Dashboards and Saddlebags the Destination Magazine™ Issue 032 November 2013 | Page 16

Charlotte:
Brews In The
Queen City
E

ven for a fast-paced place like
Charlotte, the surge in craft brewing
warrants a double take. Within the past
18 months, four new breweries have taken
the city from underserved to brimming.
The historic NoDa neighborhood, an old textile center reborn as a vibrant
arts district, is riding the crest of this craft beer wave. Three of the new
breweries have opened on a short stretch of North Davidson Street, and
their arrival further solidifies NoDa’s standing as a lively community
that duly impressed the stars of The Hunger Games when they filmed in
Charlotte in 2011.
On NoDa’s lower edge near the neo-landmark Amelie’s French Bakery, food
trucks take up station near Birdsong and NoDa Brewing, where new releases
and spirited performances keep the breweries’ atmospheres fresh. From
here, Feast Food Tours’ Brew & Chew trolley pedals on up to Heist Brewery’s
neighborhood, where Growlers Pourhouse and Revolution Pizza & Ale House
add dimension to the beer scene.
Historic South End commands
attention on the other side of the
urban center. A concentration of
restaurants/pubs – including Mac’s
Speed Shop, The Liberty and Common Market and Duckworth’s Grill &
Taphouse – rallies beer troops in this
high-energy neighborhood with light
rail service. Charlotte’s fourth new
brewery, Triple C, adds small batch
brews to the South End spectrum.
Visit the neighborhood on the first
Friday night of the month for the
gallery crawl and any Friday for a
parade of food trucks. Nearby, The
Olde Mecklenburg Brewery with its

Breweries of Interest
Ass Clown Brewing Company
Birdsong Brewing
Four Friends Brewing
Heist Brewery
Hops Grill Brewery
NoDa Brewing Company
Olde Mecklenburg Brewery
Rock Bottom Restaurant
and Brewery
Triple C Brewing Company

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Dashboards and Saddlebags The Destination Magazine™