The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

damjadi

Oregon

4.72/5  rDev +16%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $

A great little piece of Germany transported into Charlotte, NC. Tables even imported from there. Only inhouse brews available and one of the seasonals had just run out, leaving three beers to sample (plus an extra from an archival bottle).

I met the owner and Mr. Self, who showed me around and explained the brewery's philosophy of making German style beer true to the 1516 purity laws. Also keeping seasonals actually seasonal.

The pils was great, reminding me a lot of my years in Germany. I would put it up against anything imported (and the plus is that it's fresher). The dunkle was also very nice and had exellent mouth feel. The amber (the flagship beer) was also nice, although alts are not my favorite.

The food was typical German fare (not the best thing for a vegetarian) and the service was friendly, knowledgeable and fast.

Worth a visit.

01-09-2012 22:06:32 | More by damjadi

merc7186

New York

4.23/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | $$

On a recent trip to Charlotte, my best friend wanted to show me all of the new breweries that had opened up over the past 18 months.

A: Decent Looking place, they have a small outside deck but no chairs were outside, Inside offered plenty of picnic tables and wide open seating, with a bar that could seat about 4-6 people. German region flags hanging from the ceiling.

Q: We had tried several of their offerings and they were really good. Keep in mind that Olde Meck offers strictly german style beers, but they were all solid and true to style.

S: the place was about half full on a saturday afternoon and the bartenders were very attentive and quick to get your beers.

S: For a place that offers only german style beers, they offered a great variety and had about 8 different taps going.

V: Prices for a pint were reasonably priced, especially for the area and the quality of the beers.

Overall, a great place to visit and I see that they have come a long way since they first opened up. Other than the Copper Ale, all of the beers were really good and recommended to anyone who loves german beers.

05-03-2013 16:08:36 | More by merc7186

goindownsouth

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Finally, after six years of living in South Carolina... A place to call home that is not in Asheville. I visited Olde Meck with a dear friend of mine on 03 November 2012.

Admittedly, I was apprehensive about visiting OMB. After all, it was a two hour drive from Upstate, SC. Upon entering the industrial park area on Southside where OMB is house, I was thinking bad thoughts. Upon hitting the parking lot, the traditional Biergarten bench style seating and mature trees made me think better. And then, we walked inside. Amazing. Deep and rich in its wooden base with exposed brick walls. A brilliant use of the space.

Ryan, one of the fine folks at OMB, was kind enough to arrange for a private tour for us. But first, a Bier. The Bier at OMB is, in brief, German. Their flagship brew is the Copper, a traditional Düsseldorf Altbier. Delicious. The Mecktoberfest was, arguably, one of my favorites made domestically. The malt lighter than many here or the exported Märzenbiers we get from Germany in August. Delicious, again.

The food menu, while brief, is spot on. Delicious brats, surprisingly good sausages and potato salad that while it is outside of my norm in terms of preparation was pleasing and offered a nice balance to the sausage and beers.

Having grabbed a few growlers to go, there is no hesitation when I say that OMB events will be firmly planted on my calendar, complete with the release of the Bauern Bock this coming week and the Dunkel lager in December... Both of which, well, are unofficially sublime.

While the German Bier styles are not necessarily en vogue in the NC/SC region, OMB is doing a damn fine job of keeping it wimple while making it damn delicious and entertaining in the process. I look forward to supporting them well into the future.

Zum wohl!

11-04-2012 21:11:04 | More by goindownsouth

kylehay2004

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | $

First off this brewery may appear poorly rated by me because the selection category is weak however this seems to be a brewery that specializes in certain genres and they do that well so though the selection is narrow, overall quality is very good. I did not try the food. The atmosphere seemed good but it was slow when I was there as they had just opened. The service was ok as we'll. They were out if their Christmas ale 5 days before Christmas which I was disappointed in. They had a lot of bochs but the quality of these was excellent. Prices were good and they allow it's order half pints which I liked as I wanted to try all of them. Overall this seems like a nice up and conning brewery.

12-22-2011 03:21:21 | More by kylehay2004

CBlack85

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5 | $

Nice place with an authentic German feel. They have now started serving a limited menu; mainly bratwurst, pretzels and the like.

The service is good, the waitresses are quite attentive on making sure you don't run out of beer.

They have tours on Saturdays, which are interesting and informative. Kind of a small brewery right now, but well laid out and kept in order.

Unfortunately, they only have two year round beers on tap, a Bavarian Lager and an Altbeer. And only one seasonal at a time. They haven't done any one offs or specialty beers to help fill out the tap list. On the upside the beers that they do have are terrific.

It really is a nice place that is comfortable to hang out with some friends and have a few beers. The only complaint that I would have is the fact that there are only three beers on thier tap list at any given time, it would be nice to see at least four or five.

11-21-2011 17:46:48 | More by CBlack85

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.04/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Visited on a Thursday evening, October 2011:

Upon arriving at the brewery, I noticed the great bready aroma that was hanging over the outside of the building. This always gives me a great feeling when walking into an establishment. I visited while on a business trip to Charlotte and was planning on having dinner, but we ended up just having a few beers while were there once we looked over the menu. Not that the food looked bad, German fare, it was just not what we were looking for. Also note that they do not accept American Express.

We arrived at around 6pm and were promptly greeted and seated upon entering the establishment, but noticed that there were only about 8 or so others there. By the time that we left, which was probably around 7:30-8pm, there were only as many people if not fewer, so the atmosphere suffered a bit there. Although, while we were there, probably 10 or so people walked in for growler fills. The place had a good size to it; the bar probably had a dozen spots or more and plenty of tables. If the place was full, I could see the place really having a great atmosphere. I believe that night, they had maybe 8 beers on tap and I ordered the Olde Mecklenburg Mecktoberfest, which was excellent, possibly one of the best Marzens that I have tried.

This is probably a place that any BA needs to stop by and get some of the best beer in Charlotte. I just wish that we had a brewery like this in or around Atlanta. I will definitely be back the next time that I am in town.

11-08-2011 20:39:52 | More by PhillyStyle

dirtylou

Washington

4.16/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

I've been up to Olde Meck probably 8-10 times over the past few years, primarily to fill growlers full of lagers and bocks, and to enjoy a few pints while in the area.

they really did a nice job with the taproom on-site at the production facility - it's nice with ample seating and a standing-room bar - not sure why they didn't opt for barstools, but whatever.

the beer is always quite nice, and i've come to really appreciate the olde meck niche of rocking authentic german lagers and bocks. You won't find an IPA here, or a stout, or a shitty faux belgian, and that's OK.

beer is served in 1/2 pints, pints, and mugs with 37oz and 74oz growlers available to go. Prices are fair, service is strong, and there are some snacks on the premises.

this is really the only brewery in the area - they've got a great business model and should have continued success.

09-25-2011 21:55:34 | More by dirtylou

Dave021385

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I have been going to Olde Meck almost since it has been opened in Charlotte. The atmosphere is great ( like a German beer house ), the food is delicious, and the beer is spectacular. Olde Meck has German style brews like Copper and Mecklenburger which are amazingly refreshing on a hot summer day but can be easily enjoyed any time of the year.

Keep checking on Olde meck because they are always brewing something new. Every month or so they come over with a seasonal that is appropriate for the current season. I recently had a pilsner they will be starting to brew in mass quantities on 5/11 which was delicious. Most of the time though they seem to have run out of a type of beer so you never know quite what will be in stock.

They recently opened up the kitchen which serves up brats and preztels which happen to go wonderfully with their beer.

If you live in Charlotte or are just passing through, be sure to stop into olde meck. It has become one of my favorite places to relax and have a brew.

05-02-2011 01:08:58 | More by Dave021385

SouthernBeerGuy

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery is a place that every beer geek in Charlotte needs to visit. Following the Germany Purity Law with every brew they recreate German classics like Helles Lager, Altbier, Munich Dunkel, and Bocks. They have recently opened up the kitchen inside serving hot pretzels, hot dogs, and brats the German way. The brat is the way to go, perfectly cooked and full of flavor especially when covered in the spicy mustard.

This past weekend I stopped by there and exchanged three growlers and it seemed like there was a party being held there at the time ... we should have a BA party there !

01-27-2011 17:15:15 | More by SouthernBeerGuy

Prospero

Colorado

3.05/5  rDev -25.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 2 | food: 3 | $

Location off of South Blvd., fairly easy to find. Patio & deck outside, but wasn't being used due to rain. Inside was like a great beer hall you'd find in Germany, high ceilings, one large room, lots of picnic tables lined up in rows, round chandeliers, some standing room by the bar. A flight was $2, but they only have 3 beers.

Overall the service was great & welcoming. Food was average, all they have is brat in a bun with saurkraut or a bratwurst platter. I know what they are doing here, keeping it simple and remeniscent of traditional German beer halls, but unless that beer hall is jamb packed full of people, it feels REALLY empty. I went on a Friday night between 8-10pm too. But taking a step back it's probably the biggest tap room I've been too and could see it being pretty vibrant with lots of groups.

With no bar stools it makes it impossible to sit and talk 'beer talk' to the servers and it just lacked the same passion other breweries have for craft beer. The servers know about the beer, but not lacked a bit of the technical explanations that you'd maybe get at other breweries.

Also they only serve/brew 2 beers year-round, plus 1 seasonal. And no other options. So 3 beer choices and 2 food choices. Just felt too limited to "keep people coming back". Again to be fair though this place is just getting started and relatively new.

I'm glad Charlotte finally has a real brewery, but their selection of only Altbier & Helles Lager is too limited. To some degree you need to brew a little wider variety or brew the best Altbier or Helles Lager in the world to keep people coming back to drink the beer. This place does neither. Glad I tried it though.

01-10-2011 22:03:35 | More by Prospero