Sometimes good thing come in small spaces. I was exploring the breweries in Concord and found this gem! It’s located in the middle of Gibson Mill. Drive back behind the antiques mall. You’ll probably see Cabarrus brewing first. Park around there and then look at the building across from Cabarrus and you’ll see High Branch on the 2nd floor of that building. The space is small but they have a large deck to enjoy the outdoors. I went with a flight of 3 saisons and their brown. The Tweener saison was just ok but the Norway Hill Saison and the Caroline saison were wonderful. I couldn’t get enough of the Caroline saison as it is a tart saison which is right up my alley. The brown is actually a coconut brown which was quite good as well. I did a sample of the Little Sis IPA which was a good IPA but i felt drawn back to Caroline that I had to bring home a growler of it. Enjoyed talking to the staff and the other people who trekked over from Charlotte. I promise to come back to this brewery and steer my friends here.
Mike S.
Place rating: 5 Charlotte, NC
Very tasty and diverse beer lineup — especially for a new brewery. Their«Ripe» raspberry saison is on point. Love the rustic setting. Exposed brick, garage door that opens to deck, and glass looking into brew house. Nice, knowledgeable guys working the taproom and a fun crowd(Fri. night). Much better vibe than the cafeteria feel I got from the other brewery across the way. If looking for the real deal, head to High Branch. Support true local craft!
Tina H.
Place rating: 5 Kannapolis, NC
Amazing beer I was really impressed Can wait to try more This is a great spot to stop
Daniel B.
Place rating: 5 Concord, NC
High Branch is great! No matter what, it will always be Concord’s first brewery. The taproom is quite small and a little challenging to find, but the beer makes it well worth it! The Little Sis and Big Sis IPAs are exactly what I look for in an IPA: slightly bitter, a hint of citrus, and they don’t taste like I’m eating hops. The taproom is well designed and the décor truly highlights Gibson Mill’s industrial heritage. Time will tell if the first brewery in Concord remains at the top, but I think High Branch has what it takes to maintain its position as the best of the bunch.
Michael N.
Place rating: 3 Charlotte, NC
Nano brewing indeed! I guess, technically this is Concord’s first Brewery as they beat Cabarrus by a couple of months! As most people mention if you’re approaching from the side facing the road, go through the entrance that says«US Matress», go to the back of the building through a sliding wooden door and High Branch is on the right. If you’re already at Cabarrus, you can look across the way and see the sign(walk across the lot and up one flight of stairs, then make a Louie). The high ceilings and exposed brick walls made me think this place would make an awesome loft apartment(or a Brewery). Admittedly I only tried one beer. Having read the descriptions, there was really only one I wanted to taste(two others I might have liked, had big black Xs through them on the menu). The Quick Learner Session IPA was solid but came across my palate as closer to a Farmhouse Hybrid — not bad, just different. The craft beer scene has finally landed in Concord!
Diane Y.
Place rating: 5 Salisbury, NC
Visited High Branch Brewery last night for the first time and loved it. Small space was filled to capacity. Good beer, a hidden gem that more and more folks will find now that Cabarrus Brewing Company is right across the lot. Everyone will win!
Justin M.
Place rating: 5 Concord, NC
I love High Branch! I’m so glad that Concord is starting to get into the craft beer boom. This is something that this area has needed for a looooong time! As for the beers, they have a solid lineup of core beers, and normally have a few small batches(I guess everything is a small batch when you’re brewing on a 3bbl system), but everything I’ve ever had from these guys has been solid. I highly recommend checking them out. Once Cabarrus Brewing Co. opens right across the parking lot, the Gibson Mill area is going to be an awesome destination for local residents!
Derek N.
Place rating: 4 Reidville, SC
Hard to find, just ask around and someone will get you there. Small and quaint brewery, super friendly staff and some good beer. We went antique shopping in the afternoon and decided that we deserved a few beers! Main focus seems to be on lighter beers than dark heavy beers. They had a stout but were out of it when I was there. We got a flight to sample there beers, my favorite out of them was the Lil Sis. Cant wait to see what else they put out on my next venture over!
Bryan P.
Place rating: 4 Charlotte, NC
I found myself in Concord for a few hours, did a Unilocal search for breweries and found that High Branch had opened up just 3 weeks ago. What was I to do? First, this place isn’t that easy to find. I posted a couple of pictures to help you locate it. It is on the lower floor of a large building called the Gibson Depot. Upstairs is an antique mall, downstairs has some other businesses(but mostly empty). Ask questions, as the people around there all know where its at, and they were friendly to point me in the right direction. Being new, they don’t have much in the way of signage, but they do have a banner out front(hard to see after dark). This is a really small operation right now. The brewmaster was also pouring in the tap room. I believe he said he could make 3 barrels at the time, or about 90 gallons. On opening night he said he almost ran out of beer and glasses to serve in. He also said he was ordering the equipment to double his production. You can see the brewing room and equipment from the tap room. I took a picture and its so small compared to the other breweries I’ve been to. The atmosphere here was kind of rustic due to the exposed brick walls and the old time feel of the building they are located in. Plus the tap room is sort of bare bones, but well done. He mentioned that they sometimes have a food truck, but they didn’t the night I came. I saw that status on their Twitter feed, so I stopped and bought some food to bring along with me. Lastly, the beer. They had about 6 beers on tap. A brown Ale, a Saison, a Stout, a Double IPA, IPA, and non-alcoholic guest tap Ginger beer. I first tried the Double IPA, the Big Sis, which I thought was very good. Then I went for the regular IPA, Little Sis, and it was also very good. I saw several people order the Brown Ale and they seemed impressed with that one. This is the first brewery in Concord and its well done and worth a visit.
Dorothy ..
Place rating: 5 Concord, NC
Grand opening today! Great turnout. They will be open only 2 days a week in the beginning. Friday and Saturday s. But plan on adding more days in future. GREAT Craft Brewers beer!!!