Raleigh is often overlooked when people talk about the best breweries in North Carolina, and Asheville deserves most of the blame for that. The western city has dominated the state’s craft beer reputation since the 1990s, and it’s earned it. But the best breweries in Raleigh NC are making a legitimate case that the Triangle deserves more attention than it gets.
Raleigh’s scene is newer by comparison. Big Boss Brewing, the city’s oldest craft brewery, opened in 2006, followed by Lonerider in 2009. Raleigh Brewing Company and Crank Arm Brewing both launched in 2013, which marked the beginning of a more defined local beer culture. A younger population, several nearby universities, and a steady stream of people relocating to the Research Triangle have all pushed the scene forward quickly since then.
Today the Raleigh breweries on this list cover a lot of ground: hoppy IPAs, tart sours, Belgian ales, imperial stouts, and some of the better brewery food programs you’ll find anywhere in North Carolina. Here’s where to start.
Table of Contents
The Best Breweries in Raleigh
These are the Raleigh breweries I’d send anyone to, covering everything from downtown taprooms to neighborhood spots worth the short drive from the city center. They generally appear in my order of preference.
Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing
Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing sits at the edge of downtown in the Boylan Heights neighborhood, and the outdoor patio has one of the best views of the Raleigh skyline you’ll find anywhere in the city. It’s become one of the more photographed spots in Raleigh for good reason, and it works equally well as a place to drink and as a place to eat.
The brewery runs four core beers alongside a rotating seasonal selection, with at least one house-made hard cider usually on as well. Wine and cocktails are available if beer isn’t your thing. What separates Wye Hill from most of the other Raleigh breweries with food is that the kitchen is genuinely serious: a chef-driven menu built around North Carolina ingredients, with dishes that go beyond typical brewery fare. It’s one of the better answers to the question of where to find good food and good beer in Raleigh at the same time.
BREWERY | RESTAURANT | FOOD | DOWNTOWN | VIEWS | PATIO
Brewery Bhavana
Brewery Bhavana sits in a category of its own. It’s a brewery, a dim sum restaurant, a flower shop, and a bookstore operating together under one roof in downtown Raleigh, and somehow it works as all four rather than feeling like a gimmick. If you’re looking for the best breweries in Raleigh NC, this one belongs at the top of any list. The name comes from a Sanskrit term meaning to cultivate, develop, and produce, which fits a place that seems to be genuinely trying to do something different with the brewery format.
The space is built to feel residential rather than industrial, with books and fresh flowers throughout creating an atmosphere that’s closer to a well-designed living room than a taproom. It’s unlike any brewery I’ve visited, and I’ve been to a lot of them.
The beer program focuses on Belgian styles but ranges well beyond them. On any given visit you can expect at least one sour, a fruited option, a grisette, and a stout on tap alongside the Belgian core. The Bloom Tripel is the one to start with: 8.1% ABV, brewed with cardamom, fragrant and more drinkable than the ABV suggests.
The dim sum is Laotian-Chinese inspired and worth treating as a meal rather than an afterthought. The chicken curry bao, duck egg roll, and crab rangoon are all strong, but the menu rotates so order what looks interesting. If you’re planning a broader night out in the area, Brewery Bhavana pairs well with several of the bars covered in my Best Bars in Downtown Raleigh guide.
Footnote: As of June 2023, cofounder Patrick Woodson became the sole owner of Brewery Bhavana. I gave serious thought to whether to include this brewery given the misconduct and sexual harassment allegations involving former ownership and staff. Ultimately I decided that because those individuals are no longer part of the business, Bhavana deserves the chance to be evaluated on its own merits going forward.
BREWERY | RESTAURANT | FOOD | DOWNTOWN | DIM SUM | DATE NIGHT | UNIQUE
Funguys Brewing
Funguys Brewing is one of the most enjoyable breweries I’ve visited. This small mom-and-pop operation has built a real following among Raleigh breweries by leaning hard into flavor-forward ales and lagers, but the smoothie sours are what make it genuinely worth seeking out.
The smoothie sour is a style built around heavy fruit additions during brewing, which produces something that is sour, deeply fruity, and thicker in texture than a standard beer. It shouldn’t work as well as it does. My partner doesn’t drink beer and she loved these, which tells you something about how approachable they are without being dumbed down. Funguys won Best New Brewery in a USA Today contest in 2022, which tracks with how quickly the place developed a reputation in the Triangle.
The one honest caveat is the taproom size. It’s small, which adds to the neighborhood feel but can get tight on a busy night. Worth going early or on a weekday if you want breathing room.
BREWERY | SOUR BEER | SMOOTHIE SOURS | BEGINNER FRIENDLY | SMALL BATCH
Neuse River Brewing & Brasserie
Neuse River Brewing Company sits in the Five Points neighborhood north of downtown, an area that has quietly become home to some of the best breweries in Raleigh. The focus is on Belgian ales and IPAs, with enough range beyond those styles to keep the tap list interesting on repeat visits. Their Saturday Morning Hazy IPA is one of my favorites in the area if you lean toward New England and hazy styles.
The brasserie side was added in 2019 and serves European bistro-inspired food with a North Carolina angle, which is a better combination than it might sound on paper. The half-pound burger gets most of the attention, but the duck poutine is the order I’d point you toward first. If you’re coming for Sunday brunch, the croque madame and an Irish coffee is a strong way to start the morning.
BREWERY | RESTAURANT | FOOD | BELGIAN | IPA | BRUNCH | FIVE POINTS | NORTH RALEIGH
Altered State
Altered State Brewing makes some of the best hazy IPAs and heavily fruited sours in Raleigh, and if it were closer to downtown it would probably sit near the top of this list. New beers drop every Thursday, which keeps the tap list moving and gives regulars a reason to check back regularly. There are typically several sours on at any given time if that’s your focus.
The taproom is family and dog friendly, which sets it apart from some of the more bar-forward spots in this guide. The tradeoff is location: it sits about 20 minutes northeast of downtown, which puts it squarely in north Raleigh brewery territory rather than an easy walk from anywhere. Worth the drive if sours and hazy IPAs are what you’re after, but plan it as a destination rather than a casual stop.
BREWERY | SOUR BEER | HAZY IPA | FAMILY FRIENDLY | DOG FRIENDLY | NORTH RALEIGH
Crank Arm
Crank Arm Brewing is one of the more community-rooted Raleigh breweries, built around craft beer and an active lifestyle in equal measure. The cycling theme runs through everything from the décor to the events calendar, but it doesn’t stop there. The brewery hosts something almost every day of the week: group bike rides, evening runs, Sunday yoga, a weekly Craft & Draft night for makers and crafters, seasonal events like Sproktoberfest, and charity 5Ks. The crowd is local and active, and the place has a genuine neighborhood feel that a lot of raleigh nc breweries don’t quite manage.
The beer program focuses on American styles but experiments freely. The tap list rotates often enough that repeat visits feel different, which is a good sign. The standout is Holy Spokes, a smoked porter brewed with cinnamon, habanero peppers, vanilla bean, and cocoa nibs. It sounds like a lot going on and it is, but it holds together well and has picked up awards for a reason.
There’s no kitchen, but outside food and delivery are both welcome, and food trucks are often on site during events. If you’re mapping out a broader night in the area, Crank Arm pairs well with several of the bars in my Best Bars in Downtown Raleigh guide.
BREWERY | DOWNTOWN | EVENTS | ACTIVE LIFESTYLE | FOOD TRUCKS | DOG FRIENDLY
Lynnwood Brewing Concern
Lynnwood Brewing Concern is one of the original breweries in the Five Points neighborhood and still one of the better options if you want a straightforward American craft brewery experience without a lot of fuss. The year-round lineup covers the range well: Czech Yourself pilsner, Kiss My Irish Stout, and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Amber are all solid regulars. The flagship is Hop On Top, a modern American IPA that balances bitterness and fruit without tipping too far in either direction. It’s the one I’d start with.
The seasonal rotation adds a pumpkin hefeweizen, an oatmeal stout, and a coconut porter depending on the time of year, which gives regulars a reason to keep coming back. If you’re already heading to Neuse River Brewing nearby, Lynnwood makes for an easy second stop in the same neighborhood.
BREWERY | FIVE POINTS | NORTH RALEIGH | CLASSIC AMERICAN | SEASONAL BEERS
Trophy Brewing & Taproom
Trophy Brewing Company has been part of the downtown Raleigh scene since 2013, starting with 14 bar seats on West Morgan Street and growing into one of the more interesting small brewery groups in the city. It now runs two locations and three connected concepts: Young Hearts Distilling, State of Beer (covered separately in my bars post), and Maywood Hall & Garden for private events.
The original West Morgan Street location has been renovated and now serves pizza alongside the beer, which is a combination that works better than most brewery food programs. The production facility on Maywood Avenue has its own taproom and rotating food trucks. The flagship is Trophy Wife, a session IPA that is bright and crisp without being thin. Milky Way, a salted caramel stout, and Double Death Spiral, a double IPA brewed with local honey, are both worth trying if you want something further from the middle.
BREWERY | DOWNTOWN | FOOD | PIZZA | MULTIPLE LOCATIONS | SESSION IPA
Raleigh Brewing Company
Raleigh Brewing Company was founded by homebrewers and opened with a mission that went beyond just making beer. When Kristie Nystedt launched the brewery she became the first woman to own a brewery in North Carolina, and the business reflected that community-first approach from the start: the original location opened alongside a homebrew supply shop and a supplier of tanks and equipment for other breweries in the state.
The brewery has grown into one of the larger operations in the area, with eight year-round beers, a rotating seasonal lineup, and a steady stream of experimental batches. It now has locations in Cary and Smithfield in addition to the main Raleigh brewery, which makes it one of the more established names among the best breweries in North Carolina. If you’re visiting the Cary location, I cover that separately in the Cary section below.
BREWERY | MULTIPLE LOCATIONS | HOMEBREW SUPPLY | WOMAN OWNED | ESTABLISHED | NORTH CAROLINA
Lonerider Brewing Co
Lonerider has been around since 2009, making it the oldest active brewery in Raleigh and one of the longest-running craft breweries in the broader Raleigh Durham brewery scene. The Wild West branding runs all the way through the operation, from the name down to the beers: Shotgun Betty, Sweet Josie, and Peacemaker are all part of a lineup that leans into the outlaw theme without it feeling like a gimmick.
The brewery has grown well beyond its original taproom, with distribution across nine states and locations in Wake Forest, Oak Island, and inside Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The airport location is worth knowing about if you’re flying in or out and want one last local beer before a flight.
BREWERY | MULTIPLE LOCATIONS | WILD WEST THEME | AIRPORT LOCATION
Breweries in Cary Worth the Drive
Cary sits just a short drive west of Raleigh, and Bond Brothers alone makes the trip worth it.
Bond Brothers Beer Company
Bond Brothers is one of the best reasons to make the drive to Cary. The microbrewery runs 14 taps at any given time, with a rotating draft list that changes frequently enough that repeat visits rarely feel the same. The barrel sour program is the standout, covering traditional styles and some more experimental directions. If the Obfuscate Hazy IPA or the Manasa Witbier are on, both are worth ordering. The 10oz pour option is the right move here so you can work through a few without committing to a full pint of everything.
The space is well set up for a longer visit. There’s a back room with pinball machines, a spacious outdoor beer garden, and a food truck out front when the taproom only runs snacks. Kids are welcome until 8pm and dogs are welcome throughout. Bond Brothers also runs an Eastside music venue and bar nearby that opens in the evenings if you want to extend the night.
One more stop worth making while you’re in the area: Bull City Ciderworks is directly across the street and carries a strong selection of hard cider if anyone in your group leans that way.
BREWERY | CARY | SOUR BEER | HAZY IPA | BEER GARDEN | DOG FRIENDLY | FAMILY FRIENDLY | FOOD TRUCKS | LIVE MUSIC | PINBALL
North Carolina Brewery With Raleigh Taproom
Burial Beer is technically an Asheville brewery, but the Raleigh taproom inside Transfer Co Food Hall is good enough to warrant a spot on this list. You won’t find the full production experience here, but the beer is the same and the space is one of the more interesting stops in the city.
Burial Beer
Burial Beer started in an old transmission shop in Asheville in 2012 and has since become one of the better known craft breweries in North Carolina. The Raleigh presence is a taproom inside Transfer Co Food Hall, not a production brewery, but it’s worth knowing about if you want a taste of what makes Burial worth seeking out.
The taproom leans into the brewery’s morbid aesthetic, with art pieces that run from macabre to abstract lining the space. It’s one of the more visually interesting spots in the food hall. The stouts are the reason to come: the Skillet Donut Stout is brewed to mimic a fresh donut and a cup of coffee, and the Imperial Stouts push up to 15% ABV for anyone who wants to go deep. The tap list also covers IPAs, lagers, and the occasional sour if stouts aren’t your thing.
The Raleigh breweries on this list represent a pretty wide range of what the city’s craft beer scene has to offer, from Belgian-focused taprooms and smoothie sours to decade-old institutions and one of the most unusual brewery concepts you’ll find anywhere in the country. Whether you’re based downtown or willing to make the drive out to Five Points, Cary, or northeast Raleigh, there’s enough here to keep a dedicated beer trip busy for a few days.
A few practical notes: if you’re planning a night that combines breweries and bars, my Best Bars in Downtown Raleigh guide covers the cocktail bars, speakeasies, and wine bars that pair well with a brewery crawl. Brewery Bhavana, Crank Arm, and Trophy are all close enough to the downtown bar scene to combine in a single evening without much planning.
This list will be updated as new breweries open and existing ones evolve. The Raleigh craft beer scene has grown fast over the past decade and shows no sign of slowing down.
