The Buzz at D9 Brewing Company ~ Cornelius

In the Charlotte, North Carolina area, there are no shortage of craft beer breweries. You can pretty much find any type of beer to quench your pallet within a few miles of your home.

The D9 Brewing Company is on the northwest side of Mecklenburg County off of Lake Norman in the town of Cornelius (Map). That’s about a 30-minute drive from Uptown Charlotte. It isn’t the only brewery in that part of the county, both Ass Clown Brewery and Primal Brewery are a hop, skip and jump down the road.

(L-R) Battle Hymn Black IPA, Hakuna Matata IPA, Imperialistic Red IPA

Like most Charlotte-area breweries, D9 has an exceptional tasting room complete with tables, games, music, and other various flare. They have most of their brews on tap at any given time, but if you have a particular favorite, you should call ahead to chat about the availability.

What makes the D9 tasting room great is the staff. I have visited on two separate occasions and have had the pleasure of chatting with Jackie on the first go around and Brie on the second. Both times, the joint was a bit crowded, but Jackie and Brie took their time explaining D9’s selection in vivid colors. All to often I have visited locations that that have less than stellar servers, so being able to talk beer with folks who know their stuff is an added bonus.

Personally, I lean towards the higher non-IPA octane varieties. D9 has a great selection, including an Imperial Black Ale that comes in at 10% ABV and an unclassified sweet experimental that taps in at 13%. On my second trip, their selection of the higher ABVs was a bit scare so I moved over to the IPAs and tried the 7% Battle Hymn Black IPA and the 6.6% Hakuna Matata.  Both brews were exceptional and a must-try for IPA fans.

My real draw on the second visit was the collaboration Imperialistic Red IPA that D9 did with Fortnight Brewing Company out of Cary, North Carolina. Fortnight specializes in English-inspired ales and that influence was evident in their 9% Imperialistic Red. The medium body IPA pours amber and you immediately smell and taste the pine / caramel flavor. Get it while you can. There is so much going on with that drink it is worth a try.

D9 is a great place for the whole family, including your four-legged friends.  They have ample indoor and outdoor seating, games for all ages, and of course a variety of beers on draft to choose from.  They have flights for sampling; Crowlers they can fill to go; and they will fill up Growlers from other locations.  D9 offers a variety of wines, a nice menu of food items, as well as a selection of swag and bottled beers in 4-packs if you want to take the fun home with you (Menu).

D9 is a great option for any craft beer enthusiast.