Brewing a new tradition, North Carolina rings in spring with its inaugural Beer Month as a testament to the state’s influence in the craft beer business. Sponsored by the Division of Tourism and the N.C. Brewers Guild, Beer Month takes in special tours, tastings, dinners, classes, festivals, and lodging packages celebrating local variations on this heady beverage. Toast North Carolina’s beer craftsmanship and the destinations where it thrives with these seven fun facts in honor of the month-long beer fête. Notable tidbits include 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); in the space of a year, Charlotte saw three breweries – NoDa, Birdsong and Heist – open within half a mile of each other in the lively NoDa neighborhood; and Asheville has reigned as Beer City USA since 2009, either winning the poll or tying for the top spot every year.
Condé Nast Traveler features N.C. Beer Month in its “Daily Traveler” column. Writer Kathryn Maier attended the Division’s New York City media mission in January, where she learned about N.C. Beer Month, among other news about North Carolina.
USA Today, in a story on where to find the season’s best beer festivals, notes North Carolina has declared the entire month of April NC Beer Month to celebrate its self-proclaimed status as the South’s “beer stronghold.” Tours, tastings, dinners, classes and packages that include lodging are available from Asheville and the Great Smoky Mountains to Raleigh and beyond.