NC Beer Month Expands With New Breweries, Experiences

North Carolina breweries and destinations that love beer will roll out the barrels and the red carpet in April for the sixth annual NC Beer Month, a celebration full of festivals, Untappd badges, lodging packages, prizes and experiences that show why North Carolina is the "state of Southern beer."

"Our craft beer reflects the character of the place where it's made," said Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit North Carolina, which co-sponsors the celebration with the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild. "It connects to our farms, our rivers and our history with its local flavors, our brewers' passion, and even the names of breweries and beers. 'Noon Day IPA' could only come fromNantahala Brewingin Bryson City. And 'Weissbound and Down' fromNewgrass Brewingin Shelby."

With 50 new breweries opening since this time last year, beer trips will combine the freshness of a first-time visit with the familiarity of enduring favorites. Here's a glance at what you'll find.

Discover new destinations
You'll need more than 250 pins for the 2018 brewery map. New destinations extend from coastal Corolla (withNorthern Outer Banks Brewing) and Elizabeth City (Ghost Harbor Brewing) to Roxboro in the Piedmont (Black Creek Brewery) and Marion in the mountains (Mica Town Brewing). The reinvention ofRocky Mount Millsreaches must-visit status with a cluster of breweries, including newcomerHopFly,TBC WestandKoi Pond, withBDDopening soon on the mill's Tar River campus.

Revel in acts of piracy
Flash back 300 years to Blackbeard's arrival North Carolina. The newEdward Teach Brewingin Wilmington references the pirate with its name, decor and beers. Ocracoke's1718 Brewinggreets visitors to the island where Blackbeard engaged in his last acts of piracy before losing his head. NC Beer Month occasions the release of a hoppy blonde called Blackbeard's Booty atMother Earth Brewingin Kinston and the return of the seasonal Queen Anne's Revenge, a dark Carolina ale named for Blackbeard's flagship, atMystery Brewingin Hillsborough.

Explore new landscapes
The dazzlingDaniel Stowe Botanical Gardenin Belmont celebrates NC Beer Month with the April 7 opening of a new beer garden. Visitors can sample the craftsmanship of Charlotte-area breweries as they picnic on the grassy lawn, relax on the patio, or listen to live music during the Thursday evening Sip and Stroll. Durham'sGlass Jug Beer Labalso features a beer garden as part of a larger transformation from bottle shop to microbrewery in a new space. And atSierra Nevadain Mills River, Springtoberfest! marks the debut of the Lower Park venue on the French Broad River.

Find festivals that fit your style
FromCrank Arm Brewing'sCasks on Fools (March 31 in Raleigh) toHighland Brewing'sCarolina Mountain Cheese Fest (April 28 in Asheville), festivals fill the NC Beer Month calendar with options for expansive tastings, local focus, city vibe or rural serenity. New events includeNC Beerfestat Fearrington;Beach Bacon & Beer Festivalat Carolina Beach;Festival Celebrating All Things Strawberry (Including Beer)in Hope Mills;Jamaican Me Hoppy Craft Beer Festivalin Uptown Charlotte; andBocce, Beer & Bitesin Elizabeth City. And traditionalists can look forward to the 16th annualHickory Hops, which features the Carolinas Championship of Beers.

Pick a package
Travel deals add incentives for beer lovers visiting the state in April. The Proximity and the O'Henry offer classy accommodations with a side of beer and edible treats. Complete the stay with aGreensboro Grasshoppersgame, where Natty Greene's Brewing rolls out Going Yard Golden Ale as the team's official beer. Salisbury-area hotels sweeten a stay with beer flights and pint glasses, and Johnston County hoteliers offer coupons for breweries, dining and shopping. Mountain Brook Lodge and Cottages in Sylva has an inviting package for Brew Hop Weekend, and Courtyard by Marriott Raleigh Midtown provides a pint glass and craft beer. 2018 lodging packages in Asheville and Winston-Salem cover April, and Goldsboro looks ahead to theThree Eagles Beer Festivalin May with a Hampton Inn offer.

BookmarkNCBeerMonth.com
Look to this dedicated website for everything you need to know about NC Beer Month including details about how the Untappd app will represent your passport this year. Then cross your fingers that you'll win one of the four NC Beer Sweepstakes getaways, including VIP passes to New Belgium's Tour de Fat beer and music festival, tickets to Oskar Blues' Burning Can Festival, adventures and behind-the-scenes brewery experiences on the Outer Banks, or hospitality from Bull City Burger and Brewery and the Durham Bulls, all paired with other package elements.

FIND THE BEER: View the 2018 Beer Venues List

And heed the website's parting words: Please drink responsibly.

Footnotes:
"Nantahala" is a Cherokee word that means "land of the noonday sun."
"Weissbound and Down" references the HBO comedy "Eastbound & Down," which was set in Shelby.

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SOURCE Visit North Carolina