North Carolina is quick turning into one of many nation’s prime craft brewery locations. However, whereas Asheville holds the crown for many breweries per capita, Wilmington isn’t completely left within the mud. The craft brewery scene is booming within the Cape Concern area, and I’ve bought the information that can assist you discover all of them.
My highway journey throughout North Carolina from the coast to the mountains began with a couple of days visiting the Brunswick Islands, however quickly sufficient, I rolled into Wilmington. I initially deliberate to spend three days exploring town however stayed a day longer as a result of there was simply a lot to see.
Every day began with native espresso, steadily transitioned into museum visits and buying, and inevitably led to at least one – or many extra – craft breweries. Espresso and beer. They have been good bookends for the way in which I wish to journey.
Map of Breweries in Wilmington
The best way to use this map | Click on the icon within the top-left nook to open the Map Legend, then click on on any of the legend gadgets to show extra data. When you’ve got a Google account, click on the (very faint) star on the finish of the map’s title to save lots of this map to your account, then entry the map out of your smartphone throughout your journey.
The Wilmington Ale Path
Though Entrance Road Brewery was based in 1995, it wasn’t till 2014 that the craft beer scene developed in Wilmington. What began as only some breweries grew to almost two dozen all through the Cape Concern area. And it continues to increase.
“It was the Asheville Impact,” Ellie Craig defined. “Why drink craft beer within the mountains when you may drink craft beer on the seashore?” Craig is the advertising supervisor for Entrance Road Brewery and president of the Cape Concern Craft Beer Alliance, which promotes and educates the general public about craft breweries.
The Wilmington Ale Path was fashioned to promote the breweries, bottle retailers, and eating places supporting the Cape Concern area craft breweries. Collaborating areas supply vouchers that may be bought by way of the Wilmington Ale Path web site. Every voucher to a brewery is value $6 and can be utilized for something on their menu.
The 1-Day Wilmington Ale Path package deal prices $15 and consists of 4 vouchers, whereas the 3-Day Wilmington Ale Path package deal prices $25 and consists of 7 vouchers.
Discover extra details about the packages and taking part breweries at https://wilmingtonaletrail.com.
Edward Educate Brewery
When Gary Sholar determined to open a brewery, he bought a 1907 constructing on Fourth Road in Wilmington’s Brooklyn Arts District. The constructing served because the native firehouse for practically seventy years – you may nonetheless see the arch doorway the place the fireplace engine would screech out of the constructing.
After an intensive renovation, Edward Educate Brewing opened in 2017. The inside was designed with the bow of a ship hanging over a stunning bar. White brick partitions and enormous home windows hold the bar vibrant and ethereal throughout daylight. A patio overlooks a tiny gorge the place the railroad used to attach with the waterfront warehouses.
“Edward Educate Brewing,” Zach, the top brewer, explains. “It was like a band developing with a superb title. It needed to be one thing native and iconic.”
Their craft beers are equally named. Black Spot is their black lager, a tackle a German-style Schwarzbier, and Scallywag Session IPA is a lightweight American wheat beer. Benefit from the beers by the glass or order a flight to pattern all of them – they normally have half a dozen on faucet, and so they rotate all year long.
Flytrap Brewing
Whereas engaged on a level at UNC Wilmington, Mike Barlas started brewing craft beer in his storage and found a ardour. In 2014, he opened Flytrap Brewing – named after the elusive Venus Flytrap native to the Cape Concern area.
Flytrap Brewing occupies a nook at Walnut and 4th Road in Wilmington’s Brooklyn Arts District. Pull up a seat on the wood bar, declare one of many excessive tables, or sit outdoors on the concrete patio and benefit from the nice Cape Concern evenings. Barlas enjoys brewing American and Belgian ales, however he additionally produces IPA and stouts for a full menu.
Ironclad Brewery
In 2015, US Navy veteran Ted Coughlin based Ironclad Brewery, naming it after the well-known naval warships in the course of the Civil Battle. Shopping for a two-story industrial constructing inbuilt 1925, the crew spent months meticulously renovating the house for his or her brewery, taproom, and occasion house.
After they opened, the inside elicited a jaw-dropping expertise. Hardwood flooring, black metal frames, and uncovered rafters within the ceilings created a contemporary industrial look. Wooden tables and chairs, leather-based sofas and armchairs, and highbacked chairs across the bar gently whisper for individuals to take a seat for awhile and luxuriate in their chilly craft beer.
Ironclad Brewery covers the vary of craft beer with their takes on the Kolsch, lager, IPA, and pale ale. Get a flight to pattern a couple of at a time, or purchase it by the glass if you recognize what you need.
Entrance Road Brewery
Entrance Road Brewery was the one which began all of it in Wilmington. Opening in 1995, it’s town’s longest-operating brewery and a downtown anchor alongside Entrance Road. The brewery and restaurant are positioned inside a industrial constructing accomplished in 1865 as a dry items retailer.
The previous constructing was heat, with creaking wood flooring and a white tin steel ceiling, however the leather-based cushioned benches on the cubicles have been supremely comfy. Brewmaster Christopher McGravey retains the contemporary beer flowing with lager, porter, and IPAs – the Coastal Pilsner is one among their flagship beers. The meals at Entrance Road Brewery is known. Beer-battered fish, sandwiches, and burgers – should you attempt something, it ought to be their well-known pulled hen nachos topped with the whole lot you’ll ever need on nachos.
However the largest shock at Entrance Road Brewery isn’t the award-winning craft beer or the favored meals menu. It’s the whiskey bar. With 480 whiskeys accessible, Entrance Road Brewery is among the largest whiskey bars within the nation. For $15, diners can pattern three whiskeys of your selecting or let one of many educated servers select them for you.
New Anthem Beer Mission – Dock Road
When Invoice Hunter and Aaron Skiles based the New Anthem Beer Mission, they knew they would wish an even bigger house. And shortly. In 2016, the duo renovated the final industrial livery secure in downtown Wilmington – positioned on Dock Road – right into a brewpub.
The McLellan Constructing taproom has a stunning bar wrapping round towering chrome steel vessels on the heart of the house. It’s a cushty place to take pleasure in a chilly craft beer. And it’s a handy place about two blocks from the Cape Concern Riverwalk and one block from Market Road.
In 2019, the brewery outgrew the livery house in downtown Wilmington. The homeowners discovered a industrial constructing close to Greenfield Lake south of downtown. After renovation, the second location opened as their foremost manufacturing facility and one other taproom.
Waterline Brewing Co.
Once you stroll into Waterline Brewing Co., ask to see the scrapbook. Tucked away on a shelf behind the bar, the scrapbook is full of images of Rob and Eve Robinson and Brian Bell renovating the Forties Jacobi {Hardware} constructing right into a brewery.
When it was opened in 2015, the homeowners preserved one of the best components of the previous {hardware} constructing, just like the concrete flooring, rustic brick partitions, and industrial ceilings. It’s standing room solely across the trendy bar prime, however there are many high-top tables inside – and out of doors, you’ll discover cornhole and picnic tables. After an enlargement into an unused portion of the constructing, the shiny chrome steel manufacturing facility was accomplished, and guests can take a peek inside whereas having fun with their craft beers.
New Anthem Beer Mission – Greenfield Road
When Invoice Hunter and Aaron Skiles based the New Anthem Beer Mission, they knew they would wish an even bigger house. And shortly. In 2016, the duo renovated the final industrial livery secure in downtown Wilmington – positioned on Dock Road – right into a brewpub. A stunning bar wraps round towering chrome steel vessels on the heart of the house.
In 2019, the native brewery expanded to a second location close to Greenfield Lake, about ten minutes from downtown. Two blocks of previous industrial buildings and warehouses have been renovated into trendy mixed-use areas. On the nook, the New Anthem Beer Mission constructed a manufacturing facility and taproom in a shiny industrial constructing ten occasions bigger than their first residence.
The entrance quarter of the constructing options painted concrete flooring, vaulting ceilings, and enormous home windows flooding the house with daylight. Guests can sit at high-top tables or on the bar whereas they pattern the craft beers. The parents at New Anthem aren’t afraid to experiment, and it’s unimaginable to peg them to only one sort of beer.
It’s top-of-the-line locations to go to should you’ve by no means tried craft beer and are not sure what you’ll take pleasure in.
Bowstring Burgers and Brewpub
When Ben Yannessa, Brad Bowles, and Matt Golden collaborated to open Bowstring Pizza and Brewyard in Raleigh, they selected an intriguing web site: a former Gulf Oil service station. The gorgeously renovated constructing makes use of storage doorways for an open-air restaurant on comfy days. The inside options Twenties service station décor like Charlotte’s Gasoline Pizza, a neighborhood chain based in a transformed station.
In 2023, Golden lower the ribbon on a second location in Wilmington. Following the development of changing previous areas, Bowstring Burgers and Brewpub is in a renovated soda bottling manufacturing unit in Wilmington’s Soda Pop District.
The restaurant retains the economic vibe with concrete flooring and excessive ceilings. Scrumptious burgers are served with crunchy tater tots. And, in fact, there’s a menu for the chilly craft beer.
Hello-Wire Brewing
In 2013, Bryna Frosaker and Adam Charnack opened Hello-Wire Brewing in Asheville on the reverse finish of the state. Since then, the brewery has expanded throughout 9 states.
In Wilmington, Hello-Wire renovated a former industrial constructing right into a taproom funhouse. Painted concrete flooring and an uncovered ceiling are offset with lovely murals and beautiful wooden tables. Seize a flight to pattern a couple of of their beers, head over to the ping pong tables, or seize a desk outdoors beneath the string lights and open skies.
Bull Metropolis Ciderworks
Some individuals don’t contemplate me a real craft beer fanatic as a result of my favourite sort of beer is just not an IPA – it’s a tough cider. In 2013, John Clowney, Ben Inglod, AJ Nelson, and Ryan Bogard collaborated on opening a tough cider brewery in Durham.
The crew renovated a 1947 Carpenter Motor Co. service storage right into a tiny brewery restricted to solely filling growlers on demand. However by 2016, the brewery’s reputation allowed them to maneuver into an even bigger location and open a taproom.
Bull Metropolis Ciderworks opened its fifth location in Wilmington. A big industrial constructing was renovated into a cushty taproom with concrete flooring, outsized home windows, and cozy seating. The gravel patio incorporates a firepit and Adirondack chairs for these cool spring and autumn evenings.
Panacea Brewing Firm
In 1993, Artie and Robin Hill started experimenting with fermentation in highschool. Shh! Don’t inform anybody. In 2016, the couple based Panacea Brewing Firm within the Burgaw Incubator Kitchen, a co-op house designed to assist contemporary companies get began. With a 1975 Volkswagen Westfalia transformed right into a cellular taproom, the couple traveled to native farmers’ markets and occasions promoting their kombucha.
What’s Kombucha | Kombucha is a fermented black or inexperienced tea that’s sweetened with a really low alcohol by quantity. Also called mushroom tea – though it’s truly micro organism and yeast – proponents declare kombucha has a number of well being advantages.
In 2017, they moved into their first everlasting residence. Three years later, they moved into a brand new house on Oleander Drive. Brightly coloured, mismatched furnishings and eye-popping murals await guests to the comfortable house. The awning over the door declares, “Funky Meals and Ferments,” completely foreshadowing what you’ll discover inside.
Wilmington Brewing Firm
Every thing modified when Wilmington natives John and Michelle Savard vacationed in Europe. After touring breweries in Belgium and Germany, the couple returned residence to Asheville with a ardour for residence brewing. In 2014, they moved to Wilmington and opened the Wilmington Brewing Firm.
The industrial constructing close to the center of city – and simply minutes from the UNC Wilmington campus – is inviting, with cushioned bar stools at a bar wrapped in corrugated steel. Pattern their craft beers inside or take them outdoors to wood picnic tables. Whereas visiting, take a look at their sister firm, Wilmington Homebrew Provide.
Flying Machine Brewing Firm
In 2018, David Sweigart and Grant Steadman opened Flying Machine Brewing Firm in midtown Wilmington. The 17,000-square-foot trendy industrial constructing incorporates a cavernous inside with painted concrete flooring and vaulting ceilings – you’ll want to search for the bocce ball course. Exterior, take pleasure in drinks with a view of the factitious lake.
Their in depth menu consists of easy-drinking cream ales and lagers, IPAs, ciders, malty stouts, sours, and a small number of wine. Purchase them by the glass or take pleasure in a flight of 4 beers to pattern their menu.
Invoice’s Brewing Co. Taproom
In 2016, John Musser and his daughter, Brookes Musser, opened Invoice’s Entrance Porch on Market Road. The brewery was behind the constructing, with a small entrance seating space. For 4 years, they welcomed guests whereas perfecting their craft.
Then, they modified the whole lot.
In 2020, they renovated the constructing and rebranded it as Invoice’s Brewing Co. Taproom. Head brewer Jim Deaton moved to a brand new facility, and your entire constructing on Market Road was transformed into an occasion house and taproom. Guests can order savory meals from Capt’n Payments Yard Grill subsequent door, together with the wonderful tater tot skillets, and get it delivered whereas sampling the beer menu.
Catawba Brewing Firm
Billy and Scott Pyatt fell in love with residence brewing in 1994 – and it took simply six years for them to show a passion right into a career. In 1999, Billy, his spouse Jetta, and Scott opened Catawba Brewing Firm in a dilapidated warehouse in Glen Alpine, North Carolina. Right now, the 30-barrel brewhouse has moved to Morganton, and the brewing firm has six areas throughout the Carolinas – the brewpub in Wilmington opened in 2021.
Positioned on New Centre Drive close to the UNC Wilmington campus, the brewpub is a contemporary and beautiful house. Shiny, chrome steel fermenters stand off to the facet, surrounded by comfy tables and chairs. Extra tables and chairs are scattered beneath string lights on the patio outdoors – the proper place to hang around after the solar has gone down.
Catawba’s hottest craft beer is their White Zombie White Ale, however they all the time have a wide range of others to attempt. Order by the glass or attempt a number of in a flight.
By the Seaside Brewing
Man Gulutz is a well-recognized craft beer story: a ardour for brewing beer developed from a house brew equipment. After years of brewing at residence, Gulutz and Kim Findley renovated a industrial constructing into a house for By the Seaside Brewing.
Video games are widespread on the small hole-in-the-wall brewery. Cornhole, pool, darts, and board video games can be found for purchasers ingesting their chilly craft beer. There are many locations to take a seat and benefit from the ingesting expertise.
The brand new brewery continues to be increasing, and plenty of choices are coming quickly. Stay music will quickly fill the air on weekends. And, they’ll quickly be one among my favourite sorts of institutions – freshly brewed espresso by day and beer by night time.
Broomtail Craft Brewery
Barry Owings is a water chemist. His spouse, Lisa, is an artist. In 1990, the couple transformed the household barn right into a brew analysis facility. In 2014, the husband-and-wife crew took their love of brewing to the subsequent stage once they opened Broomtail Craft Brewer. Enterprise was good, and simply three years after opening, the couple tripled their manufacturing capability.
Broomtail Craft Brewery is in a industrial district alongside Market Road on town’s north facet. From the surface, the drab industrial constructing hides the joyful inside. A small wood bar wrapped in corrugated steel awaits guests desirous to attempt their beers. Chalkboard menus grasp on the brightly coloured wall.
The Owings like experimenting however principally stick to ales, IPAs, and sours. Purchase a beer by the glass or pattern the menu with a flight. There are comfy seats and a foosball desk if you’ll find room inside. Exterior, a couple of areas within the car parking zone have been taken over by outside seating within the shade of an enormous tree.
Outer Dunes Brewing Firm
Shortly after Phil and Ellie Mabe met in 2005, they realized they shared a ardour for brewing. Like many breweries, theirs began with a five-gallon homebrew system in a tiny condominium. In 2021, the Mabes purchased a former tavern and opened Outer Dunes Brewing Firm.
Excessive chairs encompass a darkish wooden bar contained in the small constructing with low ceilings. However outdoors, the brewing firm presents a magic really feel with lights strung between the thick limbs of oak timber that solid a perpetual shade from their leaves year-round. Picnic tables and patio units are unfold throughout the bottom, the proper place to take pleasure in their porters, IPAs, and pale ales.
Waterman’s Brewing
In 2017, Bob Excessive, Craig Gee, and Don Webber opened Waterman’s Brewing simply minutes from Wrightsville Seaside – and all these thirsty beachgoers returning residence. Excessive introduced Zac Brown – the person, not the band – throughout the nation to run the brewery. Now, head brewer Alexis Scrivani places her diploma in Fermentation Science from App State to good use.
Inside, Waterman’s Brewing is among the coziest breweries within the Cape Concern area. A fire anchors one wall, surrounded by comfy chairs and tables. Swiveling excessive chairs on the bar supply a peek on the shiny manufacturing line by way of a big window. Lovely images adorns the partitions.
From the start, a kitchen was a part of the brewery’s plans. The brunch menu, served on Saturdays and Sundays, gives a small pattern of breakfast gadgets and burgers. The common diner menu has a higher number of appetizers, tacos, and burgers – the loaded tater tots are significantly savory.
Mad Mole Brewing
There are two issues the parents at Mad Mole Brewing Firm need everybody to know. The primary is how the title happened. In 2018, buddies and colleagues Martin de Jongh, Ole Pederson, Chris Worden, and Thomas Varnum opened the most recent brewing firm within the Cape Concern area. The title is a play on the founders’ names – take the “M” from Martin and “Ole” from Pederson, and you’ve got Mole. They known as it Mad Mole to reference the mad scientist position performed by the top brewery in each brewery.
The second factor they need individuals to know is their beer is “brewed by the solar.” Photo voltaic panels on the roof present all the ability they should course of their small-batch craft beers. Their beers sometimes align with IPA and pale ale with their very own tackle the domestically standard Kolsch.
Inside, the taproom has a stunning wood bar and some tables scattered throughout a concrete flooring. Exterior, tables and chairs on a patio are good for these cool evenings when the solar hits the horizon and the temps drop ten levels.
Wrightsville Seaside Brewery
Wrightsville Seaside native Jud Watkins spent his youth fishing for oysters within the shallow waters along with his father and grandfather. The thought was developed throughout their lengthy conversations for a brewery to accompany the tasty oysters. In 2017, Jud and Amber Watkins realized that dream once they opened Wrightsville Seaside Brewery.
The brewery is in a stunning constructing about fifteen minutes from the seashore. Naturally stained wooden tables cowl the ground within the cavernous constructing. On the entrance, a bar stretches the width of the constructing with comfy excessive chairs. Practically twenty beers are saved on faucet at any time, a powerful sight whereas sitting on the bar.
Head brewer Chris Zirnheld began in homebrewing and now has a number of skilled certificates within the craft brewing trade. He covers the vary of craft beers with IPA, pale ale, Kolsch, pilsner, and stout. Their 007
is an attention-grabbing combined drink that begins with their Kolsch Krush beer, provides vodka and orange juice, and ends in a mix of flavors greatest left tantalizingly undescribed.
DrumTrout Brewing Firm
Ali and Joe Bagwell are the quintessential North Carolina couple. Joe graduated from NC State College, and Ali graduated from UNC Wilmington. They’ve lived in Wilmington for nearly 20 years. After which, they opened DrumTrout Brewing Firm.
The brewing firm is within the Fulton Station buying heart on Faculty Highway between Wilmington and Carolina Seaside. It’s a straightforward brewery to go to, with loads of parking and fewer congested site visitors than a downtown brewery.
From the surface, it appears like every other enterprise within the brick-walled retail constructing with a steel awning. However inside, it’s something however abnormal. The concrete flooring is painted to resemble the ocean. A stunning bar surrounded by comfy chairs is the point of interest. And there’s a patio within the buying heart that gives a yard really feel.
Good Hops Brewing
Good Hops Brewing combines two of my favourite issues to do when touring: craft beer and disc golf. The brewery sits on 4 acres in Carolina Seaside, about 20-Half-hour from Wilmington. Michael Jones and Christopher Richards constructed a 9-hole par three course within the wooded space behind the brewery.
The brewery opened in a small retail constructing with numerous basic craft beers, like IPA, Pale Ale, and Pilsner. There’s loads of comfy seating inside on chilly or wet days. But when the climate is sweet, you’ll need to sit on the patio going through the disc golf course.
The parents operating the brewery advise individuals to deliver their very own meals and discs. I all the time have mine packed within the automotive.
Craft Beer Retailers
Generally, you solely need to seize a case of craft beer to take residence. However craft breweries don’t all the time promote their beers in bottles or cans. How else are you able to deliver your new favourite craft beer residence?
4 retailers in Wilmington supply a powerful number of craft beer in bottles and cans. And it’s not simply the native breweries – a few of these markets have craft beer nationwide.
Tipsy Goat Bottles and Faucets
Tipsy Goat is a beer market and taproom – the proper form of place to go to. A few dozen craft beers are on faucet at any time. The market has an amazing number of craft beers, onerous ciders, and mead all through the nation.
Fermental Beer & Wine
Fermental Beer & Wine is greater than only a craft beer market and taproom – it’s a Wilmington vacation spot. It was the primary craft beer market within the metropolis and shortly grew to become a go-to place for craft beer lovers all through the area.
And it’s in a former Nineteen Fifties gasoline station! I like the highway journey connection. Refrigerated coolers are similar to those in trendy gasoline stations – besides these are full of chilly craft beer from all through the nation.
Session Beer Market
Session Beer Market is Wilmington’s latest place to purchase craft beer in bottles or cans. A small taproom bar is wedged into the nook of the market. It’s extra like a vineyard than a bar, although, with only some seats for an off-the-cuff expertise.
The place to Keep
The locals love the craft beer scene in Wilmington as a result of it’s possibly a thirty-minute drive to get residence on the night time’s finish. However for vacationers, we want one other place to remain. Wilmington is a bustling metropolis for trade, and the college attracts hundreds of tourists all year long. What does that imply?
There are lots of nice accommodations in Wilmington. Listed below are some locations I like to recommend for spending a couple of nights in Wilmington.
The Consolation Inn close to the UNC Wilmington campus is a superb resort for a couple of nights. The resort options free on-site parking and an outside swimming pool. Rooms embody two full beds or one king mattress.
The Vacation Inn Specific was wedged onto a property in the course of city between a automotive dealership and the bottom of a Walmart – nevertheless it’s a pleasing place to remain. The resort options free on-site parking and a pleasant outside swimming pool that will probably be peaceable within the evenings. Rooms embody two queen beds or one king mattress.
Greatest Western Plus – previously the Shoreline Inn – is one among Wilmington’s greatest locations to remain. The downtown resort is on the riverfront, with rooms providing spectacular views however no balconies. Free on-site parking is included. Rooms function two full beds, one king mattress, and the King Suite has one king mattress and a sleeper couch.
Hampton Inn & Suites is the prime beneficial place to remain in Wilmington. The resort is a 20-minute drive from downtown however solely a 10-minute drive from Wrightsville Seaside. The outside options free on-site parking and a stunning outside swimming pool. Rooms embody two full beds or one king mattress, and the suites embody a king mattress and sleeper couch. Some rooms embody a totally outfitted kitchen with a small eating desk, good for touring households.
Aloft is among the latest accommodations in downtown Wilmington. Positioned on the Shoreline Heart, town’s conference heart, the resort is strolling distance of most eating places and buying within the historic district. Rooms embody two queen beds or a king mattress with views of the Cape Concern River or downtown, and a few of the rooms embody a balcony.
Hampton Inn in downtown Wilmington is a superb place to remain if you wish to be inside strolling distance of breweries, eating places, buying, and leisure. The resort incorporates a small indoor swimming pool and glorious complimentary scorching breakfast each morning. Rooms embody two queen beds or a king mattress.
Resort Ballast is the prime beneficial place to remain in downtown Wilmington. The resort has direct entry to the Cape Concern Riverwalk on the waterfront. The resort options non-public parking for an extra payment, an outside swimming pool with a river view, and an on-site restaurant and bar. Rooms embody two full beds or a king mattress, views of downtown or the river, and the one-bedroom suite features a king mattress and a sleeper couch.
Steadily Requested Questions
There are at the moment 23 craft breweries in Wilmington, however that quantity is growing nearly month-to-month.
Entrance Road Brewery is the oldest brewery in Wilmington, NC. The brewery opened in 1995.
Entrance Road Brewery opened in 1995 in Wilmington, NC.
Highland Brewing Firm is the largest brewery in North Carolina by manufacturing quantity. Opened in 1994 by retired engineer Oscar Wong, it was the primary authorized brewery in Asheville since prohibition.
No, Wilmington is just not an open container metropolis. In contrast to different standard craft beer locations, guests will not be allowed to go away the brewery’s premises with an open container.
