Raleigh Beer Garden The World's Largest Selection of Beer on Tap in a Restaurant

 Raleigh Beer Garden 614 Glenwood Ave Raleigh, NC 27603  www.raleighbeergarden.com

What a great surprise. We were told by some of our brew club members from Lowcountry Libations in Charleston, SC that we had to stop for lunch and a few beers at the Raleigh Beer Garden. This restaurant is really beautiful and roomy with a bar as you enter, a bar downstairs for local craft beer and another bar upstairs for USA and Imports. I took some pictures to try to show you because it is really stunning and it would take two pages to describe it! Many of the tables, furniture and bars were made from the wood that was on the property.

Our two downstairs hosts were Ben, the manager who as a former insurance agent," became disenchanted with the inhumanity of the business" and now does what he loves and Blair, our brilliant barkeep who offered us a wealth of information as we tasted and chatted our way through some of the 144 beers on the downstairs draught craft beer bar. Along with some noteworthy local beers, they have an extensive menu with food for most tastes including vegetarian and vegan. Even if you are not hungry, I highly recommend the Beer Battered pretzels. They are fantastic!

We sampled so many beers and talked with so many people. We actually spent about 3 hours there. It's a place that is easy to lose time in. A few of my favorite beers were Haw River St. Benedict's Belgian Dubbel 7.2% ABV and Double Barley Gourd Rocker. I gave up taking notes and talked to Blair. She is a graduate of East Carolina School of Arts and specializes in painting portraits. Although she would love to be a full time artist, she really enjoys her job.
We were sampling a beer from Crank Arm Brewery(See Crank Arm Blog) when they walked in so we chatted with them. Then John Washburn and his lovely wife from Bold Rock Hard Cider(working on blog)strolled in and we talked with them. Blair was recommending the cider to a female patron and John over heard her as he came in. He was quite pleased with her knowledge of his product and gave her a generous tip. WTG Blair.

Fun, fun afternoon with super friendly and interesting folks. Family friendly. Outdoor area beer garden with fireplace. We can't wait to get back to the Raleigh Durham area!!!