November 2, 2026 · Youngsville, NC Downtown Youngsville has a new reason to park the car and stay a while. North State Brewing Company opened at 133 East Main Street with a ribbon cutting on September 12, 2026, and it has settled in as a neighborhood taproom that pours both beer and mead. North State is veteran owned. Co-owners Rob Smith, a U.S. Navy veteran, and Ian Zech, who earned Wake Tech's commercial brewing certificate, kept the operation small on purpose. They brew on a nano system, about one barrel per batch, so the board changes often. The tap list runs wide for a small shop. Recent pours included a citrusy hazy IPA, a West Coast IPA, a German pilsner, a Kolsch, a Vienna lager, a Marzen, a Belgian blonde and a 9.5 percent imperial stout. Mead fans get house meads such as a bright, floral melomel and a coffee and maple metheglin, and there is root beer for anyone skipping alcohol. Flights let you try four small pours. The taproom has two dart boards, a refurbished pool table and plenty of reclaimed barn wood. A darts league plays on Wednesday nights, and taco trucks park out front on scheduled Saturday evenings, with nights posted for November 14 and 21. The rest of Main Street, from a New York style deli to an ice cream shop, is a short walk away. North State is the kind of small-town taproom that rewards a return visit, because the beer list never sits still. Grab a flight, rack up a game of pool and say hello to Youngsville's newest brewers. Sources: North State Brewing official site (northstatebrewing.com, home, On Tap and Our Journey pages), Wake Forest Magazine directory and Stephanie Sells NC (October 2026).Who's behind it
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