Charlotte Beer Bars or Pubs?

Heading to Charlotte next week and I was wondering if there are any great beer bars? Also wondering how Rock Bottom Brewing is? I also saw Old Mecklenburg Brewing company.

Any Charlotte folks out there that can give me the lowdown on beer in your town?

Lodovico said:

Heading to Charlotte next week and I was wondering if there are any great beer bars? Also wondering how Rock Bottom Brewing is? I also saw Old Mecklenburg Brewing company.

Any Charlotte folks out there that can give me the lowdown on beer in your town?

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Are you going down for Oktoberfest? I'll be there with my brew club.

I should know more about Charlotte than I do. When I'm looking for an awesome beer scene I drive to Asheville instead.

I know Charlotte has a Flying Saucer. The original Flying Saucer in Ft. Worth, TX was my old bar of choice, but I hear the one in Charlotte isn't nearly as cool.

HickoryMike said:

Are you going down for Oktoberfest? I'll be there with my brew club.

I should know more about Charlotte than I do. When I'm looking for an awesome beer scene I drive to Asheville instead.

I know Charlotte has a Flying Saucer. The original Flying Saucer in Ft. Worth, TX was my old bar of choice, but I hear the one in Charlotte isn't nearly as cool.

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I'm actually headed there for work but looking for some other things to do during off time. Are there any beers available down there that are "must haves" that I can't get up North? I'd like to find some stuff to bring home with me that isn't available in PA. Thanks.

I might get in trouble for saying this, but I don't think there are any Charlotte breweries that belong on a "must try" list.

Here are some NC beers & breweries on my "must have" list.

-Duck Rabbit Brewery's "Milk Stout" (Many Gold medals for this beer)
-anything from Foothills Brewery, especially if you find their "Sexual Chocolate Stout" which won Gold for at GABF.
-Olde Hickory Brewery's "Irish Walker." This may be hard to find, but you've struck gold if you do. (Many Gold and Silver medals for this beer)
-Highland Brewery's stuff is pretty easy to find in NC. They were one of the first successful microbrews in the state. They don't have a beer that knocks my socks off, but they have a solid roster.
-Cottonwood Brewery (now owned by Carolina Brewery) puts out what I think is the best pumpkin ale out there. It's pumpkin pie in a glass.
-Natty Greene's Brewery puts out a double IPA called "Cannonball." It's probably my favorite double IPA....nice balance between hops and malt. It's art in a glass.
-Asheville Brewing Co puts out some nice beers, especially their "Shiva IPA"

That ought to get you started

Octoberfest is THIS weekend in Charlotte. They are sold out, but if you could snag a ticket you would be attending the best beer festival in the state.

Cool. Very helpful list here and I will tuck it away before I leave next week. I appreciate you taking the time to list those. Cheers

One more addition I just thought of:

Thomas Creek Brewery out of SC is awesome. I believe they won a silver and a bronze at the GABF this year. I really, really like their "Still Water Vanilla Cream Ale."

It's also easy to find Terrapin and Sweetwater (larger Georgia microbreweries) in NC. The Sweetwater IPA is excellent for the price. Terrapin has a really nice lineup too.