Cheerwine Fest shows off inspired beers

Many West Virginians adore the venerable, cherry-flavored Cheerwine soda sold in many parts of the state — but have you ever tried a Cheerwine-inspired beer?

Each year on a Saturday in May, Cheerwine-inspired beers take over a section of downtown Salisbury, NC, during the annual Cheerwine Festival. In case you didn’t know, Salisbury has been home to this family-owned, sweet cherry-flavored soft drink since 1917. But the beers…. Oh, the beers.

Cherry beers, better than pie

When twelve talented brewers from some of the Old North State’s better breweries and cideries brew up batches of Cheerwine-inspired hard beverages, your taste buds are in for a real treat.

Last Saturday, around 20 Cheerwine-inspired beers, seltzers, and ciders from a dozen North Carolina breweries awaited the many thousands of visitors attending the 2024 Cheerwine Festival. From my personal tasting experience there, I can tell you that the brewers nailed some of these brews to the cherry beer wall of fame.

Whether it was the lightly Cheerwine-flavored Sour IPA from Four Saints or the richly Cheerwine-flavored Seltzer from Incendiary or the crisp-fruity interplay of the Cheerwine Lager from New Sarum, the beers at the festival made for a most enjoyable tasting experience.

Better beers all around

When I made my plans to attend this fest, I expected to find some fun, fruity brews, but I wasn’t necessarily expecting to find so many well-made, excellent-quality beers. Maybe it just shows the overall skills development of the brewing talent employed at small craft breweries. Maybe my palate was just ready for some cold, refreshing beverages on a hot & humid, late spring day.

But what I found in Salisbury was a group of beers that showed off the brewers art from so many perspectives. IPAs, Sours, Hefeweizens, American Wheat Ales, Seltzers, Ciders—these creative brewers figured out how to inject Cheerwine flavor into so many different beer styles and MAKE IT WORK.

North Carolina born Cheerwine brews

Here’s a list of all breweries in attendance with at least one Cheerwine-inspired beer on their taps (along with their hometown):

• Bombshell Beer Company, Holly Springs
• Bull City Ciderworks, Lexington
• Buzzed Viking, Concord
• Cabarrus Brewing, Concord
• Four Saints Brewing, Asheboro
• Gizmo Brew Works, Raleigh
• Grove Cartel Brewing, China Grove
• Incendiary Brewing, Winston-Salem
• New Sarum Brewing, Salisbury
• NoDa Brewing, Charlotte
• Morgan Ridge Railwalk Brewery, Salisbury
• Southern Strain Brewing, Concord

Good beers for fun and tasting pleasure

Following are notes from some of the North Carolina brewery staff that I got a chance to talk with at the festival.

Four Saints Brewing

Kim Winands led the festival crew for Four Saints Brewing out of Asheboro. The brewery is named for four of the patron saints of beer: Saints Nicholas, Wenceslaus, Luke, and Augustine. Every year, they brew a special beer for each of their patron saints. The brewery is possibly best known for its Bohemian Pilsner. For the Cheerwine Festival, they brought a Cheerwine-flavored sour IPA, called Peer Pressure, which was slightly tart and light on the hops, which allowed the cherry flavor to shine through.

They also served their Cheerwine-infused Hedrick’s Hefeweizen. “With the Cheerwine in it, the hefeweizen tastes like the perfect cherry banana bread,” says Kim.

NoDa Brewing

John Lovejoy, director of hospitality for NoDa Brewing in Charlotte, says this was the brewery’s third year at the festival. Founded in 2011, NODA is the second oldest brewery in Charlotte. Most famous for its Hop, Drop and Roll IPA, the brewery has brewed and widely distributed its Cheerwine Ale for the past year. Available in 12- and 16-ounce cans, it’s the only beer I saw at the fest that was served from cans.

Cheerwine Ale is a crisp, refreshing, Cheerwine-infused wheat ale. It is smooth-drinking and well-balanced, with a touch of Cheerwine that doesn’t overpower the beer’s flavor.

Gizmo Brew Works

Brian Williams, one of the owners of Gizmo Brew Works, led his team at the fest. Based in Raleigh, the brewery also has taprooms in Chapel Hill and Durham. “We make a little bit of everything, but our best sellers our our BeeKeeper Wheat and our IPAs.”

“This is our third year at the Cheerwine Festival,” said Brian. “We love it. The town of Salisbury always puts on a good show.”

The brewery was serving its Cheerwine Pilsner and Cheerwine Honey Wheat. Brian described the pilsner as a little lighter and the perfect beer to keep you hydrated on a warm day.

Incendiary Brewing

Based in Winston-Salem, this was Incendiary Brewing Company’s third year at the Festival. “We sell out of so much beer here,” said Savannah Figuracion, taproom manager of their Raleigh location. She noted that they brought 60 kegs this year.

“We’re best known for our barrel-aged imperial stouts and our high-gravity IPAs (Shift series DIPA),” she says but adds that in warmer months they sell a ton of their Coal Pit Pils (a German Leichtbier-style Pilsner, 4.0% ABV).

Their Cheerwine-inspired brew, which, I’d say, had the best beer name of the day, was the PhlusterCluck Cherry Hard Seltzer. “It’s as close to the Cheerwine soda taste as you can get with alcohol in it,” Kim said.

It happen each May

This fest is loads of fun as a craft beer-focused road trip. Also tons of street food, crafts, live bands, and, of course, plenty of OG Cheerwine soda. Bookmark the festival website and plan to attend next May.

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PHOTO Gallery

From the 2024 Cheerwine Festival (Click on to enlarge)

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