The Best Breweries, Brewpubs & Taprooms in Raleigh
Raleigh, NC is quickly becoming one of the best places in the country for craft beer lovers. With over 25 breweries, it has more breweries per capita than any other city in the country.
Written by CraftJack | Updated | 3 min read
Raleigh's breweries range from Raleigh Brewing Company, which has been around since 1999, to the more recent Triple C Brewing Company, which opened its doors in 2013. With so many options, any beer lover can find a brewery that fits their tastes. Raleigh is part of The Triangle.
Here are a few great breweries in Raleigh itself.
Big Boss Brewing
1249-A Wicker Drive; Raleigh, NC 27604
We love darts. We also love those big, long German-Biergarten-style tables. As for their beer, you could, and probably should, order a Big Boss lager when you visit. Not only are they the perfect beer for your back porch (so says the brewery), they're excellent for NC State tailgates and college drinking games. Just remember to be responsible.
Big Boss has food trucks are available for snacks and small plates. They also allow private rentals of their space.
Brewery Bhavana
218 S Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27601
Across the street from Moore Square, this chill, elegant brewery eschews the aesthetic and decor of the common Industrial Palette & Cable Spool Table setup that most breweries adore. With one word beer titles that have two word ingredients, ex. Glean - a mango peppercorn saison, Brewery Bhavana is more of a chic restaurant that just so happens to operate a kettle. What we're trying to say is that Bhavana is a date night brewery.
Clouds Brewing (Raleigh)
126 N. West Street, Raleigh, NC 27603
The weekly specials at Clouds Brewing are enough to make it your everyday haunt. $4 drafts on Tuesdays, Wednesday Trivia with $2 off cans of beer, 1/2 price bottles of wine on Thursday, and a $4 Bartender's Choice on Friday. The modern taproom aesthetic is equally balanced across wood, metal, and glass. The Clouds Brewing patio is a great people-watching spot on a nice day. They also take reservations.
Here's the fun stuff. They have 40 beers on tap, 30 of which are their own. The Down Pour Wall has 10 DIY taps for the impatient to pour their own pints. With the holiday season approaching (this was written in November), we're gonna suggest you try the Donner & Blitzen, a spiced Golden Strong Dark Ale that is 10% ABV. Don't have too many, you might have to call Rudolph to help guide you home.
Compass Rose Brewery
3201 Northside Drive, Raleigh, NC 27615
A 10bbl brewery that was founded in 2015, dog-friendly Compass Rose pours 15 different styles of beer in their 5k+ square foot taproom. Show up to Compass Rose for the trivia nights and live bands, stay for the food truck pub grub and cold beer. Set North of Downtown Raleigh, Compass Rose is a fantastic choice for post-work bevvies - doubly so given their proximity to industry.
Tidal Break is their flagship beer. We say start there and venture outward. Wheeze the juice with Betty Nugs or kick it up a notch with the Raven Mocker.
Crank Arm Brewing Company
319 W Davie St, Raleigh, NC 27601
Do you think Crank Arm Brewing likes cycling?
Trophy Brewing
656 Maywood Avenue, Raleigh, NC, 27603
Trophy has two locations in the city of Raleigh. Both are a great place to quaff a pint. One will feed you pizza, the other keeps a roster of excellent food trucks. Both have Trophy Wife and Trophy Husband on tap. The Salted Caramel Stout, Milky Way, also has our eye.
They've also gone ahead and opened up a Bottle Shop, as well as Mass Hearts Distilling, the first distillery to open in Downtown Raleigh. Way to be a Double Threat, Trophy. Bravo. Now you just need to open up a winery.
Ponysaurus
North Carolina Brewing Company
Triple C Brewing Company
Planters Inn Brewery
Lonerider
Breweries just outside of Raleigh, NC
Aviator Brewing Company
Touting themselves as, "The Place To Be In South Raleigh", Aviator Brewing Company serves award-winning craft beers and handcrafted pizzas along with plates of delicious BBQ. With a taphouse located in an old Train Depot, a SmokeHouse BBQ restaurant a few doors down, and, a Pizzeria/Beer Shop, not to mention the new production facilities, Fuquay-Varina has never looked so appetizing.
If you're in the mood, brewery tours are available. If you're super in the mood, the housemade Imperial MocoLoco sauce tops 1m on the Scoville scale. Just remember to have a few Aviator Lagers, say 3-5, at the ready to cool down the burn.
Bombshell Beer Company
120 Quantum Dr, Holly Springs, NC 27540
A 100% woman-owned brewery, Holly Springs' Bombshell Beer Company is busy crafting beers of the super-est quality. Yes, that's not a word.
Their taproom has a rotating live music schedule. The outdoor beer garden is a treat. They sell kegs (BONUS!). They do things right.
Open every day of the week, Bombshell's taproom is pure class. If you needed to stich together a flight of beers, we'd recommend this:
- Head Over Hops (IPA)
- Hipster Handshake (Wheat)
- Strawberries & Cream (Summer Ale)
- Lady in Red (Amber)
Craft Beer Festivals in Raleigh, NC
- Casks on Fools
- Triangle Craft Beer Fest