Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company

Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company is a family-owned independent craft brewery in the Downtown Arts District of Winston-Salem, NC — founded by Stuart and Lindsay Barnhart with Stuart’s cousin David Ashe, and open since August 2017 in the historic Big Winston Warehouse on North Trade Street. The brewery runs a 15-barrel brewhouse producing traditional styles alongside a rotating cast of seasonals and one-offs.

The name comes from the cousins’ childhood summers in the Blue Ridge Mountains — hiking, fishing, and listening to mountain music. Their family roots trace to Galax, Virginia, where Bluegrass and Old Time music have been part of the family culture for generations, and the brewery carries that forward with regular open-format Old Time jam sessions.

Fiddlin’ Fish sits right next door to Broad Branch Distillery on North Trade Street, which makes a beer-and-spirits afternoon about as easy as it gets — park once and walk between the two.

Be sure to check out the pictures below to get a feel for Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company before you go — or to relive the visit after.

The Founders and the Name

Stuart Barnhart of Winston-Salem and his cousin David Ashe of Richmond left careers in finance and hospitality in 2016 with an idea: a brewery making beer so good people would want to become regulars. What followed was hundreds of hours of brewing, tasting, strategizing, and accounting in Stuart’s basement — and in the summer of 2017, the late-night “what if” finally took shape. Stuart’s wife Lindsay Barnhart is the third founder.

The name has been the brewery’s most-asked question since opening. The fiddle comes from the family’s Southwest Virginia roots in Galax — a town synonymous with Old Time and Bluegrass music, home to the Old Fiddlers’ Convention — where the tradition has run through the family for generations. The fish comes from the cousins being avid outdoorsmen, with fly fishing as the shared pursuit that brought them together. Put together, the name is a straight reflection of Blue Ridge summers spent hiking, fishing, and listening to mountain music.

The brewery keeps the fiddle half of the name honest with regular open-format Old Time jam sessions in the taproom — a genuinely unusual programming choice for a craft brewery and one that connects the room directly to the founders’ family history.

The Taproom and the Big Winston Warehouse

The taproom occupies the historic Big Winston Warehouse, a former tobacco warehouse and open-air market building — and true to those roots, the space keeps an industrial character, with high ceilings, an open view of the brewing tanks, and large garage doors that open onto a covered patio in good weather.

The artistic side comes from the murals. Local artist Hieronymus painted the taproom, and the work is one of the first things people notice. The building also incorporates reclaimed architectural elements from around the Camel City — including steel-frame windows salvaged from the old Nissen Wagon Works factory, which sit behind the brewing area where Stuart works.

The room is built for staying a while. There are eight 60-inch TVs — including two on the patio — plus a 150-inch projector screen for big games, which makes Fiddlin’ Fish one of the better game-day rooms among Winston-Salem’s breweries. Beyond sports, the taproom runs live music, board games, trivia on Tuesday nights, and a steady calendar of community events. Food trucks rotate through, and the room is friendly to both families and groups.

On the beer side, the 15-barrel brewhouse turns out traditional styles plus seasonals and one-offs, with That Fish Cray, a New England IPA, among the regularly praised regulars, and the Ardmore Amber Ale on the traditional end. Cans are available to take home. Distribution now reaches Raleigh, Charlotte, and as far west as Boone.

Good to Know

• Location: 772 North Trade Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 (Downtown Arts District)
• Phone: 336-999-8945
• Email: info@fiddlinfish.com
• Hours: Open daily, generally afternoon into the evening with earlier openings and later closings on weekends — check the Fiddlin’ Fish website for current hours
• Opened: August 2017
• Founders: Stuart and Lindsay Barnhart with cousin David Ashe; family roots in Galax, Virginia
• The name: From the cousins’ childhood summers in the Blue Ridge Mountains — the fiddle for the family’s Old Time and Bluegrass tradition, the fish for fly fishing
• The building: The historic Big Winston Warehouse, a former tobacco warehouse and open-air market; industrial character with high ceilings, open brewing tanks, and garage doors onto a covered patio
• The art: Murals by local artist Hieronymus; steel-frame windows reclaimed from the old Nissen Wagon Works factory
• The beer: 15-barrel brewhouse producing traditional styles plus rotating seasonals and one-offs; That Fish Cray (NE IPA) and Ardmore Amber Ale among the regulars; cans available to go
• Distribution: Raleigh, Charlotte, and west to Boone
• The taproom: Eight 60-inch TVs (two on the patio), a 150-inch projector screen, board games, and a covered patio
• Programming: Live music, open-format Old Time jam sessions, trivia on Tuesday nights, community events, and rotating food trucks
• Right next door: Broad Branch Distillery — walkable from the same parking
• Best for: Craft beer drinkers, game-day watching, live music and Old Time fans, families and groups, and anyone building a North Trade Street afternoon
• Pair with: Our guide to the top breweries to visit in Winston-Salem; the full Winston-Salem food and beverage cluster; Broad Branch Distillery next door; Mast General Store down Trade Street in the Arts District; or Earl’s and Wise Man Brewing over in Industry Hill

A Winston-Salem Highlight

Two cousins quit jobs in finance and hospitality in 2016 and spent the next year brewing in a basement. That’s the whole origin story, and it’s a good one — Fiddlin’ Fish opened in August 2017 and has since grown into distribution across Raleigh, Charlotte, and Boone without losing the family-business character it started with.

The name earns its keep. Galax, Virginia is Old Time and Bluegrass country, and the Barnhart and Ashe family carried that tradition down through generations — which is why a craft brewery in downtown Winston-Salem hosts open-format Old Time jam sessions. The fish half comes from fly fishing, the pursuit that brought the cousins together in the Blue Ridge. Between the two, the name is about as honest a reflection of its founders as a brewery name gets.

The room is the other reason to go. The Big Winston Warehouse brings tobacco-warehouse bones, Hieronymus murals bring the art, and steel-frame windows pulled from the old Nissen Wagon Works factory tie the building back into Winston-Salem’s industrial history. Add eight TVs, a 150-inch projector, garage doors onto a covered patio, and a rotating food truck out front, and it works as well for a game as it does for a jam session.

And Broad Branch Distillery is right next door — park once, get a pint here and a pour there, and you’ve built an afternoon without moving the car.

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Resources

Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company Website

Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company Facebook

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