A Cooperative Marketing Campaign

Craft breweries have always been about more than beer. They breathe life into downtowns, back local farmers, spark new businesses, draw visitors, and give people a reason to gather. When a brewery opens, a neighborhood gets a little better.

"Breweries Make It Better" is a state-wide (eventually nation-wide) cooperative marketing campaign to remind people just how much breweries contribute to the places we call home. Every pint is part of a bigger story about community, creativity, and connection.

The campaign will launch at our Collaborative Brew Day + Pig-Picking at Atomic Clock Brewing on Sunday, July 12, 2026. Our “Breweries Make It Better” collab beer will be a West-Coast Pilsner, brewed with NC malts from all three of our state's malt houses (Epiphany Malt, Riverbend Malt House, and Carolina Malt House), with hops and yeast generously provided by Yakima Quality Hops and Lallemand. Proceeds raised from the sale of "Breweries Make it Better" will provide funding for scholarships benefiting the NC beer community via our NC Craft Brewers Foundation. 

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Better because…

  • Agriculture

    NC breweries source local hops, grain, and ingredients, keeping farmers in business and keeping money in the state. Every pint supports someone's livelihood down the road.

  • Economic Development

    Breweries create jobs, draw foot traffic, and anchor neighborhoods. When one opens, other businesses tend to follow.

  • Downtown Revitalization

    Across North Carolina, breweries have rewritten the story of downtowns. Vacant storefronts become destination blocks.

  • Tourism

    People plan entire trips around beer. A great taproom can be someone's whole reason for visiting a city, and a reason to come back.

  • Entrepreneurship

    Most brewery owners started from scratch, took a real risk, and built something that employs people and serves their community.

  • Collaboration

    Breweries work with other breweries, local farms, restaurants, nonprofits, and artists. They're connectors, and the communities around them are stronger for it.

  • Sports, Concerts & Festivals

    The watch party. The pre-game. The post-show wind-down. Breweries are woven into the live event culture of their communities.

  • Gatherings & Friendship

    Taprooms are where people show up for each other. For milestone moments and ordinary Tuesdays alike. That kind of place doesn't just happen. Someone built it, and keeps showing up to keep it running.