If you like craft beer, Durham is the city for you. With over a dozen craft breweries in Durham, North Carolina, you’ll have a great time bar hopping between them all.
For more help planning your trip, check out all of our travel posts.
They don’t call this state North Craftolina for nothing.
Seriously, though. North Carolina is nicknamed that because there are so many craft breweries in the state. And Durham is no exception. There are over a dozen craft breweries in Bull City.
And that’s really fun. So many of them have food, so you can grab a bite to eat and enjoy something to drink. And lots of them have live music on the weekends, which is a really fun way to enjoy a nice weekend night, even for non-beer drinkers.
But, it’s overwhelming to think you’re going to visit all of them on a quick trip to Durham. We did a lot of homework to find the ones we thought would be the most fun and then visited those when we were in town. So, to try and make your trip planning a little bit easier, we complied a list of all the breweries in Durham. That way, you can easily decide which to check out when you’re in town.
If you want to experience more of North Craftolina, come to Wilmington, NC. There are even more local breweries in the Cape Fear region. Find out about all of them in The Complete Guide To Breweries In Wilmington, North Carolina.
Best Breweries In Durham, NC
Drugstore Divas has no affiliation with any of these breweries. The hours of operation are to the best of our knowledge, but double check the brewery’s websites before you go.
Atomic Clock Brewing Company
Address: 501 Washington St #A
Phone: (919) 237-1253
Hours: Sunday: noon to 10 pm; Tuesday to Thursday: 3 pm to 10 pm; Friday: 3 pm to 11 pm; Saturday: noon to 11 pm.
Atomic Clock Brewing Company is new to the Durham beer scene, opening just last April.
The taproom sets itself apart with a full-service kitchen, hosting five-course beer dinners featuring Atomic Clock beers. It also does random food pairings as well, like its Mocha Shake beer made with chocolate and coffee paired with a coffee cream pastry.
Bull City Burger And Brewery
Address: 107 E Parrish St
Phone: (919) 680-2333
Hours: Sunday: 11:11 am to 9 pm; Tuesday to Thursday: 11:11 am to 9:30 pm; Friday and Saturday: 11:11 am to 10 pm.
If you’re looking for delicious food to go with your beer, head to Bull City Burger And Brewery. There’s a reason the brewery has burgers in its name first. Don’t stop there, though. It’s known for its pickle chips. And, you can get sweet desserts there as well.
What’s really unique about the spot is that every April is Exotic Meat Month and exotic options (like Scorpion and Tarantula Burgers) are served all month long.
Bull City Ciderworks
Address: 305 S Roxboro St
Phone: (919) 237-2357
Hours: Sunday: noon to 9 pm; Monday to Wednesday: 4 pm to 10 pm; Thursday: 4 pm to 10 pm; Friday: 2 pm to 11 pm; Saturday: noon to 11 pm.
Despite its name, Bull City Ciderworks has more than just draft cider taps. It does have two dozen of those, but it also has local North Carolina beers in cans and the ability to make cocktails.
The brewery has a huge outdoor space with picnic tables and fire pits, which is a nice way to get some fresh air while you’re sipping on your drinks.
Bull Durham Beer Company
Address: 409 Blackwell St
Phone: (919) 744-3568
Hours: Whenever there’s a a baseball game at the stadium.
Bull Durham Beer Company is the only craft brewery inside of a minor league ballpark (the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home to a Tampa Bay Devil Rays affiliate). That’s cool, except it means you can’t just go to the taproom anytime you want. It’s only accessible during Durham Bulls games (the season is April through September).
If you don’t have time to catch a game, you can find cans of the beer throughout the region.
Clouds Brewing
Address: 905 W Main St #22
Phone: (919) 251-8096
Hours: Sunday: 11 am to 8 pm; Tuesday to Thursday: noon to 9 pm; Friday: noon to 11 pm; Saturday: 11 am to 11 pm.
Clouds Brewing is based in Raleigh, and the Durham location is a taproom. But, it’s a taproom with 50 taps, including the brewery’s seven main beers brewed in midtown Raleigh.
What Clouds Brewing also has a great food menu with German-inspired food offerings like chicken schnitzel, but also bar favorites like quesadillas and burgers.
DSSOLVR Durham
Address: 630 Rigsbee Ave
Hours: Sunday to Thursday: noon to 10 pm; Friday and Saturday: 11 am to 11 pm.
DSSOLVR is a Asheville-based brewery with a taproom in Durham. The taproom has beer, wine, ciders, hard seltzers, slushies, and Jell-o shots.
Besides drinks, the space also hosts workshops, vinyl nights, Dungeon & Dragons game nights, and more.
Durty Bull Brewing Company
Address: 206 Broadway St #104
Phone: (919) 688-2337
Hours: Sunday: noon to 8 pm; Monday to Thursday: 4 pm to 10 pm; Friday: 2 pm to midnight; Saturday: noon to midnight.
Durty Bull is 15-barrel production brewery with a taproom in downtown Durham. It’s known for its IPAs, but should be more known for the wild names of its releases, like The Future Freaks Me Out (which, if that’s not a toss to Motion City Soundtrack, I don’t want to be corrected), You Said You Could Sell It rice lager, and The Pollening Hazy IPA (which, if you live in North Carolina, you know all about the spring pollening).
Each Third Saturday, the brewery hosts a maker’s and vintage market in its large parking lot, which is definitely worth checking out.
Flying Bull Beer Company
Address: 752 9th St
Phone: (919) 908-8180
Hours: Sunday: noon to 10 pm; Monday and Tuesday: 3 pm to 10 pm; Wednesday and Thursday: 3 pm to 11 pm; Friday and Saturday: noon to 11 pm.
Flying Bull Beer Company is located in the Ninth Street District, a street in West Durham filled with shopping and restaurants, located very close to the Museum Of Durham History. Nestled there is the Flying Bull Beer Company and its biergarten, nicknamed Bullvaria.
Flying Bull Beer Company recently opened a second location on Morris Street (open daily from 11 am to 11 pm), walking distance from Durham Central Park in downtown Durham.
Fullsteam Brewery
Address: 726 Rigsbee Ave
Phone: (919) 682-2337
Hours: Sunday: noon to 8 pm; Monday to Thursday: noon to 10 pm; Friday and Saturday: noon to 11 pm.
Fullsteam Brewery set out with the mission of creating Southern beer that highlights the traditions of the American South. And it does just that. According to its website, since it launched in 2010, Fullsteam has purchased over $850,000 of Southern-farmed ingredients, which is an amazing boost to the local agriculture.
It has tons of seating, both indoors and outdoors, where you can grab a bite to eat and sip on one of its classic seasonal or year-round beers.
Gizmo Brew Works
Address: 3109 Shannon Rd #201
Phone: (919) 999-2702
Hours: Sunday: noon to 8 pm; Monday to Saturday: noon to 10 pm.
Gizmo Brew Works is a Raleigh-based brewery with a taproom in south Durham. There are over 30 taps with the brand’s flagship beers plus a few taproom-only small-batch beers. Local wine, cider, and non-alcoholic beverages are also available.
There’s a really nice upstairs patio, overlooking the University Hill area, that you can enjoy when it’s nice out. What I really like is their flights of beer come on a wooden gear-shaped serving tray, rather than the boring rectangle most flights are served on.
Hi-Wire Brewing
Address: 800 Taylor St #9-150
Phone: (919) 295-3700
Hours: Sunday: noon to 9 pm; Monday to Thursday: noon to 10 pm; Friday and Saturday: noon to midnight.
Hi-Wire Brewing is actually an Asheville-based brewery with a taproom in Durham. So none of the actual brewing is done in Durham. But, it’s still a cool place to visit.
There are 20 rotating taps with sour, seasonal, specialty, and flagship beer to choose from. There are also a bunch of interactive games (there are soccer pool tables, table tennis tables, foosball, and shuffleboard) to entertain yourself. And, if you’re hungry, it’s located right next door to a Cugino Forno pizza shop, which is exactly the same set up as the Hi-Wire Brewing – Wilmington taproom.
Ponysaurus Brewing
Address: 219 Hood St
Phone: (919) 908-0204
Hours: Sunday and Monday: noon to 10 pm; Tuesday to Thursday: 3 pm to 10 pm; Friday: 3 pm to 11 pm; Saturday: noon to 11 pm.
If you like dinosaurs and horses — or if you just like pizza — Ponysaurus Brewing is for you. If you didn’t get it from the first sentence, the brewery is decorated with dinosaurs and carousel horses and serves pizza, similar to the Ponysaurus Brewing – Wilmington taproom. It also has a huge outdoor beer garden with picnic tables and a stage.
If you’re in Durham on the first Sunday of the month, you can hop of a brewery tour. You do have to purchase a ticket, but you will get beer tastings and 10% off merch. Plus, the brewery says you’ll get free jokes too, so there’s that.
Proximity Brewing Company
Address: 491 S Driver St
Phone: (919) 797-9342
Hours: Sunday: noon to 8 pm; Wednesday and Thursday: 2 pm to 10 pm; Friday: 2 pm to midnight; Saturday: noon to midnight.
Starpoint Brewing
Address: 2501 University Dr.
Starpoint Brewing is a little confusing because it’s a brewery, but it’s located in the same space as Beer Study, which is a bottle shop and bar. So technically it doesn’t have hours, but Beer Study does.
You can purchase drafts at Beer Study or cans throughout the Durham region.
The Glass Jug Beer Lab
Address: 545 Foster St
Phone: (919) 381-5797
Hours: Sunday: 11 am to 9 pm; Monday to Wednesday: 2 pm to 10 pm; Thursday: 2 pm to 11 pm; Friday: noon to 11 pm; Saturday: 10 am to 11 pm.
The Glass Jug Beer Lab is in such a good spot in downtown Durham. It’s diagonal from the Durham Food Hall and across from Durham Central Park. You can sit on the outdoor patio that overlooks the park and just enjoy what’s going on there.
Personally, I thought there would be way more science and experimentation here, based on the name. The wallpaper and taps are science-themed, and website says its a “working laboratory,” but it really does just feel like any other taproom.
Tobacco Wood Brewing
Address: 2500 Meridian Pkwy
Phone: (919) 908-7035
Hours: Sunday: 11 am to 8 pm; Monday to Saturday: 11 am to 10 pm.
Tobacco Wood Brewing is a brewery out of Oxford (North Carolina, not England) with a taproom and gastropub in Durham.
It has a really large indoor and outdoor space, with an even larger food menu boasting pizzas, sandwiches, tacos, entrees (with ribs!), and more.
More Things To Do In Durham, NC:
Although Durham does have a lot of breweries, there’s more to do there. One of our favorite things is OC Aerial, an American Ninja Warrior-style gym with a ropes course, zipline, gigantic slides, and more.
If you want something a little slower, take a stroll through the Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Duke University’s campus. That’s free to enter, but you do have to pay $2 an hour for parking.
Which of these breweries in Durham, NC have you been to? Let us know in the comments.