NC Ale Trail by Rail
Breweries to visit in Raleigh
Discover the NC Ale Trail by Rail! Experience the perfect blend of convenience and adventure with NC By Train's Piedmont Route, offering an exclusive journey through local breweries between Raleigh and Charlotte. Whether you're planning a day trip, an overnight getaway or a week-long whistle-stop crawl, this unique excursion lets you savor locally crafted beers while exploring vibrant places along the way. Gather your friends and family, hop on the train and head to the Raleigh area for a memorable craft beer adventure.
Explore the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild member breweries in Raleigh below! You can also check out Cary member breweries on the trail, here.
Breweries are sorted by distance from Raleigh Union Station
Crank Arm Brewing
0.3 mile from train station; walking distance (six-minute walk)
The Crank Arm Brewing team is passionate about beer—and bikes. The downtown Raleigh brewery has a mission to provide fresh craft beer while cultivating an active lifestyle in the community. Crank Arm has several flagship beers on tap at all times, including: Rickshaw, a rye IPA; Whitewall Wheat, a citra-hopped wheat; and Unicycle, a citra-hopped pale ale.
Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing
0.4 mile from train station; walking distance (eight-minute walk)
A local favorite brewery with one of the best views of the downtown Raleigh skyline, plus with an innovative drink program and a chef-driven food menu that’s both vegetarian and vegan-friendly.
Tobacco Road Sports Cafe & Brewery
0.5 mile from train station; walking distance (11-minute walk)
Tobacco Road feels like your casual neighborhood sports cafe but boasts an upscale space complete with sophisticated wooden floors and modern, industrial finishes. Pair beers brewed on-site with reliable food offerings and all the sports you could ask for.
Trophy Brewing + Pizza
0.7 mile from train station; 15-minute walk; five minutes if taking taxi or ride share
Trophy consistently offers creative beers with a rotating tap list that changes often, ensuring that there’s always something new to try. The lively brewery also offers a unique pizza menu utilizing local ingredients in specialty pies, and what goes better with beer than pizza?
Flour & Barrel Kitchen and Bar
0.7 mile from train station; 15-minute walk; five minutes if taking taxi or ride share
Located in the vibrant Glenwood South district of downtown Raleigh, Flour & Barrel offers rustic Italian small plates, artisan cocktails and delicious craft beers.
Trophy Brewing Co. + Taproom
Two miles from train station; taxi or ride share recommended (six-minute ride)
Another great Trophy Brewing location, this one offering 12 rotating drafts of Trophy's finest beer as well as grub from local-favorite food trucks!
R&D Brewing Seven Saturdays Taproom
2.2 miles from train station; taxi or ride share recommended (seven-minute ride)
R&D Brewing is a team of beer industry veterans with over 150 years of beer experience! And their taproom's 16 tap handles feature the core line of beers as well as small-batch selections. The space provides a polished, casual canvas for having beers with friends or watching a game.
Lynnwood Brewing Concern
3.3 miles from train station; taxi or ride share recommended (10-minute ride)
Lynnwood Brewing Concern’s taproom is an awesome spot to chill out with a brew, with a spacious interior offering pool tables and other games, plus a beer garden shared with its restaurant, Wilson’s Eatery. Wilson’s features locally-sourced, scratch-made sandwiches like the Southern Fried Sandwich with a crispy chicken thigh, pimento cheese, lettuce and pickles on a brioche bun, as well as salads and flatbreads.
Lynnwood Brewing Concern at Lynnwood Grill
3.3 miles from train station; taxi or ride share recommended (10-minute ride)
Another Lynnwood Brewing Concern spot—that was actually established long before the tap house, production facility and restaurant mentioned above—Lynnwood Grill curbs your appetite with pizza, calzones, burgers, house-made desserts and more. It even has a special kids menu. If you're looking for great brews paired with a lively social atmosphere (and a place to watch sports), this is a prime pick.
Ponysaurus Brewing Co. Raleigh
3.5 miles from train station; taxi or ride share recommended (11-minute ride)
Located in the new Raleigh Iron Works development, Ponysaurus has 18 taps and a full bar offering beer cocktails, liquor, wine and the real star of the show: Ponysaurus Brewing Co. beers! Their kitchen features 14” pizzas, apps, burgers, sandwiches and much more. In addition, the Raleigh location includes a sour-beer facility with production space for barrel aging, blending and bottling.
Raleigh Brewing Company
4.2 miles from train station; taxi or ride share recommended (12-minute ride)
Raleigh Brewing’s mission is to embrace the City of Oaks with every beer brewed. From the murals of the capital city on the taproom walls, to the names of their beers and their involvement with local community organizations and nonprofits, the brewery thrives for Raleigh. Choose from 32 beers on tap!
Clouds Brewing Taproom
4.7 miles from train station; taxi or ride share recommended (15-minute ride)
Clouds Brewing Taproom pours beers from seasonal releases to year-round varieties keeping to their German-inspired roots. Visitors have plenty of beer options, with 18 on tap and wine and ciders available as well!
Sneaky Penguin Brewing
Nine miles from train station; taxi or ride share recommended (22-minute ride)
Sneaky Penguin Brewing is a small craft brewery in North Raleigh brewing a variety of styles on their 7bbl system, is visible from the taproom. The taproom is welcoming and open with a warehouse feel in a shopping plaza.
Heyday Brewing
10 miles from train station; taxi or ride share recommended (25-minute ride)
Heyday Brewing is a restaurant and brewery with a distinctly Southern accent. Equal parts North Carolina and Louisiana, Heyday is built on a sincere foundation of Southern hospitality. It’s also built on the shared belief that any day with great beer and great food and great friends can be a Heyday!
Compass Rose Brewery
10.3 miles from train station; taxi or ride share recommended (24-minute ride)
Brewing globally inspired, locally produced ales, this brewery seeks out great ingredients and beer styles from around the globe then brings them home to Raleigh. They encourage you to “Trust Your Compass” to create your personal adventure. On top of the beer, the taproom kitchen offers a full menu of burgers, Mediterranean items, South American food, salads, desserts and more.
Gizmo Brew Works
12 miles from train station; taxi or ride share recommended (28-minute ride)
Deep in the Umstead Industrial Park near RDU International Airport, something stirs. Amid the clank of modern machinery, a group of workers busy themselves with one of the world's oldest crafts: brewing. At Gizmo Brew Works, this meeting of contemporary technology and ancient know-how produces a tempting slate of small-batch beers.