Skip to Search Skip to Live Player Skip to Content Skip to Footer

Beloved Charlotte Brewery Named No. 1 Best Beer Garden In The Country

Author Melanie Day

Charlotte has an abundance of breweries. In fact, many people might say we have too many. And while I’m not the biggest beer fan (I’d pick wine first, then liquor. and then beer) I do enjoy it occasionally. Especially when it’s outdoors day drinking with friends. And one of my favorite spots to do just that? Well, its the most well-known Charlotte brewery that was just named the Best Beer Garden by USA Today. It’s Olde Mecklenburg Brewery.

Located in LoSo OMB has a history that dates back to 2007. They’ve been in their current home since 2014 which includes a 60-barrel production brewery, a full-service Bierhall/restaurant, and an authentic Munich-style biergarten. They’ve gone through some expansion and it’s now the largest Biergarten of its kind in the Southeast. Even still it’s packed on almost every nice weekend day and is also a great spot for an afterwork drink. Especailly now that we have another hour of daylight, I may find myself there this week!

Charlotte and OMB taking this title of the best beer garden was a part of the USA Today 10best Awards. These awards begin with a panel of experts who submit nominees. From there the 10best editors narrow down a field and the finalists are voted on by readers as part of the publication’s Readers’ Choice Awards. And Olde Mecklenburg Brewery wasn’t the only North Carolina beer garden to make the list. Raleigh Beer Garden came in at number 4 on the list. Located in the city’s Glenwood South district Raleigh Beer Garden features over 350 beers on tap including an entire floor dedicated solely to North Carolina Beer. You can check out their sister location Charlotte Beer Garden in Charlotte’s Southend.

So perhaps North Carolina is a beer state? View the full USA Today 10best list of the Best Beer Gardens here.

30+ Local Beers Awarded Medals At The 2023 North Carolina Brewers Cup

If there is one thing North Carolina has a lot of, it’s craft breweries. Especially in the Charlotte area. In the trendy areas like Southend, Plaza Midwood, and NoDa there is seemingly one of every corner. But even nearby towns like Pineville, Matthews, and Concord have a local brewery as well. But with all that craft beer around it can be hard to know where to go and what to try. I personally enjoy beer but I know nothing about it and or what I may like on a menu. So I need all the help I can get. So what is the best of the best? That is determined by the North Carolina Brewers Cup Competition.

The yearly competition is administered by the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild. This year the competition received 873 entries. These were submitted by 122 independent North Carolina craft breweries. And marks the largest commercial beer competition in the Southeast.  Winners were selected by certified beer judges from across the Southeast.

There were 36 style-based beer categories and a winner of a gold, silver, and bronze medal was awarded in each category. A few honorable mentions were given out as well. Winners ranged from all ends of the state from Asheville to the coast. But there were a ton of beers (37 in fact) in the Charlotte local area that made the list. And no matter what kind of beer you like there is an award-winning one in that style you can try.

So keep reading to see and learn about each of the local beers that were awarded medals at the 2023 North Carolina Brewers Cup. You can read more about the judging here and see the complete winners list from the entire state here.

Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.

Sign me up for the Kiss 95.1 email newsletter!

Make sure you're not missing out on anything at Kiss 95.1 and become an exclusive VIP member. Enjoy all the perks and get exclusive insight into music news, contests, and more!

*
*
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.
Author Melanie Day
Category:
Tags:
,,,

More KISS 95.1

Load More