North Carolina Travel Guide....

BREWED AWAKENINGS

With more microbreweries than any other state in the South, North Carolina continues to be at the head (pun intended) of the continued growth of microbrews in the United States.

From brewpubs with a few of their own beers on tap to larger production breweries cranking out lots of cases and kegs, North Carolina microbreweries and their customers are saying cheers to this tasty trend.

“North Carolina is no longer a beer backwater,” says All About Beer editor, Julie Johnson Bradford, whose leading beer magazine is based in Durham. “Our microbreweries shine in national and international competition and a growing number of residents really know their beer and support the companies that make it. It’s a very exciting place to live--and drink!”

At last count, there were more than two dozen brewpubs and breweries making beer in the Old North State.

From west to east, a pitcher-full of possibilities includes: Sylva’s Heinzelmännchen Brewery; Asheville’s Highland Brewing Co., French Broad Brewing Co. and Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co.; Black Mountain’s Pisgah Brewing Co.; and Hickory’s Olde Hickory Brewery in the Mountains.

In the Piedmont, try Charlotte’s Cans Bar and Canteen; Whitsett's Red Oak Brewery;  Winston-Salem’s Foothills Brewing; Natty Greene’s Brewing Co. and The Pour House in Greensboro; Durham’s Triangle Brewing Co.; Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery and Carolina Brewery in Chapel Hill (and Pittsboro); Carolina Brewing Co. in Holly Springs; and Raleigh’s Big Boss Brewing Co.

Check out Wilmington’s Front Street Restaurant & Brewery; the Outer Banks Brewing Station in Kill Devil Hills; and Jarvisburg’s legendary Weeping Radish Farm Brewery on the Coast.

Many brewpubs feature tasting boards so visitors can sample small amounts of several beers. With North Carolina-flavored names such as Old North State Stout, Carolina Steamer, Blue Ridge Blueberry Wheat, Salem Gold, and Port City IPA, who can resist a taste (or a pint)?