Not only is The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery one of Charlotte’s most well-known breweries, it is also the oldest. Popularly known as OMB, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery first opened in 2009, and has since then remained at the forefront of the local beer market. It has recently moved to a much bigger facility of over 8.5 acres of area, which stands a little far from its original haunt in the Lower South End.
OMB specializes in serving its beers German-style, and the brewery itself resembles an old German beer hall. Both the spacious interiors (especially the beer hall) and OMB’s flagship Copper ale have their inspiration in the brew dens of Düsseldorf, the city which is most famous for the Altbier style. The outdoors of the Olde Mecklenburg too is quite the spectacle, with its huge biergarten and almost endless rows of communal tables that sit beautifully underneath the tall oak trees. A family-friendly brewery, the OMB has a fantastic kitchen which traditional biergarten staples such as bratwursy and soft, alongside classic American bar-foods such as wings and pizza.
The Olde Mecklenburg is known for adhering to the “Reinheitsgebot,” which is the world’s oldest purity guideline. According to this law, beer can have only 4 ingredients: yeast, hops, malt and water. OMB is also the home to several events and tours, most notable among them being the Copper and Take the Brewery tour (which have been helmed as the best nationwide by readers of USA Today), and Mecktoberfest (the recipient of the gold medal at the 2015 European Beer Star competition held in Germany).
If you want to try something that’s both local and fresh, and also offers the old world charm, then OMB is the brewery to go to.
Contact Information:
Address: 4150 Yancey Road, Charlotte, NC 28217
Phone: (704) 525-5644 (Braunhaus), (704) 525-5654 (Office)
Website: http://www.oldemeckbrew.com/