NC Small Batch Festival • Asheville • March 4
No two beers are alike at this festival, and if you miss out, you might not have another opportunity to try all of the unique offerings. Enjoy small, one-off batches that are only available at a festival where no flavor is off-limits.
Learn more: (828) 738-2448 or hiwirebrewing.com.
Biere de Femme Festival • Shelby • March 11
Thirty breweries will come together in Shelby to celebrate women working in the beer industry. Each brewery will offer at least one beer created by its female employees. All proceeds will go toward scholarships that help women advance their careers in brewing.
Learn more: pinkbootssociety.com.
3rd Annual Brew and Stew Competition • Kinston • March 11
Enjoy a brew or two at Mother Earth Brewing while teams from across the state compete for the title of best fish stew. All proceeds go toward Kinston’s G.I. Joe’s Military Living History Museum.
Learn more: (252) 208-2437 or on the event’s Facebook page.
Ultimate Brewing Championship • Wilmington • March 24
A dozen Cape Fear breweries go head to head in this competition for ultimate brewing bragging rights. Each brewery was assigned an unusual ingredient pairing — think chocolate and seaweed, grits and figs, or oysters and Texas Pete. This blind tasting is sure to be a memorable one.
Learn more: capefearcraftbeerweek.com.
Brew, Shine & Wine Tour • Granite Falls • March 25
Granite Falls Brewing, South Mountain Distilling, and Shadow Line Vineyard have come together to create a unique event during which participants can grab a passport to taste and tour these three area watering holes.
Learn more: (828) 368-0681 or southmountaindistillery.com.
All Ale to the Queen Beer Carnival • Charlotte • March 25
Appearances by aerial acrobats, belly dancers, and the Beer Carnival King and Queen, and of course, lots of beer: This event promises to be unlike any beer festival you’ve attended before — unless of course, you were here last year.
Learn more: allaletothequeen.com.
Lake Norman/Concord “Brew Ha-Ha Tour” • Huntersville • March 25
Any event with free pizza piques our interest, but this brewery bus tour also travels to four other breweries and offers three free beer tastings at each brewery. Tickets are $49.95 in advance, or $59.95 at the door.
Learn more: (704) 765-5104 or charlottespecialevents.com.
Blue, Brew & Que Festival • Kenansville • March 31-April 1
Spend two days listening to great local bluegrass as you enjoy barbecue and beer from some of the region’s best at this family-friendly festival.
Learn more: (910) 275-0008 or duplinbluegrassfest.com.
In North Carolina, spring brings the scent of fresh-cut grass and memories of helping Dad mow the lawn.
Nostalgic burger joints are like time machines, delivering something extra special that keeps us coming back.
This tiny city block in downtown Greensboro once had a gigantic reputation. Not so much for its charbroiled beef patties — though they, too, were plentiful — but for its colorful characters and their wild shenanigans.
In the 1950s, as Americans hit freshly paved roads in shiny new cars during the postwar boom, a new kind of restaurant took shape: the drive-in. From those first thin patties to the elaborate gourmet hamburgers of today, North Carolina has spent the past 80 years making burger history.
