Top 10 Breweries in North Carolina Mountains, North Carolina Mountains

We brewed our first batch of beer in 1980 in Chico, California, the lush forests of North Carolina far from our mind. Over three decades, folks tried our bold beers and deemed them fit for friends across the country. In time a second brewery became the wisest, most sustainable way to send fresh beer to the farthest reaches. Today you can venture inside our Mills River brewery to trace our history as a craft beer pioneer and see first-hand our drive to make flavorful beer the status quo. Cruise up our wooded driveway, park under a solar-panel canopy, and head behind the scenes with us. Our tours fill up quickly! You must make reservations online for all tours except the Guided Tasting and the self-guided Visitor Corridor. Click below to check availability and book your tour. Please feel free to contact our Tour Desk before your visit if you have any questions about our tour programs or policies.

The Wedge at Foundation is located a mile upstream from Wedge Studios. This historic building was constructed by Hans Rees & Sons in 1898 to house what would become the largest leather tannery in the country. Today the Foundation buildings are very much a part of the River Arts community. The Wedge Brewery added its second brewery/tasting room in 2017 to expand with the River Arts neighborhood.

Independent and family owned, since 1994. Highland Brewing Company carved the path for Asheville craft and proudly roots itself in North Carolina. Highland is the largest independent family-owned brewery born in the Southeast and is regionally distributed throughout NC, SC, TN, & GA. The brewery is in a rehabilitated manufacturing facility on a hilltop, affording space for thousands of visitors to enjoy limited release beers, outdoor activities, and live music. With a large outdoor meadow & bar, volleyball courts, hiking trails, food trucks, mountain views, and more across the 40-acre property, Highland is the perfect place to get a taste of Asheville. In addition, the event center and rooftop can be reserved for private events. Highland was founded by retired engineer, Oscar Wong in 1994. Since 2015, the company has been led by Wong’s daughter, Leah Wong Ashburn.

Established in 2008, the Wedge is a neighborhood brewery with two locations in the heart of Asheville’s River Arts District. The Wedge serves as a gathering place for people of all ages and walks of life to laugh, exchange ideas and drink Wedge beer. The Wedge is a community crafted by the people of Asheville.

Blowing Rock Brewery is a custom designed, state-of-the-art boutique brewing facility located in the heart of Blowing Rock. It is Blowing Rock's 1st brewery and has the capabilities to make both standard and high gravity ales and lagers. This brewery was specifically designed to bring modern, cutting-edge technology to a scale small enough for our team to give each brew the attention it deserves. The brewing system includes a 5BBL mash/lauter tun, a 5 BBL direct fired brew kettle, a 15 BBL hot liquor tank, 2*5 BBL fermenters, 2*10 BBL fermenters, one 5 BBL and one 10BBL bright beer tank. This brewery incorporates new methods of equipment customization and energy efficient systems to assure better quality brews. This brewery has won awards and recognition for being one of the nicest breweries of its size, and for its ability to create fantastic representations of new and existing styles of beer. The brews crafted here make up our Ale House Series and are sold on-site at our Blowing Rock Ale House Restaurant by the pint, growler and keg. Several of our Ale House Series beers are available at off-site at select locations as well. Brewery tours are available on Saturdays from 1pm-5pm.

Fonta Flora Brewery integrates the soul of agriculture with the artisanship of zymurgy to create a menagerie of rustic and savory libations. With an emphasis on seasonal flora, Fonta Flora brings English tradition and Belgian inspiration to the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina.

Catawba Brewing Company is one of Western North Carolina's oldest breweries. Brewed and packaged in Morganton, NC; this February of 2014 we opened our first Asheville tasting room. With up to 14 Catawba craft beers on tap, Catawba has the charm of a small warehouse tasting room, but with the smooth touches of a more established brewery. Our tasting room has two roll-up garage doors that open in good weather, and a large number of tables and bar seats for beer lovers. Dog and kid friendly. We feature the small batches brewed on our 7bbl system on Asheville's south slope location. Stop in and visit us soon. Cheers!