Check out North Carolina Beer!
1. North Carolina is home to nearly 100 breweries — more than any other state south of Pennsylvania and east of Texas, according to a Beer Association survey.
2. The “State of the Craft Beer Industry” report for 2013 shows North Carolina setting the pace for growth of new breweries with a 23 percent increase in 2011.
3. Three major craft breweries chose the Asheville area for East Coast expansions: Oskar Blues (Brevard), Sierra Nevada (Mills River) and New Belgium (Asheville, opening 2015).
4. In Charlotte’s lively NoDa neighborhood, three breweries — NoDa, Birdsong and Heist — open within half a mile of each other in the space of 18 months.
5. As a four-time Beer City USA poll-topper, Asheville ranks as a favorite U.S. beer destination. Beer lovers can tap into 18 breweries, half a dozen beer festivals and the popular Asheville Brews Cruise.
6. North Carolina is home to the nation’s first solar-powered brewery (Outer Banks Brewing Station in Kill Devil Hills) and the first LEED Gold brewery (Mother Earth Brewing in Kinston).
7. North Carolina has become synonymous with craft beer, from Spring Brew, a 2012 World Beer Cup Gold Award winner from Wilmington’s Front Street Brewery, to First Frost, a Good Food Award winner from Durham’s Fullsteam Brewing, and a host of “bucket list” beers.
Southern-Traveller 