So, the end of the Summer of 2019 I was able to travel down to the Charlotte and Lake Norman areas of North Carolina. I did not write about them sooner due to family and work commitments that were not planned. Those took almost 6 months to catch up on. Now I am going to write about my trip down there finally, and of course give you my review of each place!
My wife, our friends Matt & Katie, and Keith & Amanda where the whole reason this trip was arranged. It was actually a Father’s Day present from my wife. She coordinated with Matt, mostly because Mat had been talking to me about a brewery tour trip down there for a while. Right now I will talk about the first day we were down there, July 23rd 2019, when we visited Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in Charoltte, North Carolina; Primal Brewery in Huntersville, North Carolina; and Table 31 Mooresville, North Carolina.
We flew into Charlotte and were quite hungry and thirsty at that point. So what did we do? We found a brewery naturally, oh and it needed food options of course. So we found Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina not far from the Airport. This was a decent size operation, large brewing area, large dining/bar area, a separate building for administration and distribution, outdoor biergarten with a stage. It reminded me of Allagash Brewery in Portland, Maine, Cisco Brewing in Portsmouth, New Hampshire or Big Storm Brewing Company in Clearwater, Florida. At least in terms of size and operations. I will talk about those breweries another time. Anyways, Back to Olde Mecklenburg Brewery before I get side tracked.
When we got there it was pouring rain, so the outdoor area was not an options, plus there was not a lot of people there at this point. Which was fine, not a big deal. The dining area was clean and clearly had German Influence, which was great. I have always been a fan of the German Biergarten or German Bier Hall atmosphere.
Staff was fast and friendly and knowledgeable of the beer they had available. They adhere to the German Purity Laws known as “Reinheitsgebot” when they brew. Most German Influenced Breweries do this, Weeping Radish Farm Brewery in Grandy, North Carolina is another example of a North Carolina Brewery that adheres to this standard, you can read my review on Weeping Radish Farm Brewery here http://70.40.208.69/adamsbeerventures/2020/01/11/review-of-weeping-radish-farm-brewery-grandy-north-carolina/
So I did what I usually do and ordered an flight to try out there flagship beers. They were quite delicious and a they had a good variety of different styles to try. Here are the beers I tried there and I recommend you try any one of them of you have the chance.
Brauhaus Reserve Kölsch-Kölsch-3.5
Mecklenburger-Helles Lager-3.75
Southside Weiss-Weizenbock-4.25
Fat Boy Baltic Porter-Baltic Porter-4
Hornets Nest-Hefeweizen-4
Captain James Jack Pilsner-German Pilsner-4
Copper-Altbier-3.75
The food there was also delicious! Of course it was a German Influenced menu, but again, I really like the German stuff. I was satisfied and not the least bit hungry after I ate there. It was also very inexpensive to eat there, well compared to here in New England at least.
Needless to say for a larger brewing operation, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery did not disappoint. So if you are in Charlotte, NC, give them a try! I think you will probably like it. Here is there contact information.
4150 Yancey Rd, Charlotte, NC 28217
(704) 525-5644
After lunch and beer at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery we made our way to the hotel, after checking in we needed to kill some time before meeting our friends for dinner at Table 31, and it was still downpouring like crazy. After we took a walk along Lake Norman, we made our way over to Primal Brewery in Huntersville, North Carolina.
At this point were just looking for good beer, we had stopped by the local Chamber of Commerce and the lady that was there highly recommend we try Primal Brewery. Who am I to argue, so we drove over, it was closed, oops, we killed more time until they opened.
Once they opened we were one of the first through the doors. It was not at all what I expected to walk into. I expected it to be kind of weird I guess, but it wasn’t. It was actually nice and intimate. We ordered beers, of course I ordered a flight, and we sat down in a smaller room off the main bar area with a fire place and nice comfy couches.
The staff there was friendly and willing to chat about the beer. The beer was outstanding! Their Lucille Red Ale is by far one of the best Red Ales I have ever tasted! I am not a big fan of Red Ales personally, so that is saying something. The rest of the beer was certainly some of the best brews I had on this trip. So here is everything I have tried from Primal Brewery.
Lucille-American Amber/Red Ale-4.25
Charlie Brown Ale-American Brown Ale-3.25
Obsidian Lager-Schwarzbier-3.75
Mother of Human Kindness M.O.H.K.-American Stout-4
Lemon Haze-American Pale Ale-4
East of Eden-Saison/Farmhouse Ale-4.5
Blood Orange Pale Ale-American Pale Ale-4.25
Grim Creeper-Imperial IPA-3.5
Definitely a great place to visit and get some good beer! Highly recommend Primal Brewing if you find yourself in the Lake Norman Area of North Carolina! Here is there contact information.
16432 Old Statesville Rd, Huntersville, NC 28078
(704) 947-2920
https://www.primalbrewery.com/
Last on our ventures that day was over to Table 31 for dinner with our friends Keith & Amanda. Now, this was a nicer more upscale restaurant, not a brewery, but it deserves a quick mention. The food was very good, highly recommend them if you are looking for a nicer place to dine in Mooresville, North Carolina. They did have some craft beer, but it was a limited selection, which is not surprising. I cannot fault them for it, they are not a beer destination. But none the less, good food and an upscale atmosphere. Give them a try if you can. Here is their information.
103 Landings Dr, Mooresville, NC 28117
(980) 447-9012
That was all the ventures for that day! It was a great day filled with steins and glasses of great beer and a belly full of great food! Keep an eye for Part 2 of this trip. So now you get out there! Go have an adventure and try new things!! Please Drink Responsibly.
