Best Breweries to Visit in Greensboro North Carolina
While other cities in North Carolina are well known for their beer and brewery scene, like Asheville, Greensboro is not far behind as more breweries seem to pop up every couple of months.
Greensboro has often hosted the NCAA basketball tournament, has several local college campuses, a minor league baseball team and other big events making it a perfect small city for any brewery and beer fan.
While several are located downtown on Elm Street making it easy to walk between them, there are several others scattered around the city which you may miss. So to make sure you experience all that Greensboro has to offer here is our list of the best breweries in the city.
Steel Hands Brewing
1918 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro, NC 27403
Steel Hands Brewing lands at the top spot on our list as it is one of the more recent breweries to open in the city and one we want to make sure you know about. Located right across from the Greensboro Coliseum this is a great option for those attending a basketball game or concert and looking for a pre or post-event beer. Steel Hands took over the original Natty Greene’s facility and has done a great job reinventing the spot.
They have a large indoor area with tvs and a stage for live music. As you walk in you will notice their brick oven pizza kitchen right in the middle with glass windows so you can watch your pizza making in action. The outside has plenty of picnic bench-style seating with umbrellas for hot days. They have a window to the taproom so you can order more beer without having to walk inside. They also offer brewery tours for those looking for a behind the scenes look.
The beer taplist is larger than most and has a great selection of beer to choose from including some rotating seasonal items. Make sure you try one of their pizzas and their brew pub-style pretzel with beer cheese.
Our Suggested Beer To Try: Papaya Hefeweizen – A Hefeweizen base beer with a twist. Mashed at different temperatures to promote more fruity esters to complement the dry papaya sweetness.
Read our full Steel Hands Brewery Review
Natty Greene’s Brewing Company
345 S Elm St, Greensboro, NC 27401
Natty Greene’s Brewing Company lands second on our list as this is one of Greensboro’s longest-standing brewery opening in 2004 and continuing to serve some of the best beer and food in the area. Located right on Elm Street and within walking distance from South End Brewing, Little Brothers Brewing and Boxcar Arcade and Bar this makes Natty Greene’s the perfect place to start, or finish, your brewery tour.
Natty Greene’s has two levels and an outside patio. The first floor and outside have table service with a full beer menu and food menu to choose from. The first floor inside feels more like a restaurant with a bar while the upstairs takes on the atmosphere of a bar with food as you will find pool tables, table shuffleboard and bar style seating. Their Green Room allows for groups to rent for events and special occasions and has its own bar and pool tables. They also host trivia nights and their locally popular running club.
With an in-house chef Natty Greene’s food menu is as carefully created as all of their craft beers and will have something for everyone. Their beer menu has several local favorites, some seasonal selections and sours. With a variety of ales, lagers and more Natty Greene’s will be pouring something you will love.
Our Suggested Beer To Try: Olde Town Brown Ale – Dark roast malt gives Old Town a slightly sweet flavor. Baker’s chocolate is then added to create a bitter, dry finish.
Oden Brewing Company
802 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro, NC 27403
Oden Brewing Company is located in an old bottling facility that was recently reinvented into a brewery. They did a great job modernizing the facility while still keeping some of the rustic feel alive. The Oden’s own both the bottling company and the new brewery.
The inside of Oden Brewing has a large wooden bar and several seating areas. You can see their brew house through the glass windows behind the bar. Outside they have a large seating area and stage for live music. There are two small houses that are used as offices and the porches are now unique and private seating areas for guests.
Oden Brewing hosts several different types of events including open mics, songwriter sessions where you can hear from local songwriters, running clubs, other live music and their fall chili cook-off. This makes Oden a great family fun style brewery and a big part of the local community.
While Oden does not serve their own food you will often find a variety of food trucks parked out back offering all sorts of different food choices from lobster to Moroccan inspired.
Oden offers a wide variety of great beers with a slight tilt toward German Styles and even an Italian inspired pilsner. You will definitely find a new favorite on their menu.
Our Suggested Beer To Try: Deliberate Disregard Blonde Ale – Light and easy-drinking, their blonde ale features a hop surprise!
Read our full Oden Brewing Company Review
SouthEnd Brewing
117B W Lewis St, Greensboro, NC 27406
SouthEnd Brewing was started by a local father and son pair who wanted a location that was perfect for guests to relax, enjoy a beer and strike up a conversation. SouthEnd Brewing Company accomplishes just that.
Located just off Elm Street SouthEnd is a short walk from Natty Greene’s and another brewery on the list which offers a large indoor space, outside seating and an in-house food menu. You will want to try their Brisket Nachos during your next stop in.
SouthEnd offers plenty of entertainment with TVs, live music, trivia nights, yoga groups and their own run club. With the laid back atmosphere and good food this is a perfect spot for the entire family, kids included. During the warmer months make sure to head outside and enjoy some live music.
SouthEnd serves its beer in glasses that mimic the shape of a beer can for a cool touch. You will find a large menu with plenty of great styles and varieties. We have yet to find a bad option at this location.
Our Suggested Beer To Try: Flying Hyena American Pale Ale – Rich maltiness from Marris Otter and Vienna highlighted by a blend of five different hops.
Joymongers Brewery
576 N Eugene St, Greensboro, NC 27401
Joymongers Brewing Co is another Greensboro brewery quickly growing in popularity and for good reason. This location is usually pretty lively and has several tvs for those looking to watch a college football game or NFL game on the weekend.
Although their parking is limited this does not seem to slow down the crowds on the weekends as this place fills quickly. With food trucks almost every day of the week, entertainment, bingo nights live music and more offered Joymongers is a great spot to kick back and relax with some entertainment. You can find plenty of seating inside as well as their outside patio area and turf section for furry friends and kids to run around. On warm days they open their garage door-style windows to expand the inside seating.
They offer up to 16 beers on tap at any given time and have just about one of everything for you to try. Their standard size pours are rather big so be prepared to do some drinking.
For those who often visit Winston Salem make sure to visit their other location, Joymongers Barrel Hall.
Our Suggested Beer to Try: Vienna Lager – A creamy, copper-colored lager. The Vienna malt provides a lightly toasty and complex malt profile. Light-medium bodied with a touch of bitterness, it finishes dry.
Little Brother Brewing
348 S Elm St, Greensboro, NC 27401
Little Brother Brewing Company has a location in Graham and now one in Greensboro and this makes them one of three you can visit on Elm Street. Designed more as a small boutique-style brewery Little Brother Brewing offers an up close and personal feel with your bartender and other local guest.
They brew their beer on-site using a 4-barrel system, emphasizing experimentation and creative usage of ingredients. With the limited capacity they typically only have 9 beers on tap with a list of upcoming brews to come back and try. They also include cider and sour on their menu. At this time they do not currently offer food but there are plenty of local options they allow you to bring inside.
Although a relatively small location they still offer live music, trivia nights, and their own run club. Make sure to get there early if you want to find an indoor seat as the location is small.
Our Suggested Beer To Try: Creme Brulee Stout – This delicious stout has that crème brûlée crust flavor with an oh-so-subtle taste of custard on the end.
Bull City Ciderworks
504 State St, Greensboro, NC 27405
Bull City Ciderworks brings their popular Durham ciders to the Greensboro area with this new location on State Street. While they do not offer beer we felt their cider’s popularity deserved a spot on our list.
For those who are looking for something other than beer, this place will be perfect for you. With a variety of cider flavors on tap and a rotational seasonal menu, you will find some flavors you never knew existed as a cider.
Bull City Ciderworks’ new building has plenty of space with a cider bar and seating area up front and a larger drinking room in the back. They also have firepits for outside seating perfect for groups. Like many breweries, they have a full food truck menu available on their menu as they do not offer in-house food just yet.
Our Suggested Cider To Try: Cherry Tart – Their most popular cider.
Hidden Gate Brewing Company
102 Barnhardt St, Greensboro, NC 27406
The newest addition to the Greensboro Beer scene, Hidden Gate Brewing Company officially opened at the end of April 2023 and saw a packed house for its first official day. Located on a side street between Southend Brewing and Natty Greens, this renovated building has a unique yet small brewery charm to it. While half their taps were not pouring just yet, their already wide selection of brews is impressive for a smaller brewery.
While Hidden Gate does have a wide variety of beer options, their menu does skew more towards German and Bavarian beer styles. Since half of their building is dedicated to brewing beer, their inside is a little small. However, they do have a large outside area and some tables to spread out during warm days. Just watch out for passing cars as this side road is used to enter the public parking area behind Southend Brewing.
Hidden Gate is a brewery to watch in the Greensboro area as we expect them to expand on their beer offerings, food trucks and outdoor seating area. One thing we do like about this brewery is its dedication to giving back to local charities and the homeless. You can read about the mission on the Hidden Gate website as they donate part of their beer sales to help improve the local area.
Our Suggested Beer To Try: Crushing It – American Premium Lager – Light straw-colored, crushable body with a clean finish and subtle aroma of flaked maize.
Final Thoughts About Greensboro Breweries
Unlike other areas which lack food options with their breweries or rely on food trucks the Greensboro area has several breweries with in-house food which allow for larger menus and options. Almost all of the local breweries here engage with their communities beyond just beer with events like yoga, running clubs, and chili cook-off fundraisers. Others support the local up and coming artists and lesser-known groups.
While most of these locations are larger facilities when compared to other microbreweries they have all managed to keep that small scale brewery feel once you enter and engage with their staff.
Overall the selection of beer at these locations will rival the quality you will find anywhere else in the country and should not be overlooked as a beer drinkers weekend stop.
Did we miss a brewery in Greensboro? Let us know in the comments.
