CHARLOTTE, N.C. — October celebrates North Carolina Craft Beer Month and there's no better time to recognize some of the Queen City's top breweries than Charlotte Craft Beer Week, which kicks off this weekend.
The event runs through Sunday, Oct. 30, and will include participation from at least 30 local breweries in addition to restaurants, taprooms and beer clubs all across Charlotte.
“It’s been a huge explosion of growth and not just breweries, but craft beer bars, restaurants, more established restaurants taking on more craft beer options," ,Pilot Brewing co-owner Rachael Hudson said.
This year will be the first Charlotte Craft Beer Week since 2019. Some of the week's events include food and beer pairings, a Halloween bar crawl in lower South End and community activities.
"Coming up this weekend, we asked breweries or restaurants, whoever is participating, to plan a neighborhood cleanup or something that does good for your community," Hudson said.
Organizers say one of the goals this week is more than just serving one good brew, but sharing an expansive brewery culture to everyone.
“You have to have variety," co-owner of Divine Barrel Brewing Gavin Toth said. "If you look at Pilot, their beers are changing every day just about the same as Divine Barrel. Every two weeks we’ve got new beers coming out, so you are trying to cater to bring all sorts of people to the brewery.”
All the activities this week are free to attend. Take a look to learn more details about Charlotte Craft Beer Week events and participation.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.