Weeping Radish Farm Brewery - Craft Beer in Grandy, North Carolina

📜 Short History:

Weeping Radish Farm Brewery is a significant establishment in the history of American craft brewing. It was founded by Uli Bennewitz in 1986, making it North Carolina's oldest microbrewery.

Bennewitz, originally from Bavaria, Germany, moved to the United States in the 1980s. He noticed that the beer available in the U.S. was vastly different from the beer he was accustomed to in Germany. Inspired by the German beer purity law, Reinheitsgebot, which allows only water, malt, hops, and yeast in brewing, Bennewitz decided to open his own brewery.

However, at the time, North Carolina law prohibited breweries from selling beer directly to consumers. Bennewitz lobbied the state legislature to change this law, and in 1985, the "brewpub" bill was passed, allowing breweries to sell their own beer on their premises.

The Weeping Radish Farm Brewery officially opened in 1986 in Manteo, North Carolina. The brewery was initially located in a small building, but it quickly outgrew this space. In 1990, it moved to a larger location in Manteo.

In 2006, the Weeping Radish moved again, this time to Grandy, North Carolina. This new location allowed the brewery to expand its operations and become a "farm brewery." Today, the Weeping Radish Farm Brewery not only brews beer but also operates a butchery and a restaurant, following a farm-to-fork and grain-to-glass philosophy.

The Weeping Radish Farm Brewery continues to follow the Reinheitsgebot, brewing its beer with only four ingredients. It has won numerous awards over the years and is recognized as a pioneer in the American craft brewing industry.