Well Crafted NC : The history, business, & culture of North Carolina beer

Well Crafted NC promotes North Carolina craft breweries and their history to a broad community, helping locals recognize and appreciate that the current breweries are part of a long history of brewing, while also providing local breweries with a single online resource that traces their histories and places them within the context of the broader development of the brewing industry across the state.

This project is a celebration of brewing history in North Carolina, bringing people into the area to celebrate history and beer and encouraging them to drop by their local breweries during their visit.

News & Updates

Bobby Bush Collection

1/10/2022

The Bobby Bush collection includes over 1000 articles, photographs, manuscripts, and publications from Mr. Bush's prolific writing career donated by the author to Well Crafted NC. All material with a copyright owned by Mr. Bush or in the public domain is available online and provided freely for research. View the Bobby Bush Collection here.

North Carolina Triad Beer: A History

8/2021

The Well Crafted NC team have published a book giving a brief (about 140 page) overview of the history of the Triad beer brewing industry, from early Moravian communities to the operators of nineteenth-century saloons and from Big Beer factories to modern craft breweries. You can view more here, and order online or at your local bookstore.

Chapters include: Beer and Brewing in Early North Carolina; Saloons of the Triad; Prohibition in the Triad; Big Beer Comes to the Triad; The Brewpub Boom; and Craft Beer in the Triad Today.

Angry Troll Brewing Company

5/12/2021

Angry Troll Brewing Company began as a collaborative venture, with multiple business partners and fundraising through the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. The brewery opened in 2016 in the lower level of a building that once served as a Liberty Tobacco warehouse on Elkin's Main Street. The name of the brewery is a play on both its location in the building's lower level and as a reminder of the nearby Hugh Chatham Memorial Bridge, a local landmark that was demolished in 2010. View our interviews and the archive here.

SouthEnd Brewing Company

4/21/2021

SouthEnd Brewing opened at 117 W Lewis Street in Greensboro North Carolina in November of 2019. William Brown is the head brewer at SouthEnd, and discusses his time in the industry, beer tourism, and what makes SouthEnd a unique addition to the brewing industry in Greensboro. View the interview and archive here.

Hoppin' J's Farm

4/7/2021

Hoppin' J's Farm produces 5 different varieties of hops in the Piedmont region of NC. Part of their proceeds go to their charitable foundation to rescue various animals as well as contributions to veteran organizations. View the archive here.

From 19th century saloons to modern breweries

1/22/2021

Richard appeared on Fox 8 News with Karmen Bulmer of Little Brother Brewing Co. to discuss Greensboro's beer scene, it's history, prohibition, and the impact of COVID-19 on the industry. You can watch to it here.