Trip to North Carolina in a couple of weeks

I'll be in North Carolina at the end of the month. One night in Charlotte, one in Raleigh and one in Elizabeth City. Where should I go each night? Cool brewery/taprooms or brew pubs.

Duckworth's Grill and Taphouse is good in Charlotte. Good food and of course lots of beers. Mac's Speed Shop is good BBQ and lots of beer as well.

Natty Greene's in Raleigh has some good food and beer. Its a cool little hangout with some old school bar games (like shuffleboard).

Gotta stop by NoDa in CLT. Then hit Birdsong right across the parking lot.

Definitely get to NoDa in Charlotte. In Raleigh, I would hit up at least one bottle shop. The Beer Dispensary in Apex is wonderful. They're small so they're not riddled with beers like Sam Adams and such. Triangle Wine is second, they do have SA but their local section is not any more impressive than The Beer Dispensary. Both places will serve you well but I'm a fan of the Beer Dispensary.

I would hit up Raleigh Brewing Company, it's just a hangout of mine and my LHBS to boot. I would check out Trophy Brewing for sure, they're doing wonderful things. Crank Arm is pretty great and around the corner is Tasty Beverage. Basically in Raleigh alone you can't go wrong.

For a true English brewery, go to Fortnight Brewing in Cary. It is but 10 min from Raleigh. You can check out Big Boss and Lonerider but they bottle everything so you can try them just by picking up some bottles. Raleigh Brewing only bottles some stuff. If you want to venture past Raleigh into Smithfield, you can hit up Double Barley. Be prepared to maybe get a flight only. They're pretty high gravity beers. Or have a DD.

Natty Green's is a good suggestion but I prefer places with other beers on tap. I just went to T.Mac in Cary which has a ton of local beer on tap (and not local). Tyler's Taproom in Durham (my favorite), Raleigh, or Apex will all serve you very well. Both have full menus as well.

There is Clouds Brewing around the corner from Natty's but to my knowledge they're not serving their own beer. I went there opening night and it was a **** show. I figure I'd return when they begin to brew their own beer. They do have a nice selection of beer though. Food seemed a bit pricey.

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'll try to hit as many suggestions as I can.

gorrie16 said:

Duckworth's Grill and Taphouse is good in Charlotte. Good food and of course lots of beers. Mac's Speed Shop is good BBQ and lots of beer as well.

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mbbransc said:

Gotta stop by NoDa in CLT. Then hit Birdsong right across the parking lot.

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These are definitely good suggestions for Charlotte. Personally, I think the food and vibe is better at Mac's but Duckworth's has more taps (maybe 60 vs. the 20 at Mac's). Kinda your call there. Both are cool places though.

NoDa Brewing is fantastic. My personal favorite in town. Not sure on your schedule, but every Tuesday they tap a one-off small batch. Birdsong is also tasty and, as mentioned, is literally a 30 second walk from NoDa. Heist Brewing is close to Birdsong/NoDa and the beer is okay. The food there is pretty fancy. Old Mecklenburg just opened their new facility and it is definitely worth checking out, especially if you're into German-style beers. If you head down that way, you could stop by Triple C Brewing on the way to/from. They have a nice IPA - the 3C IPA. If you like BBQ, check out the Midwood Smokehouse. They have a handful of decent taps and the food is really good.

If you're looking for some things to take home/back to the hotel, there is Good Bottle Co. (close to Mac's), Salud (up the road from NoDa Brewing) and The Common Market (two locations, one somewhat close to Mac's, the other near Midwood Smokehouse). All three of those bottle shops have taps that are often pouring some unique beers to enjoy while you browse.

Hope this helps. Have fun and be safe.

Cheers.

Thanks for all of the advice guys. I've had a great trip. I hit NoDa, Birdsong, Heist, Trophy, and Crank Arm. North Carolina has a great brewing scene.

All good suggestions for your trip. But it's too bad you aren't coming west and visiting Asheville. 15 microbreweries in the city with more in the surrounding counties and they're all excellent!

I've heard a lot about Asheville. Maybe next time.