This year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado will feature more breweries than ever before (about 580), and the state of North Carolina will be represented by more breweries than ever before as well. Many will be attending and pouring at the festival for the first time, while others are returning for another year and a chance at medal recognition for their beers. Here are some of the North Carolina breweries you can expect to see at the festival and what they’ll be pouring.

Birdsong Brewing Co.

Birdsong is one of several young breweries in Charlotte’s NoDa (North Davidson) neighborhood. Opening last December, the brewery will pour four different beers at their first GABF. The same lineup was also submitted for judging:

• • Lazy Bird Brown Ale (62: American-Style Brown Ale)
• • Up on the Sun Saison (69: French- and Belgian-Style Saison)
• • Jalapeno Pale Ale (5A: Field Beer)
• • Doin’ Thyme Witbier (68: Belgian-Style Witbier)

Catawba Valley Brewing Company

Located in Morganton, Catawba Valley Brewing has been producing beer for 13 years and may be one of the state’s best kept secrets. Earlier this year, the brewery began canning several of their year-round beers. A growing number of rotating selections, including a number of sour and barrel-aged beers, are quickly finding fans throughout Western North Carolina at beer bars and festivals. In what seems to be a “breakout” year, the brewery is continuing the trend by attending their first GABF. They’ll be pouring the following beers for attendees:

• • King Coconut Porter (5A: Field Beer)
• • Arlo’s PB&J (14: Experimental Ale)
• • Abul-Abaz! (22: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer)
• • Farmer Ted’s Cream Ale (34C: American-Style Cream Ale or Lager)
• • Napoleon (65A: Berliner-Style Weisse)

The following beers were also submitted for judging, but will not be poured at the festival:

• • La Petit Fleur (19B: Fruited American-Style Sour Ale)
• • Emperor Charlemagne (24A: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer)

Foothills Brewing

Winston-Salem’s Foothills Brewing is no stranger to the Great American Beer Festival. Since 2006, the brewery has won 7 medals in the festival’s annual competition (one for a Pro-Am entry). This year’s festival lineup includes many different IPAs, including one from the brewery’s recently acquired Cottonwood brand, along with a well-known imperial stout:

• • Hoppyum IPA (52: American-Style India Pale Ale)
• • Cottonwood Endo (51: American-Style Strong Pale Ale)
• • Jade IPA (52: American-Style India Pale Ale)
• • Seeing Double IPA (53: Imperial India Pale Ale)
• • Sexual Chocolate

The following beers were also submitted for judging, but will not be poured at the festival:

• • BBA Sexual Chocolate (23: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout)
• • Torch Pilsner (30: Bohemian-Style Pilsener)
• • Carolina Blonde (34C: American-Style Cream Ale or Lager)
• • Foothills Oktoberfest (35: Vienna-Style Lager)
• • Peoples Porter (75: Robust Porter)

Headwaters Brewing Company

Earlier this year, Headwaters became the second brewery to open in the Western North Carolina town of Waynesville (there are now three breweries in town). Named after the natural water sources in its home of Haywood County that flow into neighboring areas, Headwaters’ beers are inspired by the nearby rivers and streams and have names to match. The brewery will pour two of their beers at the festival, which were also submitted for judging:

• • Stiff Paddle IPA
• • Barrel Roll Bourbon Porter

Lexington Avenue Brewery

Since opening in early 2010, Lexington Avenue Brewery (known as the LAB, to many) has offered a seasonal menu, live music, and fresh beer to guests. Like the beer, as much of the food as possible is prepared in-house. At last year’s GABF, Lexington Avenue took home a bronze for their Brown Porter. This year, new Head Brewer Chris Whitted will send his beers to the festival for the first time. Three beers will be poured at the LAB booth:

• • Razberry Porter, served on nitro
• • Man in Black IPA (63: American-Style Black Ale)
• • Bricktop IPA (52: American-Style India Pale Ale)

Man in Black IPA and Bricktop IPA were submitted for judging.

NoDa Brewing Company

Although the brewery is just wrapping up its first year in business, NoDa Brewing Company’s trip to GABF won’t be its first time out West. This summer, NoDa proudly poured at the inaugural Portland Pale Ale Invitational, benefiting Pints for Prostates. Back home in Charlotte, Head Brewer Chad Henderson keeps locals happy with inventive twists on traditional styles and weekly one-offs in the NoDable series. NoDa will pour four beers at the festival:

• • Ghost Hop (14: Experimental Beer)
• • Hop, Drop, n’ Roll (52: American-Style India Pale Ale)
• • Monk’s Trunks (70B: Belgian-Style Pale Ale)
• • Coco Loco (75: Robust Porter)

Another beer was submitted for judging, but will not be poured at the festival:

• • TriUmphant (72B: Belgian-Style Tripel)

Olde Hickory Brewery

Another veteran of the Great American Beer Festival, Olde Hickory Brewery has participated many years since it first opened in 1994. For the third year, they will be bringing the winning beer from their Pro-Am competition. This year’s winner is B’s Nuts, an English-style brown ale brewed with pecans from Brian Pesci. Death by Hops, a previous Pro-Am beer will be featured in the five beers poured at the brewery’s booth:

• • The Event Horizon (22: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer)
• • Oktoberfest (36: German-Style Märzen)
• • Death by Hops (52: American-Style India Pale Ale)
• • Imperial Stout (81: Imperial Stout)
• • Irish Walker (83: Old Ale or Strong Ale)
• • B’s Nuts (61: English-Style Brown Ale)
  *this beer will be available at the Pro-Am booth

The following beers were also submitted for judging, but will not be poured at the festival:

• • Saison Gee (21: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer)
• • Eiraphiotes (21: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer)
• • Lindley Park (23: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout)
• • Southern Cross (51: American-Style Strong Pale Ale)

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Olde Meck, as the brewery is known to locals, has been providing Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County with fresh, German-style beer since early 2009. Over the past two years, the brewery has continued to expand its distribution territory and has also begun bottling some of its beer. Their flagship Copper Ale is a traditional Altbier, a style now closely-associated with the city of Düsseldorf. The brewery will pour three beers at its own booth, and will also have a Pro-Am entry available:

• • Copper
• • Captain Jack Pilsner
• • Mecktoberfest
• • Rein Pale Ale
  *this beer will be available at the Pro-Am booth

Outer Banks Brewing Station

Opened in 2001, Outer Banks Brewing Station will make its first trip to the Great American Beer Festival this year. You won’t find their beer at a typical brewery booth on the floor, however. Outer Banks was one of 24 brewpubs selected to be part of the new Brewpub Pavilion at the festival. They are the only North Carolina representative at the pavilion and one of only a handful from the Southeast. While Brewmaster Scott Meyer has created over 120 recipes throughout his tenure that provide a constantly rotating lineup of brews, the brewery will feature one of only two beers consistently available at the pub:

• • LemonGrass Wheat Ale

The following beers were also submitted for judging, but will not be poured at the festival:

• • Irie Tropic Stout
• • Iron Binnacle Baltic Porter
• • Vitis Reductus Sour Ale
• • Vitis Reductus Old Stock Ale

Pisgah Brewing Company

Attending its fourth GABF, Pisgah Brewing Company will pour five of its certified organic beers for festival attendees. Back home in Black Mountain, the brewery serves as a community space, art gallery, and music venue. Partnerships with local farms provide ingredients like fruit and fresh hops, which are featured in the Wet Hop Ale being poured and the Blueberry Wheat entered for judging. The full lineup includes:

• • Valdez
• • Wet Hop Ale
• • Mexican Lager
• • Solstice
• • Vortex II

Another beer was also submitted for judging, but will not be poured at the festival:

• • Blueberry Wheat (3: Fruit Beer)

…and more

The following North Carolina breweries will also be pouring beers at the festival, although specific information was not yet available at the time of publishing:

Carolina Brewery

Front Street Brewery

Mother Earth Brewing

Natty Greene’s Brewing Co.

Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

North Carolina Brewers Guild

With over 60 breweries operating in the state of North Carolina, there are many that won’t have their own booth at the Great American Beer Festival. The North Carolina Brewers Guild will have a booth again this year in the Support Your Local Brewery Pavilion, and 8 beers from 7 more North Carolina breweries will be poured there throughout the course of the festival. These beers will be poured on the following days:

Thursday

• • Carver Sweet Potato (American-Style Specialty Lager)
  Fullsteam Brewery | fullsteam.ag
• • Milk Stout (Sweet Stout)
  The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery | duckrabbitbrewery.com

Friday

• • Gaelic Ale (American-Style Amber/Red Ale)
  Highland Brewing Co. | highlandbrewing.com
• • High Roller (American-Style India Pale Ale)
  Big Boss Brewing Co. | bigbossbrewing.com

Saturday Afternoon (Members Only)

• • Evangeline (French- and Belgian-Style Saison)
  Mystery Brewing Co. | mysterybrewing.com/
• • Sweet Josie (American-Style Brown Ale)
  Lonerider Brewing Co. | loneriderbeer.com

Saturday Evening

• • Shiva (American-Style India Pale Ale)
  Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. | ashevillebrewing.com
• • Black Mocha Stout (American-Style Stout)
  Highland Brewing Co. | highlandbrewing.com