Overview

Overview

Welcome to the North Carolina Craft Brew Review.    Our goal here is to give honest reviews of craft beer available to people in North Carolina.  Due to the nature of laws in this country the availability of craft beers varies greatly from region to region.  A beer must be approved for distribution in each state where it is to be sold and must also be carried by a distributor in that state.  As such our initial focus will be on beer available in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina.  As this is a popular tourist destination it is our hope that the information presented here will be enlightening to both locals and the tourist who visit our home region.  

Definiton of Craft Brewer

The definition of a craft brewer is a small ( less than 6 million barrel anual production), independent (less than 25% owned by large non craft brewer), traditional brewery.  Many large brewers and some small brewers now owned by the larger companies produce individual beers that are considered by some to be craft beers because they meet the spirit of a craft beer.  Goose Island is an excellent example of this.  While they are now owned primarily by Anhiser Bush many of their beers are still produced in their Chicago brewery.  Their 312, a staple of the company is now brewed at other facilities and should no longer be considered a craft beer.  Burbon County Stout, which they still brew in Chicago is a very highly rated beer and could still be considered a craft beer. Here I'm likely to fudge the lines a bit from time to time but I'll try to let you know.

According to the NC Brewers Guild there are 61 craft breweries and brewpubs that operate in North Carolina.  In addition to those there are many widely distributed craft beers that are also available here.  The NC Brewers Guild lists the following breweries for their Western Region:

Asheville Brewing Company, Asheville, NC (Coxe Ave.)
Brevard Brewing Company, Brevard, NC
Catawba Valley Brewing Company, Morganton, NC
Craggie Brewing Company, Asheville, NC
Dry County Brewing Company, Spruce Pine, NC
French Broad Brewing, Asheville, NC
Frog Level Brewing Company, Waynesville, NC
Headwaters Brewing Company, Waynesville, NC
Green Man Brewery, Asheville, NC
Heinzelmannchen Brewery, Sylva, NC
Highland Brewing Company, Asheville, NC
Lexington Avenue Brewery, Asheville, NC
Nantahala Brewing Company, Bryson City, NC
Oyster House Brewing Company, Asheville, NC
Pisgah Brewing Company, Black Mountain, NC
Southern Appalachian Brewery, Hendersonville, NC
Thirsty Monk Pub & Brewery, Asheville, NC
Tipping Point Tavern, Waynesville, NC
Wedge Brewing Company, Asheville, NC

Some of these beers will be readily available at local grocery stores and a wider variety can be found at local beer and wine merchants.  Aviator Brewing Company, Olde Hickory Brewery, and Foothills Brewing Company are some of the more commonly found craft beers in these areas.

Beers reviewed here will fall mostly into one of 4 categories. Available in NC, Brewed in NC, Brewed in NC with locally sourced hops, and Homebrewed in NC.