Brewery 99

Brewery 99 is Pete Frey’s unassuming craft brewery, which finds its home in a parking lot in Artisan Square, downtown New Bern. Open on Fridays and Saturdays, Brewery 99 first opened its doors in 2015 and has grown to be loved and frequented by the local community in this short period.

Pete began brewing as a hobby project, but decided to turn it into his passion when his brews became much sought after in his friend circle. Word about the strength, quality, and flavor of Pete’s craft beers got around, and the demand increased. Brewery 99 was thus founded.

Brewery 99 is a family enterprise like no other. Pete’s father, Dan Frey, serves as the business manager for the brewpub, taking care of all financial accounts and the legalities that go into running a brewery. 

The brewery team also has another member to speak of, Danielle Shaw. Danielle is the assistant brewer at Brewery 99. She took up the job as a means to supplement her salary as a chemistry teacher, having graduated in chemistry from the University of North Carolina. However, she has continued to stay on and provide Brewery 99 with a steady stream of innovative craft brews.

Beer Availability

Brewery 99 serves a range of delicious artisanal beer to its customers. If you are planning to visit anytime soon, these are the beers you will find available on tap:

• Smoke Wheat: 7% ABV wheat beer, brewed using mesquite smoked malt that provides the smoky flavor that the name promises
• XXX Belgian Triple: 9% ABV Belgian ale, strong bodied, light colored, and sweet but heady, making for an extremely drinkable Summer beer
• CNFGNRNT: 7% ABV American Pale Ale, with a consistent grain and hop profile – seasonal herb and fruit may be added from time to time, such as basil or blueberries
• Lunatic Gruit: 12% ABV h-less ale, extremely strong beer flavored with woodruff, mugwort, gentian root, and sweet gale
• Hideout: 7% ABV dark stout, with complex hop and grain bill, providing a smooth full body – darkest beer on Brewery 99’s tap
• Lager Pale Ale: 7% ABV Triple hopped lager, with a smooth body and mouth flavor – expect a crisp finish and balanced bitterness

You can order small or large servings of any of the above. If you’re strapped for time, you can fill your growlers to-go as well.

Reasons to Visit

If you’re somebody who likes places that deliver their promise without making a lot of hue and cry, Brewery 99 is just the kind of place after your heart. It is a largely undiscovered family-operated craft brewery in New Bern, North Carolina, with a cozy, minimalist vibe. Beer drinkers will appreciate the experimental brews made available and the emotion that goes into crafting each brew.

Brewery 99 welcomes family visits and is as kid-friendly as breweries come. You can seat yourself inside or in their outdoor area, which is supplied with a disc golf basket and cornhole to keep visitors and their kids entertained. The outdoor seating area is more spacious than the accommodation provided inside.

Benches surround the fenced area outside, and a large picnic table takes center space. The idea is to give off a community vibe where strangers can come together and get to know each other as they share a drink. The brewery’s outdoor seating area provides a relaxed backyard feel, which you can enjoy with your friends or even alone.

Did we mention that Brewery 99 is dog-friendly too? You can bring your dog along anytime and enjoy a Brewery 99 special draft as you round up your dog walk.

The brews on tap might be limited, but they will not disappoint you by any means. Also, they are switched up periodically, so you’d do well to visit a second time before forming your opinion if you didn’t particularly fancy their tap brews the first time around.

Pete is a constant fixture at Brewery 99, always up to entertain you with conversation about the origin of Brewery 99’s brews. The other staff and the patrons that frequent this place too make this a comfortable and welcoming visit for any newcomer.

Brewery 99 is a local haunt that serves quality craft brews in a home-like atmosphere. In New Bern for the weekend and want to avoid noisy and crowded breweries? Brewery 99 should be your go-to. You will find a humble taproom with a friendly local crowd gathered, engaged in conversation within themselves or with the staff. If a local New Bern experience is what you’re after, there could be few places like Brewery 99 to provide it for you.

Customers of all kinds have vouched for the quality of Pete’s beers. Great IPAs and delicious stouts find pride of place at Brewery 99. The Smoke Wheat is something of a hot favorite too.

Brewery 99 has plans of expansion in the coming years, the thought of which delights patrons past and present. You may also be able to pick up your own Brewery 99 merchandise soon. For now, however, Brewery 99 is focusing on getting the word out and drawing in more customers to come sample their in-house brews.

Call 252-259-6393 or visit their website to plan your trip to Brewery 99, located at 417 Broad St Ste F, New Bern, North Carolina. There are plenty of parking spaces and food trucks parked nearby to cater to your appetite, if hungry. Visitors, both local residents and out of town customers, continue to share their patronage with this wonderful little craft brewery. Perhaps it’s time you visit and find out why.

If the home-like atmosphere promised by the customers who’ve visited is a draw to you, you better hurry. Brewery 99 is destined for popularity, and it is only a matter of time before people come flocking in from every district of North Carolina to get a taste of Pete’s beers.