I’ll drink beer sometimes, but if you asked if I’d prefer wine or a cocktail, I’d say yes. I’ve never quite taken to beer. It makes my stomach feel funky, and I hate the way hops seem to stick to your tongue. I love brewery culture, though; sitting around with lots of people playing board games or corn hole is a fantastic way to spend time with friends. I strategically plan these hangouts or an afternoon business meeting at places with beverage options beyond IPAs. Here are the best breweries for folks who don’t love beer, in no particular order.

Lenny Boy Brewing Co.: We take guests to breweries just about any time we have out-of-town visitors. We don’t want them to think we’re drinking all day, every weekend, though. Lenny Boy’s kombucha is a good break from craft beer drinking, whether you’re in the middle of a brewery tour or making your way through their craft beer menu. Fans of the fermented drink have been grabbing bottles at Whole Foods for a while now, but we prefer drinking them in-house. Our favorite kombucha is the Good Ol’ Ginger, available year-round, but the seasonal options are always exciting, too.

Resident Culture Brewing Company: It didn’t take long for this Plaza Midwood brewery to gain a following of craft beer fanatics. Resident Culture also has a small but mighty wine list, even though you may not have noticed it. The list, which you can ask bartenders for, is curated by Brad McClain, manager at Good Food on Montford. The wine list at Good Food is well selected, and that same care goes into picking the wines behind the bar at Resident Culture. There’s no shame about ordering wine at a brewery when they put this much effort into it.

NoDa Brewing: Last week, NoDa Brewing launched Brizo, a spiked sparkling seltzer line. The seltzers are malt beverages, and have an ABV of 4.85 percent. NoDa has long been a mecca for the craft beer obsessed, with long lines marking special release days. For the uneducated beer drinker, however, the brewery could feel a little intimidating. Not so anymore, with Brizo available in four flavors on tap. Our favorite is the ginger lime. You can also bring some of the seltzer home from the brewery in crowlers (growler cans poured and sealed in the taproom).

Sycamore Brewing: Sycamore is a sunny day playground, and its patio becomes packed in the late afternoons. One of the reasons the brewery is able to draw a crowd is its diverse beverage offerings. Prosecco on tap? Yes, please. You can also get a glass of rosé, pinot noir, or pinot grigio, as well as canned wine from Underwood. Sycamore also recently released its own line of ciders, called Wild Blossom Cider. Among them are brut and rosé options.

Heist Brewery: This NoDa brewery once drew more crowds for its food menu than its beer list, but Heist has been rising in the ranks of Charlotte beer lately. It’s always been a place with solid cocktails, though, starting with Dot Dot Dot owner Stefan Huebner’s stint there as bartender. He made the brewery bar’s cocktail list one of the best in town, and while Huebner’s moved on, the cocktail list still goes strong, with an all-Carolina spirits cocktail list, white Russian riffs, and new takes on old classics.  —Kristen Wile

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