Devils Backbone Expands Distribution Into North Carolina In Aug

“North Carolina has played a big part in my family’s lives and now we have the wonderful privilege of proudly bringing our world class craft beer to the people and places we love in the state,” explains Founder Steve Crandall, in discussing why he’s excited for the new market.

Devils Backbone has partnered with Greensboro-based RH Barringer Distributing Company; Craft Central, a division of Charlotte-based Carolina Premium Beverage; Raleigh-based Long Beverage; Wilmington-based Coastal Beverage Company; Hickory-based Best of Beers; and Fayetteville-based Healy Wholesale.

“We’ve set up a great network of wholesale partners throughout state and are thrilled to begin pouring our brews for the craft beer drinkers of North Carolina,” states Scott Baver, Devils Backbone’s New Sales Director.

The brewery will be entering the new market staring with Greensboro on August 10; Raleigh-Durham on August 17; Charlotte and Asheville on September 8; and Wilmington on October 5. “We’ve been planning this for a year and we’re really excited to get rolling,” exclaims COO Hayes Humphreys. “We’ve already hired five great folks for North Carolina and we’re going to be very present day in, day out down there.”

Devils Backbone beers are currently available throughout Virginia and in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Their flagship Vienna Lager, a medium bodied beer with a subtle toasted caramel note, has won gold medals at the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival and the Vienna Lager six packs are the #1 selling craft package in Virginia according to the latest IRI data (YTD through 6-14-15). Eight-Point, a balanced, traditional India Pale Ale with a grapefruit aroma and piney hop flavor, is the best-selling IPA in Virginia, per IRI. Gold Leaf is a refreshing Helles-Style Lager which has collected multiple gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival.

The brewery just completed a $7 million expansion at its Outpost Brewery which raises annual production capacity from 60,000 BBL a year to 90,000 BBLs. Additional fermenters will also be added in the next twelve months to increase capacity to 150,000 BBLs, which Mr. Humphreys says are necessary because, “we take five weeks to let our lagers mature, and that kind of patience requires a lot of tank space!”