A look back at Charlotte’s craft beer scene, a decade after OMB started the party
READ MORE
Charlotte beer guide
Charlotte’s craft beer scene has exploded in the past decade, reaching more than 50 breweries in and around the city.
Expand All
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in January 2020.
As we move into a new decade, it’s always fun to look back at the previous 10 years.
That’s especially true considering our current beer scene is now just a little more than a decade old itself (if you take The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery’s opening in 2009 as your starting point).
I’ve been fortunate enough to cover brewing in Charlotte for the better part of that decade, first through my own site and then later for outlets like this one. While it seems like a new brewery opens every few weeks now, that wasn’t the case when I first started writing about local beer in January 2011.
I spent most of my time updating an event calendar to include special tappings, pint nights, beer dinners or the occasional festival.
There were only two independent breweries in town at the time: OMB and Four Friends Brewing.
But in the months to come, I’d get a chance to talk with people like Todd and Suzie Ford of NoDa Brewing Co., Chris and Tara Goulet of Birdsong Brewing Co., Chris Harker of Triple C Brewing Co. and Kurt Hogan of Heist Brewery.
The local beer scene really took off around that time, and it has showed no signs of slowing down.
We’ve seen breweries open and expand, legislation changed and medals gained. In a decade’s time, we’ve gone from just a couple of breweries to one of the most impressive beer scenes in the Southeast.
So how will the decade be remembered? Perhaps as one that started slow, though with lots of passionate drinkers, bartenders and homebrewers (many of whom would soon go pro) that helped get us where we are today.
As things picked up, many local breweries saw double-digit growth year over year, necessitating expansions and sometimes second facilities to keep up with demand. While that growth has waned for many breweries locally and nationally, it hasn’t stopped them from expanding or discouraged others from opening.
With more competition both in and outside of the beer industry, innovation will be key for breweries, bars and bottle shops moving forward. There was a time when a brewery could rest on its laurels and get by just by producing local beer, but that time is long past.
When you look back at the last decade, it’s easy to see why some have had so much success — because they have continued to evolve their business and offerings.
This timeline isn’t completely comprehensive.
With all that’s occurred over the last 10 years, how could it be?
Instead, we’ve tried to chronicle the most memorable moments from the last decade (and then some). And while breweries are booming in the suburbs surrounding Charlotte, we’ve kept this timeline aimed mostly inside Charlotte proper. That doesn’t mean those breweries outside 485 aren’t worthy of your time, because they very much are.
2009
March:
The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery opens at 215 Southside Drive (in the space now home to Sugar Creek Brewing Co.).
2010
March:
The Charlotte Beer Club presents the inaugural Charlotte Craft Beer Week. The first Brawley’s Black and Blue festival showcases bluegrass and big beers at The Visulite.
April:
The first batches from Four Friends Brewing hit the market.
2011
October:
NoDa Brewing Co. opens its doors.
Four Friends debuts its I-77 IPA.
December:
Brewer’s Alley is born. Birdsong Brewing Co. opens beside NoDa Brewing Co.’s original location.
2012
February:
The inaugural Queen City Brewers Festival is held at the Neighborhood Theatre.
March:
Salud Beer Shop opens in NoDa.
August:
A few days before Triple C Brewing Co.’s grand opening, the brewers of Light Rail Pale Ale hop aboard the light rail to deliver their first keg to The Liberty.
Remember when the DNC came to town? National publications highlight local spots for beer, and Mother Earth Brewing even gives their Endless River a DNC-inspired label.
September:
Heist Brewery brings a brewpub to NoDa.
Chickspeare, an all-female Shakespeare company that performed at Johnson Beer Co. from 1998-2002, returns to the stage to perform ChicksBeer at NoDa Brewing Co.
October:
At the Great American Beer Festival, OMB and NoDa take home silver medals for Mecktoberfest and Coco Loco, respectively.
Good Bottle Co. opens in South End.
2013
January:
OMB releases Fat Boy Baltic Porter for the first time, complete with a breakfast and bottle share.
March:
NoDa Brewing’s Chad Henderson puts his passion for beer on display in an excellent TED talk.
The Charlotte City Council paves the way for a slew of new breweries when it approves a microbrewery text amendment to allow breweries in urban industrial zones (as opposed to light industrial).
May:
To commemorate Brawley’s Beverage’s 10-year anniversary, NoDa Brewing and New Belgium collaborate on Funkaversary.
June:
Gov. Pat McCrory signs Bill 829 into law, allowing growler fills at bottle shops and other establishments (instead of only at breweries).
July:
Hops in Matthews closes its doors.
October:
In partnership with New Belgium, Salud Beer Shop presents the inaugural Release the Funk SourFest.
Four Friends Brewing expands and opens a taproom.
November:
The Unknown Brewing Co. opens down the street from Bank of America Stadium.
December:
Lenny Boy Brewing Co. adds beer to its portfolio.
2014
March:
OMB switches from 22-ounce bombers to 12-ounce bottles.
The Charlotte City Council tries to lure Stone Brewing to Charlotte, but the brewery later chooses Richmond, Virginia.
April:
NoDa Brewing Co.’s Hop, Drop ‘n Roll beats out 223 other IPAs to earn a gold medal at the World Beer Cup. The brewery would soon have to expand just to keep up with demand.
Four Friends Brewing closes its doors.
May:
Lenny Boy announces plans to expand its operations with more space and a larger brewery.
“Smile, We Get To Make Beer,” a documentary about NoDa Brewing Co., premieres at Studio Movie Grille.
June:
The Carolina BrewMasters become the first homebrew club to win the Radegast Club of the Year Award from the American Homebrew Association.
July:
The Beer Growler opens in the wake of the newly passed “growler bill.”
August:
The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery makes the short move to 4150 Yancey Road, where it opens a much larger brewery and biergarten.
September:
Salud expands to add a one-barrel brewery and FūD at Salud.
October:
Sugar Creek Brewery moves into OMB’s old space, bringing Belgian-style beers to the neighborhood.
Michael Brawley adds a tasting room and remodels Brawley’s Beverage to look more as it did in his father’s day.
November:
Sycamore Brewing opens in South End.
Charlotte beer gets weird when Unknown releases a beer brewed with 99 scorpions on the Day of the Dead.
December:
The Charlotte Brewers Alliance (which would later become the Charlotte Independent Brewers Alliance) holds its first meetings.
2015
February
OMB partners with Great Wagon Road Distilling Co. to produce a mash for the distillery’s whiskey.
April:
Birdsong Brewing Co. moves down the street to its current location in Optimist Park.
July:
Charlotte gets its first cidery when Red Clay Ciderworks opens in South End.
Free Range Brewing Co. opens, with a focus on brewing with local ingredients.
Wooden Robot Brewery opens in South End.
September:
At the Great American Beer Festival, Triple C’s 3C IPA and Sycamore’s Southern Girl Lager both take home bronze medals.
October:
Still trying to meet demand from its Hop Drop ‘n Roll win, NoDa Brewing Co. opens its production brewery in North End. November:
Former medical doctor Mwatabu “Tabu” Terrell opens Three Spirits Brewery.
The Unknown Brewing Co. holds its inaugural Strange Brew festival. In the years since, breweries at this event have poured beers brewed with kimchi, livermush, meteorites and more.
OMB beats the Germans at their own game. The brewery’s Mecktoberfest takes home gold at the European Beer Star Competition in a category that is almost always won by Germans.
December:
Legion Brewing gives Plaza Midwood its first brewery when it opens in the building that previously held Brodt Music.
2016
February:
Ahead of the Panthers playing the Broncos in Super Bowl 50, several of Charlotte’s breweries enter into friendly wagers with Colorado brewers — and lose.
March:
After a long buildout, Abari Game Bar brings beer and arcade games to NoDa.
OMB hosts a launch party for Craft Freedom, an effort to raise the amount of beer a brewery in North Carolina can distribute.
May:
Despite its reputation as a top-tier brewer of IPAs, Heist Brewery takes home a bronze medal at the World Beer Cup for its mild ale.
June:
Blue Blaze Brewing opens in Charlotte’s West End.
July:
Thirsty Nomad Brewing Co. opens with small batches and cask ales.
With a condo taking most of its parking, NoDa closes its “O.G.” taproom to the public — but continues to use the space to brew sour and wild ales.
Heist releases cans of Citraquench’l for the first time.
August:
The Beer Growler closes its doors.
September:
Lenny Boy Brewing Co. expands into its current home, with much more room to grow in South End. October:
At the 2016 Great American Beer Festival, NoDa Brewing Co. takes home a gold for NoDajito. Not to be outdone, D9 Brewing in Cornelius also garners gold for its Dry-Hopped Scuppernong & Lily, the second in the brewery’s Systema Naturae series.
November:
Fat Head’s Brewery announces plans to open a Charlotte location.
December:
After someone filed a complaint, the Mecklenburg County Health Department visits Three Spirits Brewery to say dogs are not allowed in brewery taprooms. They would pay similar visits to other breweries in the months that followed.
2017
February: OMB announces plans to open a new brewery and beer garden in Cornelius.
March:
The Barrel Room at Triple C provides a new option for those wanting to get married (or anyone wanting to throw a big party.
GoodRoad CiderWorks opens in Lower South End.
May:
Bold Missy Brewery opens in NoDa.
Morganton-based Catawba Brewing Co. opens its Charlotte brewery and taproom.
June:
Salud Beer Shop expands once again with Salud Cerveceria, and Trade and Lore upstairs.
Sycamore Brewing begins brewing and packaging at its production facility, The Sycamore Brewing Cannery.
July:
Suffolk Punch and Hyde Brewing open in South End (the brewery will later drop the Hyde Brewing name).
No more waiting until noon on Sundays. The “brunch bill” lets you have a beer (or other alcoholic beverage) as early as 10 a.m.
September: Resident Culture opens in Plaza Midwood (with Charlotte’s first coolship).
October: Sycamore Brewing wins a bronze medal for its Sun Grown Lager at the Great American Beer Festival. OMB also wins a bronze for Hornet’s Nest Hefeweizen.
November: Birdsong Brewing Co. becomes the first — and to date, only — local brewery to embrace solar power.
2018
February: Heist Brewery’s new Barrel Arts location offers more space for production and barrel aging.
March:
Divine Barrel brings a wide range of styles to NoDa.
The Unknown Brewing Co. opens its rooftop patio and taproom.
May:
At the World Beer Cup, Legion Brewing Co. wins silver for Slainte, its dry Irish stout.
Fat Head’s scraps its plans for a Charlotte brewery.
June:
OMB opens Captain Jack’s Tavern in Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.
Artisanal Brewing Ventures, the company formed after Victory Brewing Co. and Southern Tier Brewing Co. merged, opens Brewers at 4001 Yancey in Charlotte’s Lower South End.
August: Pilot Brewing brings a nanobrewery to Plaza Midwood.
September:
Town Brewing Co. opens in Wesley Heights.
Another year, another GABF medal for NoDa. This time it’s a gold for Gordgeous, the brewery’s pumpkin ale. Wooden Robot Brewery also wins a gold medal for its Réserve Dorée de Pêche, Divine Barrel nabs silver for The Big Lubelski and Triple C earns a bronze for its Zest A Peel.
October:
Legion Brewing opens a location in South Park, marking that neighborhood’s first brewery.
NoDa opens a taproom at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.
2019
March:
Rock Bottom Brewpub closes its longstanding location in downtown Charlotte.
April:
Three Spirits Brewery closes its doors.
May:
Armored Cow Brewing Co. brings a range of beers to University City (including gluten-free options).
Protagonist Beer Co. opens its “clubhouse” in NoDa.
Gov. Roy Cooper signs House Bill 363 into law, raising the state’s self-distribution cap from 25,000 to 100,000 barrels. It’s a major victory for OMB and NoDa Brewing Co., both of which were approaching that cap.
The first beer festival held at Bank of America Stadium draws comparisons to the Fyre Festival.
The Unknown Brewing Co. offers a free keg party to anyone who can help them find their stolen van. The brewery’s (admittedly conspicuous) van was found less than an hour later.
Don’t call it a comeback: NoDa re-opens its O.G. location.
June:
German brewery Gilde announces plans to build in Charlotte.
The Chamber by Wooden Robot opens in NoDa.
Legion Brewing announces plans for a third location. And then a fourth.
August:
Lower South End gains another brewery in Lower Left Brewing Co.
September:
Our long national nightmare is over. Pets are once again allowed at breweries.
October:
It’s a banner year for the Charlotte beer scene at the Great American Beer Festival, where medals are awarded to five of the city’s breweries: Pilot Brewing Co., Sugar Creek Brewing Co., Town Brewing Co., Triple C Brewing Co. and Wooden Robot Brewery.
December:
Devil’s Logic Brewery brings a brewery to Charlotte’s midtown neighborhood.
Sycamore Brewing makes news thanks to the risqué reindeers on its Christmas Cookie Ale labels.
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 5:35 AM.
