Participating on the trail include North Carolina’s premium rum distillery, a family run vineyard, award winning breweries and even a couple of micro brew pubs.
On the Catawba River in Belmont, Muddy River is a distillery that was founded on a love of rum, and its creators and partners refuse to settle for anything less than perfection. Muddy River is the first rum distillery in North Carolina, effectively knocking the Wright brothers down a peg or two in terms of revolutionizing the old North State.
York Chester Brewing Company is located in the same building just around the back. A true nano brewery open to the public since October 2016; It’s in a former Dye Mill with tons of nooks for hosting events and music indoors. Outside is a deck and fire pit to enjoy a pint of genuinely handcrafted beer and enjoy the river.
A few blocks away in downtown Belmont is Rivermen Brewing Company. With a large indoor and outdoor eating area and 20 rotating taps, Rivermen brings the feel of a big city brewery to historic Belmont.
Between Belmont and Gastonia is District 8 Beer Company, a microbrew pub that is for anyone who likes to try new beer. On Thursdays & Sundays, you can grab some cuisine off a food truck to pair with your rare beer!
A quick trip into Gastonia will bring you to Cavendish Brewing Company. Cavendish steps outside the box and brings with it quirky events and Old World Beers. The majority of beers available are uncommon beers here in the “New World.” German, Czech and English recipes rule the taps here.
Good beer. Good food. Good friends. That’s the tagline for Growler USA. 100 taps are complemented by delicious cuisine. Lunch or dinner seven days a week. Cicerone® Certified Beer Servers recommend beverages to pair with your gastronomical choices from the menu.
Ole Dallas Brewery is in, well Dallas. Located on the side of an old scrap yard, Ole Dallas is becoming a regular stop for some of the finest musicians in the area. Even though the brewery is enormous it’s easy to drive right by it, so look for the tiny water tower or the water cooler on steroids (I don’t know which it is) and turn down that dirt road, you won’t miss it.