It’s Too Hot to Drink Beer Outside

Cool down with

I went for a run at lunch today because it’s the only time I had and I specifically made eye contact with every driver passing by almost to declare that I was here by my own doing and no one forced me. Like I was some sort of kidnapping victim. Now is not the time to drink beer outside. Now is the time that every brewery should post a picture on Instagram of their thermostat. Everyone over 70 degrees is a no go. Let’s stay inside, drink beer, play games, and wait for pumpkin spice season…so August?

Hi Wire Brewing (South End)

This is the spot. I highly recommend this whole list, but, if you are picking one brewery to visit while we flirt with triple digits, just go to Hi Wire. Great beer, awesome food selection within a few hundred yards, and wall to wall games. Everyone wins at Hi Wire. Drink a Leisure Time lager, play pinball, ping pong, or the fun soccer/pool game, eat some Dumpling Lady and a massive slice of Benny’s pizza, and pay no attention to the heat emanating off the parking lot asphalt. The heat can’t get you now!

Divine Barrel Brewing (NoDa)

Most breweries have boardgames but no one has a boardgame wall quite like Divine Barrel. It’s basically a boardgame library curated by a brewery. You could spend days here and still not play every game. Couple that with the pinball machines and Switch in the corner, and it’s as close to heaven as you can get while it’s hot as…you know. Divine Barrel excels at clear beer, so get something not hazy and then place an order for Deejai Thai across the parking lot. You don’t even need to move because they’ll walk it over to you. Only the Pad Thai will make you sweat when you’re at Divine Barrel.

High Branch Brewing (Concord)

Even though it’s 45 minutes from our house, we drive up to Gibson Mill and High Branch often because it’s the perfect place on a bad weather day. Park once, walk across the bridge, and you never have to leave air conditioning. Upstairs is a food hall with multiple great stalls including pizza, Mexican, Thai, sushi, Italian, and ice cream. Downstairs is High Branch with some incredible hazy IPAs, a Passion Guava Punch sour, and a sneaky good Italian Pilsner. Once you’ve cooled down, swing over to Luck Factory Games to either play as many games as you want for a set fee or buy your own game and bring it back to High Branch. Need more? There’s an arcade upstairs. I’d drive twice as far to go to High Branch.

Replay Brewing (Fort Mill)

I’ve never had a basement, but if I did, it would look like Replay. Pinball machines lining one wall, old school video games lining another, and a classic video game console connected to the TV by the door. Whether you're a gamemaster or just a button masher, you’ll feel right at home at Replay. Some games are free while others require quarters, but they have a change machine ready for you. They have quality flatbreads and pretzels, but outside food from the multitude of restaurants nearby is always welcome. Playing video games from your childhood in between sips of Cheat Code NE IPA is as good as it gets.

Petty Thieves Brewing (North End)

I love the porch and the skyline view at Petty Thieves, but it’s too hot for that right now. Stay out there too long and you’ll start hallucinating that every building has their name tackily mounted to it. Move inside and you’ll feel cool AND feel cool in the Petty Thieves’ taproom. This place is a fever dream hunting lodge with fantastic ephemera dotting every inch. Find the secret room laden with pinball machines and while the day away, lost in the glow of the machine, the clack of the paddles and the refreshment of a Flamingo Skies tropical gose.