The fourth annual NC Beer Month begins this Friday with more than 80 breweries and dozens of destinations across the state participating. Co-sponsored by Visit North Carolina and the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild, NC Beer Month is designed to draw the attention of beer travelers with special events throughout April and to solidify North Carolina’s stature as a top beer destination year-round. In recognition, too, Gov. Pat McCrory has proclaimed April as NC Beer Month.
The April celebration is supported by a dedicated website and social media outreach by Visit North Carolina and the Craft Brewers Guild as well as efforts by destinations and local partners. The 2016 promotion adds livestreaming on the Periscope app to the social media conversation about NC Beer Month. Partners are encouraged to use the #NCBeerMonth hashtag when posting on their channels.
With five weekends, this April is an ideal month for beer travelers to explore North Carolina. Every weekend features at least one craft beer festival, starting this Saturday with World Beer Festival Raleigh and concluding April 30 with the Sharpen the Blades Saison Fest in Asheville. The range of events takes in outdoor activities (Waterline Brewing’s Bike Ride & Scavenger Hunt in Wilmington, Tour de Brew in Raleigh); culinary events (Durham’s Bull City Food & Beer Experience, Weeping Radish Farm Brewery’s Farm to Fork Anniversary Dinner in Grandy, chocolate and beer pairings at Heinzelmännchen in Sylva); beer premieres (including a white ale braggot at Sugar Creek Brewing in Charlotte and a collaborative Imperialistic Red IPA from D-9 in Cornelius and Fortnight in Cary); mixed-drink excursions (Beer, Barbecue and Whisky Tour in the Morganton area, Beer, Wine, Shine & Dine Tour in Johnston County); and friendly competition (NC Beer Month Bingo in Pilot Mountain, Craft Beer Olympics in Cornelius, the White Street Brewers Guild Open in Wake Forest).
Beer-related events can be posted to NCBeerMonth.com through the shared VisitNC.com database by Extranet contacts in all 100 counties.