We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please read our Disclosure Policy.
Long recognized as a racing destination (to anyone familiar with NASCAR at least!), Cabarrus lives in the shadow of North Carolina’s biggest city, Charlotte, But Cabarrus has forged its own path to fame. Concord, especially, is rapidly becoming a destination for fans of craft beer as well as racing. Find all the options on social media using the hashtag #racetotaste!
High Branch Brewing Company
The oldest of the local breweries just celebrated its third anniversary! Opening in November 2015, find this brewery inside the old Gibson Mill complex. The abundant use of pallet wood in the furnishings and simplistic decor reflect the laidback atmosphere.
High Branch doesn’t offer flights but the bartenders really know their stuff and enthusiastically let us sample different beers. They were so gracious and allowed us to try every single beer! My two favorites: Yucatan Stout, an imperial double-style beer, and The Hustle, a hazy double IPA, pictured above. Emphasizing Belgian inspired and hop forward tastes, brewers here focus on the fermentation process. Looking for a variety of beers? This great brewery offers everything from blondes, to stouts, to IPAs and even some sours.
This welcoming space even hosts yoga on Thursday evenings. Patio seating allows four legged friends to accompany their human patrons at High Branch. While they don’t serve food, local snacks are available for purchase and patrons may bring their own food. Reach higher by reaching for High Branch.
High Branch is the best choice for couples and small groups.
Cabarrus Brewing Company
The largest of all the local breweries, Cabarrus started with a plan to be big and they’ve accomplished that fully. Opening their doors in March 2016, they’re the only brewery in the area with canning on-site, which is a pretty big deal. CBC has paid homage to this location by repurposing portions of old Gibson Mill while preserving the history through photos on the walls. Given their large space both inside and a beer garden outside, CBC caters easily to large groups, including dogs and children. During the warmer months, Food Truck Fridays offers eight food trucks at a time (and a great excuse to go out).
Cabarrus Brewing offered a dizzying variety of beers, as well as ciders and wines. I was most impressed by Sew Juicy, a hazy IPA, and the Vanilla Coffee Blonde which I can best describe as Dunkin Donuts but in beer form (coffee lovers rejoice!). The selection of beer at CBC caters to a large variety of tastes.
Having one of the largest brewing rooms I’ve ever seen allows CBC to output a large quantity of beer. With their canning line, Cabarrus Brewing can quickly get its beer into locations throughout North Carolina. While you should visit their brewery tap room, look for them at your local grocery store as well.
Cabarrus Brewing Company is the best choice for large groups.
Twenty-Six Acres Brewing
Cabarrus’ third brewery opened its doors in October 2016. Having visited this brewery once before, I was thrilled to see how it just gets more and more popular. I brought my oldest here after his 21st birthday to introduce him to real beer as opposed to the usual junk college kids drink.
This brewery is both kid and dog friendly, so one of the most family-friendly locations we experienced. Located just a block from the NASCAR building, Twenty-Six Acres is the perfect spot for a cool draft beer after touring various racing shops.
Twenty-Six Acres Brewing is named after the original twenty-six acre plot of land on which Concord was founded in 1796. Some of their flagship beers are named after local popular streets – Corban Avenue Honey Blonde and 26 Union Street Oatmeal Stout. These brewers continue to honor Concord’s history while exploring new flavors and worth a visit every time. My favorite beer this visit was a hazy IPA named Reptar Juice.
Twenty-Six Acres Brewing is best for families with children and dogs.
Commoners Brewing Company
Commoners Brewing’s motto is “Become part of the story.” The newest brewery in town opened in September 2017. While located in a strip mall, it still features the large garage doors along the side that open up the entire place. With easy access off I-85, Commoners Brewing Company makes for a good stop on your travels. My favorite feature is the upstairs balcony where everyone can share their Instagram photos with the #commonerssunset.
Beer flights are served on repurposed boards using old hinges as legs. Each beer has a tale to tell and is named in accordance with that story. I enjoyed Mollie’s Revenge, a red ale, and Rumbunctious, a Belgian dubbel.
The decor at Commoners’ Brewing is classic vintage. With wooden pallet wood on the walls, tops of wooden wire spools, and tin tiles on the ceiling, you really get the feeling of a bygone era.
Commoners’ Brewing is best for those looking to watch a sports game or the sunset.
Enjoy your Race to Taste and check out all the great Instagram photos at #racetotaste. Each brewery honors Concord’s history and elevates the craft of making beer. You can’t go wrong no matter which brewery you choose to visit, although I recommend you give all five a try to find your favorite. Looking for other things to do in Concord? Check out our weekend itinerary and our experience at World of Outlaws World Finals!
While our visit to Cabarrus County was sponsored by Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau and we received complimentary drinks at most of the breweries, all opinions are our own.
Happy travels!
Annick, The Common Traveler
I’ve only been to a brewery once and that too cause my partners likes to taste beers, I am not really a fan myself. However, I did enjoy the experience of learning how the beer is brewed from scratch and it is really cool that they let you taste all kinds of beers that you wanted to at the brewery in Cabarrus Brewing Company. So nice they have a beer garden as well for large groups, families and dogs!
They’re not for everyone but they are fun.
I have never heard about Cabarrus Country nor I am a beer lover but I really liked the hashtag #racetotaste. It definitely clubs two very interesting things. I would love to take a brewery tour because it always very good to learn about new places and new things.
Isn’t it a great hashtag? They know their strengths so between #racetotaste and #whereracinglives, they have figured out how to get their message out.
I love the idea of discovering a place through its breweries and their house drinks. I’ll try to do this the next time I get to Germany, as the US is not yet on our plan.
Enjoy your trip to Germany.
Fascinating! I’ve actually never even heard of Cabarrus Country (not being a NASCAR fan), but now I’m definitely interested in checking it out, and checking out the breweries. Do they run organized tours or buses between them?
I didn’t see one. The good news is that it is just outside of Charlotte, so I’m sure there is something available. Plus they’re all relatively near each other.
All the spaces seem pretty cool. I love craft beer and visiting breweries. I love that one of them offers yoga… who wouldn’t want to stretch for an hour and then, have a delicious pint! I can’t believe how many craft breweries are in this area. Add it to my list of places I need to go!
I also really like visiting breweries. My favourites are usually IPAs. But I like to sample in flights to get a wide array of samples. Looks like a fun place to stop for a beer!
I have never experienced any alcohol tour as of now and I simply don’t know why. Tasting samples of craft beer would be an amazing addition to the itinerary I believe. Wish this post at least motivates me to do a pub crawl in Berlin next month where I am heading to.
A sample tasting of craft beers could be an awesome addition to the usual itinerary! I don’t know much about the different kinds of beer but I enjoy tasting the different flavors. From those you’ve mentioned, I would love to try the Vanilla Coffee Blonde. We’ll definitely do this when we get the chance to visit Cabarrus County. 😉
It was a delicious surprise.
I have never been to that part of the US but Cabarrus in North Carolina sounds like an interesting place to explore! I love to taste local craft beers when I travel and Concord looks like my kind of place – I love the familiar atmosphere where everyone knows your name!
We have been to Charlotte several times, but I have never heard of Cabarrus. It sounds like we have been missing out. Our family loves to visit breweries and try craft beers, especially my brother. I think he would love the beers and vintage vibe at Commoner’s Brewing.
I absolutely love checking out local breweries when I travel! It’s sad to hear that Cabarrus lives in the shadow of Charlotte. Seems like a very interesting place to visit.
I didn’t know that Cabarrus, NC has a booming craft beer industry! Although I don’t drink beer, I would love to go visit the various places on your list and take a tour of their brewery. I’ll try beer flavored ice cream if any places offer it!
Thanks for the details on these great brewery stops! I love the Friday Night Food trucks at Carrabus Brewing Company – yum! The beer garden and ability to accommodate large groups sounds like it makes for a great place to host a party. They all sound like a great way to spend an evening though!
Wait, so is it Twenty-Six or Thirty-Six?? lol This sounds like such a cool way to explore Cabarrus in a whole new light! My favorite part of this whole post is that most of these breweries allow dogs! Living in San Diego this has become very popular to allow your furry friend to sit with you, but I’m glad it’s becoming a thing other places! I think I would have to try all of these since they all sound so delicious!
Great post! My husband loves visiting local breweries whenever we travel. If we make it there, I think Red Hill Brewery would be right up our alley, but all look and sound great! 🙂
I am fan of craft beers and love to discover new breweries when I travel. My favorite is wheat beer or unfiltered beer and would be interested to try it in Cabarrus brewery as it seems very good to me. Commoners sound good too, I never heard of it, but I guess beacuese it’s new.