13 Farm Breweries To Visit For Fresh-And-Local Pours

When it comes to brewing beer, ingredients matter. Brewers source the best of everything – hops, water, and any additional ingredients – to make innovative and memorable beers. That’s why the contemporary farm brewery movement is gaining such momentum. Whether they’re growing the hops themselves, harvesting their own crops, making their beers with locally-grown ingredients, or serving their brews amid the rolling vistas of family farmland, these farm breweries get you both closer to nature and closer to fresh-and-local brews. When it comes to craft beers made with local ingredients, you really can taste the difference. Travel the South visiting some of our favorite farm breweries found in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, and Texas to see (and taste!) it for yourself. From harvesting to fermenting, these breweries bring the farm to your pint glass. 

Benford Brewing Company

Lancaster, South Carolina

Located in Lancaster, South Carolina, Benford Brewing Company is recognized as the state’s only agricultural brewery. They produce a variety of craft beers and, according to their website, “[the] beers are brewed in 30 barrel batches on a small farm. Our land is fortunate to have a pure well water source tapped into the water table of three known springs located on premises.”

For more info visit: benfordbrewing.com

Blackberry Farm Brewery

Maryville, Tennessee

No matter what style of beer you’re looking for, you’ll find something tasty here. According to their website, Blackberry Farm Brewery “brew[s] styles that point back to the Farm: farm ales, table beers and Belgian-inspired beers like our Classic Saison. Our team uses time-honored traditions, patience and expertise to craft world-class beer here in Maryville.” Their beer cans sport quilt-inspired designs like the ones you’ll see on the sides of barns throughout the state of Tennessee.

For more info visit: blackberryfarmbrewery.com

Blue Mountain Brewery

Afton, Virginia

This Virginia farm brewery opened in 2007 and serves farm-to-table food as well as American-brewed beer made with hops they’ve grown themselves. Their core series includes the Classic Lager, Kolsch 151, Full Nelson Virginia Pale Ale, and A Hopwork Orange (an orange-infused IPA).

For more info visit: bluemountainbrewery.com

Fonta Flora Brewing’s Whippoorwill Farm

Lake James, North Carolina

Agriculture meets fermentation at Fonta Flora Brewing, which uses local ingredients in innovative brews. You can get a taste for yourself at Whippoorwill Farm, a tasting room and production facility that’s set on 9 acres near Linville Gorge and Lake James State Park and has views of picturesque pastures and Shortoff Mountain.

For more info visit: fontaflora.com

Jester King Brewery

Austin, Texas

When you visit this brewery in Texas Hill Country, you’ll find farmhouse ales on a 165 acre ranch. According to their website, “Our beers incorporate well water, local grains, fruits and vegetables, foraged plants, and native yeast and bacteria so as to make beer uniquely tied to a time, place, and people. Our inspiration comes from the classic farmhouse breweries of Europe that embrace principles of subtlety, restraint, patience, full attenuation and interesting fermentation character.” In addition to the brewery and farm, there’s also a kitchen and events space for get-togethers.

For more info visit: jesterkingbrewery.com

Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery

Goochland, Virginia 

With a name that nods to the nearby Little Lickinghole Creek, this craft brewery is located on 305 picturesque acres, uses well water, and grows many of their ingredients, including wheat, barley, and hops as well as berries and pumpkins (and sometimes sunflowers!). Seasonal events keep the fun flowing at Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery; check their website to find out what’s happening on the farm this month.

For more info visit: lickingholecreek.com

Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm

Mount Airy, Maryland

Visit Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm, and you’ll find a hopyard, an apiary, and a flock of Leicester Long Wool sheep along with a selection of Maryland-brewed beers. Noted as the first Class 8 farm brewery in the state, “Milkhouse also started an ‘All Maryland Beer’ program in December of 2016 that includes beers only made with Maryland grown and malted barley, wheat, and rye, as well as Maryland grown hops,” according to their website.

For more info visit: milkhousebrewery.com

Sideways Farm & Brewery

Etowah, North Carolina

Farm breweries don’t get much more picturesque than Sideways Farm & Brewery, which is located near Hendersonville, North Carolina. Its beers incorporate ingredients grown on the farm’s seven acres as well as crops from other local farms. According to their website, this is “one of the few breweries in the US creating carbonation with local wildflower honey in unfiltered, unpasteurized, naturally carbonated farmhouse ales, traditional lagers, and hard Jun kombucha.”

For more info visit: sidewaysfarm.com

Steel String Brewery’s Pluck Farm

Mebane, North Carolina

The thirty-seven acres of farmland known as Pluck Farm are home to the production operations of Steel String Brewery, which has a taproom in Carrboro, North Carolina. Pluck Farm is also home to a farm bar (where you can try Steel String’s local brews) as well as seasonal farmers’ markets with vendors like Haw River Mushrooms, Ranlew Dairy, and Melville Bakery & Co. 

For more info visit: steelstringbrewery.com

The Brookeville Beer Farm

Brookeville, Maryland

The brewery and neighboring tasting room of The Brookeville Beer Farm has a focus on local ingredients. The brewery started growing their ingredients in 2014, and according to their website, “It started with the creation of our first hop-yard, followed by patches of red raspberries and Shitake mushrooms. The farm continued to grow in 2015 with the addition of a second, larger hop-yard, blueberry and blackberry bushes, and honey-producing bee hives.” These days, you can sit indoors or outdoors and sip what’s on tap; there’s usually a big selection of lagers, ales and IPAs, Belgians and wheats, stouts, and sours on offer.

For more info visit: brookevillebeerfarm.com

The Farm Brewery at Broad Run

Haymarket, Virginia

This six-acre beer garden is located in Broad Run, just a stone’s throw from the small town of Haymarket, Virginia. The Brewbarn is open to visitors six days of the week, and The Big Axe Barn is by reservation only. When you visit, you can try their local-favorite ales and lagers or house ciders and order from visiting food trucks.

For more info visit: thefarmbreweryatbroadrun.com

Towerhouse Farm Brewery

Gay, Georgia

Producing beer made on the farm is the name of the game at Towerhouse Farm Brewery, which is located in the small community of Gay, Georgia. The beer offerings change seasonally, and past options have included experimental brews, season-specific ones, and collaborations of all kinds. Check out The Ice Block, a taproom and biergarten that’s open Thursdays through Sundays.

For more info visit: towerhousebrewing.com

Wood Ridge Farm Brewery

Lovingston, Virginia

This farm brewery located in Lovingston, Virginia, is dedicated to what’s local. According to their website, “The farm supplies the majority of ingredients, starting with the spring water and grains that are grown in the fields that surround the brewery.” Once harvested, the farm-grown grains are malted onsite to produce the beverages on the draft list, which in past months have included Pumpkin Ale, Jalapeno Lime Pale Ale, Hop Notch IPA, and Sangria Seltzer.

For more info visit: woodridgefarmbreweryva.com