Last weekend Ted and I made the trip up to Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. It’s not far from Fort Mill, just about a 15 minute drive. The brewery is located in an industrial area between South Blvd and S. Tryon in Charlotte. You have to really be looking for it to find it as it is in a very nondescript warehouse building. If you go on a Saturday it’s easy to find because it’s the only building with cars in the parking lot.
Olde Mecklenburg Brewery specializes in German-style beers and their tap-room is modeled after one in Germany, complete with German Flags hanging from the rafters. Through large windows located at the rear of the tap-room, you can see the inner workings of the brewery. There was quite a crowd during our visit. Even though OMB has quite a bit of seating, it was all taken. Luckily we arrived just in time for a free tour so we each purchased a pint and gathered by the back door for the tour.
The tour turned out to be informative and entertaining and lasted just under an hour. We learned that they only use 4 ingredients in their beer (water, yeast, malt, and hops) – no preservatives or filler. They also import all ingredients from Germany (I’m thinking this must be a little on the expensive side). Their goal is to produce the highest quality beer available locally and deliver it ultra-fresh to the immediate region. North Carolina law allows them to distribute their product themselves. In South Carolina, a middle-man is required. By-products of the brewing process are donated to a local farmer to be used as feed for cattle.
The only downside to Olde Mecklenburg Brewery is the lack of variety. They only had 3 or 4 beers on tap. Copper, an authentic German-style Altbier at 4.8% ABV, is their signature beer. They also have seasonal brews. Dunkel (a dark lager) is their winter brew.
Since they opened in 2009, a small kitchen has been added and they currently offer soft pretzels and grilled bratwurst.
Don’t feel like driving up to Charlotte? The Grapevine in Baxter currently has OMB’s Copper on tap.
Olde Mecklenburg Brewery offers free tours Saturdays at 2,3 and 4pm.
For tap room hours visit OldeMeckBrew.com
Olde Mecklenburg Brewery
215 Southside Dr
Charlotte, NC 28217
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