South Wake has quietly become the best brewery stretch in the Triangle outside downtown Raleigh, and it changed a lot in the last year. Aviator opened a whole campus. Fainting Goat closed on New Year’s Eve 2025. Vicious Fishes lost its taprooms over permit issues, and Cotton House and Jordan Lake Brewing are both gone. So this is the current list of breweries in south Wake County, every one verified open as of this fall, with what to order and whether you can bring the kids and the dog.
Fuquay-Varina
Aviator Brewing Company
688 Brewing Drive (new campus), plus the TapHouse in the 1903 Varina depot at 600 E Broad St and the Pizza Pub across the street. Brewing since 2008, and the April 2025 campus added the Hangar Bar with a scratch kitchen, an amphitheater and a whiskey bar. HogWild IPA is the flagship; Hopocalypse Now if you want the East Coast version. Saturday brewery tours. This is the one out-of-town friends ask about.
The Mason Jar Lager Company
341 E Broad St, Suite 151. Lagers only, which is rarer than it should be: Happy Place Helles, Virtue IPL, Small Town Bock and the Stick Barn Schwarzbier. No kitchen, food trucks most days. Playground, lawn games, leashed dogs welcome. If you have kids under ten, this is your brewery.
Oaklyn Springs Brewery
Brewery at 2912 N Main St, plus taprooms at 505 Broad St in Varina and 209 N Salem St in downtown Apex. Bold Venture IPA, a solid Kolsch and a house pilsner. Plant bingo, trivia and a “Beer, Bacon and Bluegrass” night at the brewery; Tuesday open mic at the Apex taproom.
Holly Springs
Bombshell Beer Company
120 Quantum Dr. North Carolina’s first 100 percent women-owned brewery, open since January 2014. Head Over Hops IPA and Juicy Confessions hazy are the go-tos. Food trucks Tuesday through Sunday and outside food is welcome any time. Thursday run club, Wednesday music bingo, Friday karaoke, live music on weekends. Dog and family friendly.
Carolina Brewing Company
140 Thomas Mill Rd, behind Target off 55. Brewing since 1995, which makes it the oldest active brewery in Wake County. New owners in 2021 rebuilt the outdoor area and expanded the IPA lineup, but Carolina Pale Ale is still the one to order. Free Saturday tours. Second taproom on Main Street in Wendell (5 N Main St) with 20 taps and a patio.
Apex
Southern Peak Brewery
950 Windy Rd (original) and a new taproom and pizzeria at 1481 Richardson Rd in Sweetwater Town Center, opened November 2025. German-style lagers are the specialty: Peak City Pilsner, Southern Charm Cream Ale, and the Midnight Conductor Baltic porter when it is cold. The Sweetwater location makes pizzas with brewery ingredients like a porter balsamic glaze. Dogs welcome inside and on the patio, kids welcome, Thursday run club.
Cary
Bond Brothers Beer Company
202 E Cedar St downtown, plus the Eastside music venue at 602 E Chatham St. Founded by twin brothers Jay and Jeremy Bond, and the sours and barrel-aged beers are the reason people drive in from Raleigh. Huge beer garden, daily food trucks, outside food welcome. Leashed dogs fine; kids welcome until 8pm, with Saturday and Sunday 1 to 6pm the family window. Weekly run club and a monthly brewery tour.
Fortnight Brewing Company
1006 SW Maynard Rd. Founded by two Englishmen in 2014, so the house style is English ales: Beat Red and T.O.S.S. first. Large covered outdoor area with fans and heaters, which makes it the best cold-weather patio on this list. Monday trivia and run club, Thursday music bingo, Saturday live music. Dog and family friendly.
South Line Brewing
518 Old Apex Rd. Opened 2022. Puffer NEIPA, Intercity IPA, Slow Poke Pilsner. Food trucks weekday evenings and all day weekends, plus free delivery from DiFara Pizza. Beer garden, kids and dogs fine.
Brueprint Brewing Company
3470 Kildaire Farm Rd, Suite 162, at Mill Pond. The Edinbrue Scotch Ale is the flagship and the Pumpkin Spiced Edinbrue shows up every fall. Food trucks, live bands, sports on. The original Apex location on Perry Rd appears to be closed, so go to Cary.
Garner
JoCo Brewing Company
463 Cleveland Crossing Dr, Suite 100, in the 40/42 area. Opened January 2022 and still the only brewery in Garner. Over The Hill NEIPA and The Pillz German pilsner. Shaded beer garden with picnic tables and a small stage, food trucks Thursday through Saturday, trivia Thursdays, music bingo Fridays. Dog and family friendly.
Closed, so you do not drive there
- Fainting Goat Brewing (Fuquay-Varina and Benson), closed December 31, 2025
- Vicious Fishes taprooms (Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Cary, Angier), all closed by June 2026; wholesale only now
- Cotton House Craft Brewers (downtown Cary), closed November 2025
- Jordan Lake Brewing (Cary), permanently closed
- Beach House by Tiki Brewing (downtown Cary), closed 2026
If I missed a new one, tell me. For the rest of what is worth doing in these towns, start with Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Apex and Cary.
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