewery is, I had no reason to be sad because the beer scene around Charlotte and the entire state of North Carolina is nothing short of amazing. While Asheville is the most popular destination in the state for beer lovers Charlotte certainly rivals it. Here is a list of my favorite breweries by broken down by areas of Charlotte.
South End
South End is just south west of Uptown Charlotte. It has a huge concentration of breweries and most of them are very short walking distances between each.
Triple C Brewing - Triple C is the first craft beer that I had on a visit to Charlotte in 2014 and was the first brewery that my husband and I went to and they have a great selection of core beers. They don’t serve food but they often have a food truck. They have two buildings and for their anniversary party this past year had food trucks, live bands, vendors and released 25 (!) new beers. They were some interesting and delicious brews.
Olde Mecklenburg Brewery - OMB is one of the oldest breweries in Charlotte. They brew some standard and German style beers and serve German style food. My favorite part about the brewery is that their outdoor beer garden is just like the ones we visited in Munich. They also have fun events like Oktoberfest and a Christmas Market. OMB even has a second location inside the Charlotte Airport in Concourse E.
Sugar Creek Brewing is very close to Brewers at Yancey. It’s a smaller spot with a good vibe. It serves some tasty food and has one of our favorite IPA’s - The Big O, a blood orange IPA.
Good Road Cider Works is a couple doors down from Sugar Creek and is the cider that made us realize not all of it is sweet. They don’t serve food but have some small snacks you can buy. The ciders they serve range in taste but my favorites are the ones that taste like you’re drinking champagne.
Honorable Mention: Brewers at Yancey, Lower Left Brewing & Lenny Boy.
On our list to try next: Red Clay Ciderworks
NoDa/Plaza Midwood
NoDa is another brewery dense area north east of Uptown. It gets it’s name from the area being north of Davidson Street. Plaza Midwood is the neighborhood just south of NoDa.
NoDa Brewing is the second oldest brewery in Charlotte (Olde Mecklenberg is the first) and has three locations. A bigger, newer building off Tryon Street, their ‘OG’ location on Davidson Street and a spot inside the Charlotte Airport in Concourse A. They often have food trucks and their beer list at the Tryon location is expansive. Their seasonal beers are always good (I’m obsessed with the holiday time Cranberry Gose) and the Hop Drop ‘N Roll is one of the most popular IPA’s not only in Charlotte but the entire state.
Birdsong Brewing is the last brewery in NoDa before you get to Uptown and has a great selection of core beers but also release new small batches every Thursday. They get creative with these and quite often are very good and sell out within a matter of days. They don’t serve food but will have food trucks.
Fonta Flora Brewery has a few locations in the state and their newest is in Optimst Hall, a short walking distance from Birdsong. You can get some food from one of the numerous stalls in Optimist and take it over to Fonta Flora to enjoy there. They have a flagship IPA but make good sours. My husband enjoys their Appalachain Wild Ales and I always get one of their slushies - they make a hard seltzer and use that as the base for the slushie. Each week it’s a different flavor and they’ll use a lot of local fruits to add to it.
Divine Barrel is at the opposite end of NoDa from Birdsong. In 2019 those two breweries collaborated on a beer called Bookends since they are the ‘bookends’ of NoDa. It was a kettle sour with guava and was phenomenal. Divine Barrel always has an extensive tap list with a little something for everyone but they make phenomenal sours. Their staff is always friendly and will share a food truck with Free Will Craft & Vine that sits next door.
Legion Brewing has its original location in Plaza Midwood. They serve food but it’s small and parking can be difficult. Their second location in South Park is larger with an adjacent parking garage. It’s got mainly restaurant seating with great food and serves the same beer that you can find in the original location.
I’ll admit I thought Salud Cerveceria in Plaza Midwood was a Mexican restaurant. I was 110% wrong. They are a brewery with a tap room and bottle shop downstairs (aka TONS of options) and a tap room and restaurant upstairs. They serve pizza that is phenomenal which is worth going for itself.
In between Plaza Midwood and NoDa is Devil’s Logic Brewing. They have a variety of good beers from a Helles, to an IPA to sours. They also have food on-site (bonus!) and some of the best Uptown views a brewery in the area has. Just be sure to go all the way up to their top level for that. They have a small parking lot adjacent to the building but it’s usually easiest to park across the street in the CPCC parking garage. The first level has spots reserved specifically for the brewery.
NoDa Honorable Mention: Heist Brewery & Free Range Brewing
Plaza Midwood Honorable Mention: Resident Culture & Pilot Brewing
On our list to try next: Petty Thieves Brewing & Catawba Brewing (they have other locations in NC but we haven’t made it to this one yet!)
Near Uptown
Uptown is the city center of Charlotte. There is no ‘downtown’ to Charlotte. You can read why it’s this way here. At some point this year some breweries will actually be opening IN Uptown but right now, they are just on the outskirts.
Unknown Brewing sits just west of Uptown. You have a clear view of the Panthers stadium from their second level porch. The even have a beer made for tailgating - the PreGame Pilsner. My favorite though is the seasonal Bright Ass Tank Top, an amazing Key Lime Gose. This has been one brewery that we always take out of town guests to. And, sadly, they have announced that they’ll be closing later in 2021. So get there while you can.
Very near to Unknown is Salty Parrot. I, of course, love their tropical theme in the brewery and in the beers. They also have a permanent food truck on site.
Town Brewing is just north of Unknown. There are food options nearby but they also have a small food menu. They have tons of good specialty beers with fun names like Heroes in a Halfshell for their smoked oyster stout and a spiced brown ale called Keeping up with the Cardamoms.
Don’t want to be limited to one brewery’s beers in this area? Then head to Charlotte Beer Garden. They have a location in Raleigh as well and both have giant trees growing through the center of the building and literally hundreds of beers on tap and a full food menu. They have a great outdoor patio as well as a rooftop spot. Just be sure to order the beer by the number and not the name.
Honorable Mention: Sycamore Brewing & Wooden Robot
On our list to try next: D9’s new Uptown location (their original is in Cornelius - see more about it below).
Uknown Brewing’s rooftop area has views of Uptown Charlotte and the Panthers Stadium
Concord/Harrisburg
Concord and Harrisburg sit northeast of Charlotte near the University of North Carolina Charlotte and the Charlotte Motor Speedway. So if you are near either of those areas definitely take some time to check these spots out.
Percent Tap House is close to Pharr Mill in the Harrisburg Town Center. They have a handful of their own beers but have 30 taps that feature beers from the Charlotte area and beyond. They will have food trucks but there are also several restaurants within walking distance. We used to frequent it when we lived a few miles away and now that we’re up in Huntersville, I definitely miss it.
Cabarrus Brewing is definitely one of my favorite breweries period. Their core beers are great as are their seasonal beers. Their red ale around St. Patrick’s Day was one of the best I’ve ever had. They have a large outdoor beer garden, a covered porch with ceiling fans and sizeable indoor area with lots of seating. They always have food trucks and on Fridays have Food Truck Fridays with several food trucks on site.
Honorable Mention: Pharr Mill Brewing (Harrisburg), Armored Cow Brewing (UNCC area) High Branch Brewing, Southern Strain Brewing, Twenty Six Acres and Red Hill Brewing (all in Concord).
Lake Norman
Lake Norman is a large and popular lake about 45 minutes north of Charlotte. The lake has several cities along it with the majority of breweries on the south side so you can easily stop at some on your way from Charlotte to the lake.
King Canary Brewing is probably our favorite brewery in the Charlotte area. We discovered them at the Queen City Brewers Festival in 2019 when we tried their lime milkshake IPA and fell in love with it. They are in Mooresville and actually sit ON the lake which is rare for any business up there. They have an open outdoor area in the front and a small covered porch in the back that overlooks the lake. The inside has two stories and the lower level has large windows that overlook the brewing tanks and the lake. As the name would suggest the inside is bird themed but not over the top. Their beers also have bird influenced names. As for their beers they don’t have a core set of beers but always rotate the same types of beers. Their IPAs and sours are where it’s at. They don’t serve food but offer snacks and will have food trucks.
D9 Brewing is in Cornelius. It’s in an office park which makes parking easy. The inside has plenty of seating and there is a small outdoor area. They have good core beers like the Swell Rider Tangerine Session IPA and Brewer’s Day Off, a cucumber melon gose. They also do some really interesting seasonal/specialty beers like a White Chocolate Pretzel Gose and a Confectioner Collection that includes brews like a Key Lime Pie White Ale and a Creme Brulee Blonde Stout. Even thought that all sounds like a desert, they don’t serve food. D9 recently announced that they’ll be opening a couple locations a lot closer to Uptown Charlotte this year.
Lost Worlds Brewing is also in Cornelius. I love their adventure/traveler theme. Their beer labels are definitely works of art and they have some unique and interesting decor inside the building. They have a decent sized patio and almost always have a food truck. Even if they don’t they are located in a shopping center close to several restaurants.
Honorable Mention: Ass Clown Brewing, Eleven Lakes (both in Cornelius) and Primal Brewery (Huntersville)
On our list to try next: Ghostface Brewing in Mooresville
