Fayetteville NC Breweries: 2026 List, Taprooms and Route

Use the table below to compare taprooms by location and style before you plan a crawl. Brewery websites: Gaston Brewing Company, North South Brewing Company, Heckler Brewing Company and Dirtbag Ales; Little Heathen's is profiled by Distinctly Fayetteville.

Breweries in Fayetteville, NC: 2026 List

Brewery	Area	Address	Known for
Gaston Brewing Company	Downtown	124 Hay St (Gaston)	Veteran-owned brewpub with a full restaurant
North South Brewing Company	Downtown	304 Williams St (North South)	Big taproom, outdoor yard, weekend live music
Heckler Brewing Company	North Fayetteville	5780 Ramsey St #102 (Heckler)	Seven flagship beers plus pizza and wings
Dirtbag Ales Brewery & Taproom	Hope Mills, off I-95	5435 Corporation Dr (Dirtbag)	The area's largest brewery campus, with Napkins restaurant
Little Heathen's Brewery	Spring Lake	3266 Ray Rd (BizFayetteville)	Spring Lake's first brewery, veteran-owned

Downtown Fayetteville Breweries

Gaston Brewing Company

Gaston Brewing poured its first pint at 124 Hay Street in 2017. Founders Troy and Trish Rassmussen run it as a veteran-owned brewpub, according to the brewery. It's a full-service restaurant, which makes it the easiest downtown stop for groups that want dinner with their beer. Posted hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. It's closed Monday. Call (910) 748-0580.

Older guides still send people to a second "Gaston Brewing Taproom." Gaston says its 2021 production facility chapter closed in March 2026. It is now building a production brewery and second restaurant at 127 S. Main St. in Laurinburg, listed as coming in 2027 (Gaston).

North South Brewing Company

North South opened on May 31, 2025, with 11 beers on tap, the Fayetteville Observer reported. It took over the former Bright Light brewhouse at 304 Williams Street (BizFayetteville). The brewery calls itself the largest taproom in the area, with an outdoor yard, lawn games and local live music on weekends. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; it's closed Monday. The Fayetteville Area CVB notes the founders began brewing in Savannah, Georgia, before the military brought them to Fayetteville.

Breweries Worth the Drive

Heckler Brewing Company

Heckler bills itself as northern Fayetteville's first brewery. It pours seven flagship beers plus seasonals, guest ciders, wine, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. The kitchen serves pizzas, wings, handhelds and salads daily. Hours are noon to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, 4 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and noon to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; it's closed Monday.

Dirtbag Ales Brewery & Taproom

The Fayetteville Area CVB calls Dirtbag the largest brewery in the area, thanks to its campus right off I-95 in Hope Mills. The brewery says it began when Army founder Tito traded a promise of free beer for life for a friend's home-brew kit (Dirtbag Ales). Flagships are the Blood Orange Kölsch (5.8%), Cold-Brew Mocha Porter (6.3%) and The IPA (7.2%), per its site. Napkins, the on-site restaurant, handles food, and Dirtbag welcomes kids and dogs (Napkins). Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; it's closed Monday. The phone number is (910) 426-2537. In 2020, Reader's Digest named Dirtbag the Nicest Place in North Carolina.

Little Heathen's Brewery

Owner Adam Terry, a retired Army veteran, trained through the military's Career Skills Program at Gaston Brewing before opening in the Anderson Creek Shopping Center (BizFayetteville). The CVB calls it Spring Lake's first brewery and the county's newest, with IPAs, light beers, ciders, wine and non-alcoholic beer. Check its Instagram for current taproom hours.

Taprooms, Wine and Cocktail Bars Near the Breweries

• District House of Taps, 1240 Fort Bragg Rd, isn't a brewery, but it has 40 self-pour taps of craft beer, wine, cider and sake, plus a full food menu.
• The Sip Room at 106 Hay Street is a wine and champagne bar with charcuterie and a wine club (The Sip Room; BizFayetteville).
• Dirty Whiskey Craft Cocktail Bar, Dirtbag's 21-and-over sister lounge at 5431 Corporation Dr in Hope Mills, builds its menu around North Carolina spirits (Dirty Whiskey).
• Paddy's Irish Public House, 2606 Raeford Rd, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., with comedy and live music (Paddy's).

Suggested Routes

Downtown Walking Route

Park once and walk. City-run downtown lots and the Hay Street and Franklin Street decks are free after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends unless an event is on (Park Fayetteville).

1. Gaston Brewing, 124 Hay St. Start with dinner and a flight.
2. The Sip Room, 106 Hay St. A wine stop a short walk down Hay Street for anyone skipping beer.
3. Cool Spring Tavern, 119 N. Cool Spring St. Walk past the 1788 building, believed to be the oldest standing structure in the city (Wikipedia). It's a historic site, not a bar.
4. North South Brewing, 304 Williams St. Finish in the taproom or out in the yard.

The downtown guide covers dining and events along the way.

Driving Route (Designated Driver Required)

Start at Heckler on Ramsey Street in the afternoon, head downtown for dinner at Gaston, then end at Dirtbag in Hope Mills, or go the other way on a Sunday, when Dirtbag opens at 10 a.m. Little Heathen's suits a separate trip from the Spring Lake side. Line up a sober driver or a ride before you start.

Closed Fayetteville Breweries

• Huske Hardware House, 405 Hay St., Fayetteville's first brewpub, closed in April 2024.
• Bright Light Brewing announced it would close its 444 W. Russell St. taproom in late October 2024.
• The Mash House Brewing Company closed on April 10, 2025.
• The Traveler by Southern Pines Brewing at 123 Hay St. opened in mid-2025 and has since closed, as Southern Pines Brewing wound down operations (BizFayetteville).
• Gaston's second production facility closed in March 2026; the Hay Street brewpub is open.

Plan the rest of the evening with our best restaurants guide.

Sources

• Gaston Brewing Company and about
• North South Brewing Company
• Fayetteville Observer: North South opens
• BizFayetteville: North South coming downtown
• Heckler Brewing Company
• Dirtbag Ales and contact and hours
• BizFayetteville: Little Heathen's Brewery
• Fayetteville Area CVB: Hometown Hops
• BizFayetteville: Southern Pines Brewing shuts down
• Park Fayetteville parking facilities