You might be surprised to hear this but sometimes I need a little inspiration for this article. I might just not have some fantastic beer knowledge to drop at the time so I’ll often peruse beer news sites to see if something jumps out at me.

What I’m seeing in the past few weeks is really, really scary. Almost every headline deals with some awesome brewery either laying off workers or closing up shop for good.

If you love beer, you owe it to these people to help keep them going. If it weren’t for them your beer love simply wouldn’t be a thing. If it wasn’t for the homebrewers turned entrepreneurs that were willing to fight for a tiny piece of the beer market against the global conglomerates like AB InBev or Miller Coors, you would still be drinking that mass produced industrial swill exclusively. Do you remember those days? Would you like to go back to those days? Of course you wouldn’t, so get your @$$ out there and buy some beer from some local folks!

For our readers, I thought I would give you a little inspiration by telling you my favorite things about local breweries to make you want to get out there and give them some of your dollars and help keep them afloat until this plague has passed. Buy to enjoy, buy to give, buy to support!

Top of the Hill

I think it should go without saying that if we’re talking about a brew pub (a place that brews its own beer AND serves food) then it’s obvious what the best thing about it is: Ordering lovingly produced local beer with fresh food prepared with beer drinkers in mind! Top’O is open and you should do just that. Get some beer, get some food, and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

Craftboro

This new brewery in Carrboro is a stickler for producing beers based on style guidelines, so you aren’t getting any made up nonsense or accidents served as inventions; you’re getting awesome brews. To me, the rock start of Craftboro is their Cask Ale program. Almost every week the brewer offers one of their offerings served the traditional European way, on cask, which allows for an amazing historical beer-drinking experience. They debut most Wednesdays, so get their early!

Carolina Brewery

The flagship brewpub of Chapel Hill has been a staple in the ultra local craft beer scene for decades now. Their food and beer options appeal to almost every taste out there, but my favorite thing about Carolina Brewery is sitting at the bar and looking at their brewing equipment. If you’re a brewer, it’s fun to imagine it in operation and think about why it’s designed the way it is; if you’re not a brewer, it’s funny to hear your ideas about what each bit does, so make sure you share them. We love it!

Steel String

Part of the second generation of local breweries, Steel String is like no other brewery. They have a lot of traditional familiar craft beer styles, but they’ve also been known to go WAY out there and brew some nearly dead beer styles, which I for one appreciate. If you’re into funky/sour stuff, they often have something along those lines, and their patio, situated in the heart of downtown Carrboro, is a great place to post up and sample those brews.

Vecino

Brew pub! Food and beer! What more can you want? If you’re looking for a treat, try their Tea Time English IPA brewed with Earl Grey tea. Get your Anglophile fix with both quintessential Anglo drinks in one!

Gizmo

You might not know this, but Raleigh brewery Gizmo snuck onto Franklin Street where the Rathskeller used to be. Right?! Who knew? They’re a bottle shop and taproom, technically, but obviously Gizmo brews beer, just not right there, so they count! What’s the deal? They have my favorite New England IPA, Fake News! If you like this style, this is your jam. If you aren’t familiar with this style, you should start here. Also, seasonally available Brings All the Boys to the Yard is one of my favorites of all time, so if you catch it, get it!

Durham Breweries… look, there are a TON of great breweries there, with a lot of offer. I’m kind of a homebody, though, and don’t get to Durham as much as I’d like. Having said that, I don’t want to ignore them, so I’ll do a short list with shorter recommendations, just to not leave them totally out of the picture:

Hi-Wire: TONS of variety, all top-notch.

Glass Jug: Small batch, exquisitely crafted beers AND a well-curated bottle shop

Bull City Burgers and Brews: Burgers + Brews… need I say more?

Starpoint: Really an Orange County product transplanted to Durham, but whatevs…solid beers, huge bottle shop selection, they love your dog already.

Ponysaurus: A great outdoor drinking venue

There are more, but I got word limits. Go save your local breweries right now!

 

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