by Cierra Lannon

Charlotte-based Pilot Brewing has been named one of six nationwide finalists for the Samuel Adams Brewing & Business Experienceship.

Pilot is a small-batch brewery in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood has won 44 awards for its various beers in seven years, including a few gold medals from NC Brewers Cups and World Beer Cups. Its latest accolade for the women-owned brewery is “incredibly validating” for the people at Pilot Brewing, says owner and director of brewing operations Rachael Hudson.

“Pilot was built from the beginning with the belief that community matters more than scale,” Hudson says. “We’ve never tried to be the loudest brewery or the biggest brewery. We’ve focused on creating a space that feels welcoming, intentional, curious, and deeply connected to the people around us.”

Hudson is also an Advanced Cicerone – the beer world’s equivalent to a sommelier. 

“We’ve always approached brewing with intention, not just in the beer itself, but in the environment we create around it,” she says. “Education, hospitality, experimentation, community involvement, and thoughtful branding are all part of the experience for us,” Hudson says.

In a traditionally male-dominated field locally and nationally, the Pilot team stresses how meaningful the Samuel Adams Experienceship recognized their business in this nomination. “We want other women, queer people, and people who may not have traditionally seen themselves represented in beer to know there is space for them here,” Hudson says.

Pilot positions itself on the fact that the brewery isn’t just for beer, but also a community space. The brewery’s Charity of the Month program features different local organizations to help raise funds and awareness for their causes. The brewery also collaborates with local artists to create custom can artwork and regularly hosts events, classes, and workshops in their taproom.

“Our partnerships with local artists helped define our visual identity and reinforce the idea that creativity should exist everywhere inside the brewery experience, from labels to events to the atmosphere itself,” Hudson says. “Those partnerships taught us that people want authenticity. They want businesses that genuinely participate in the communities they exist within rather than just marketing toward them.”

The Brewing & Business Experienceship has been highlighting craft brewers nationwide since 2012. Samuel Adams’ Brewing The American Dream, their nonprofit sector, invites one brewery per year to the Samuel Adams Boston hub to “work side-by-side with a team of experts and mentors, learn the craft and business of brewing, and collaborate on a specialty beer with Samuel Adams.”

If the Pilot Brewing team becomes the 2026 Experienceship winner, Hudson has specific lessons she’s intent on learning from the Samuel Adams team. “I’m especially interested in learning more about sustainable growth strategies, operational efficiencies, leadership development, and ways breweries can continue building strong community relationships while navigating an increasingly challenging industry landscape,” Hudson says.

“If we were selected as the winner, I’d want to bring those lessons back to Charlotte in a way that strengthens not just Pilot, but the broader brewing community around us. Charlotte has an incredibly collaborative beer scene, and one of the best parts of this industry is how often knowledge gets shared.”

Pilot is up against a wide range of competition, from Old World-style Midwest breweries to Californian craft breweries. “America’s next top craft brewer” will be crowned at the fifth annual Crafting Dreams Beer Bash on Thursday, June 11, in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Hudson is excited about what this finalist nomination means for Charlotte, specifically.

“For a long time, Charlotte may have been underestimated culturally compared to some larger cities,” she says. “Pilot being selected as a finalist reflects the fact that Charlotte breweries are not all trying to look the same or operate from the same blueprint. There’s room here for experimentation, strong point of view, hospitality-driven spaces, and breweries that center community and creativity alongside great beer.”

Unpretentious People Say...

Other Articles You Might Enjoy