Incendiary Brewing Company

Incendiary Brewing Company is a craft brewery in downtown Winston-Salem, NC — one of the anchor tenants of the Bailey Power Plant adaptive-reuse district in the Innovation Quarter. Opened on Labor Day weekend in September 2018 by Winston-Salem natives Brandon Branscome and John Bacon, Incendiary occupies 6,200 square feet on the first floor of the former R.J. Reynolds coal-fired power plant — a fitting setting for a brewery whose name plays on both the building’s industrial fire history and the spark the founders wanted to light in Winston-Salem’s craft beer scene.

The brewery’s signature outdoor space is The Coal Pit — the vast, concrete-lined former coal-feeding courtyard of the Bailey Power Plant, now one of downtown Winston-Salem’s premier outdoor spaces for drinking, dining, and events. Between the wood-fired pizza next door, the free biweekly summer concerts, the colorful picnic tables, and the towering brick smokestacks framing the whole scene, an evening at Incendiary captures a real piece of what makes the Innovation Quarter distinctive.

Our personal favorite is their Tangie Dream — a beautifully balanced warmer-weather beer that always makes it into our summer rotation.

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

The 2018 Founding — Brandon Branscome and John Bacon’s 21-Year Brewing Journey

Incendiary’s origin story spans more than two decades. Winston-Salem natives Brandon Branscome and John Bacon brewed their first (unsuccessful) batch of beer together in college in 1997 — then set brewing aside for a 15-year break. In the early 2010s, the pair picked it up again as a hobby for friends and neighbors, and after collecting some awards and encouragement from their community, they decided to take Incendiary from home hobby to commercial reality.

The brewery opened its doors at the Bailey Power Plant on Labor Day weekend in September 2018 — a landmark opening that helped launch the adaptive-reuse district around the historic 1947 R.J. Reynolds power plant. The founders brought in John Priest — a veteran brewmaster with experience at Bells Brewing and at Gibb’s Hundred in Greensboro — to head up brewing operations. The initial facility included a 15-barrel Deutsche Beverage brewhouse, a Wild Goose canning line, and 2,000 square feet of taproom space designed to complement the Coal Pit patio.

That opening helped establish the Bailey Power Plant as a craft beer and dining destination, with Our State magazine later calling Incendiary a pillar of the rapidly developing Innovation Quarter. The taproom carries a signature installation as well — a large painting of a flaming eye by Triad artist Brian Lewis (JEKS) hangs above the bar, tying the Incendiary name to the visual identity of the space.

The Coal Pit — Outdoor Programming in a Preserved Industrial Space

The Coal Pit is the reason many visitors first come to Incendiary. Originally the concrete-lined courtyard where coal was fed into the 1947 R.J. Reynolds power plant, the space has been converted into the outdoor centerpiece of the entire Bailey Power Plant complex — with towering brick smokestacks overhead, colorful picnic tables scattered across what regulars call the “Concrete Cave,” and easy walking access to wood-fired pizza from the adjacent Cugino Forno restaurant.

The Coal Pit hosts Incendiary’s signature summer programming: CoalPitLive, a free biweekly concert series that begins on the last Saturday of May and runs through September, featuring nationally-known artists across genres. The outdoor space fills up on concert nights, making CoalPitLive one of the more accessible outdoor music series in downtown Winston-Salem. The Coal Pit also hosts the Park Hangs outdoor concert programming presented by the NC Museum of Art – Winston-Salem at nearby Bailey Park, with Incendiary providing the beer.

Beyond the concerts, the Coal Pit operates as an all-ages, dog-friendly outdoor space where families spread across the picnic tables while kids and dogs move between the smokestack pillars. That mix — family-friendly by design without sacrificing the craft beer focus — reflects Incendiary’s community-first identity from the founders’ original vision.

The Expansion — From Bailey Power Plant to Four Locations

Since the 2018 Winston-Salem opening, Incendiary has grown into a multi-location NC brewery with four locations across the state. The Winston-Salem original remains the flagship at the Bailey Power Plant. Lewisville is an old vineyard location just outside Winston-Salem with a more laid-back feel than the downtown taproom. Raleigh (Bloc 83) brought Incendiary into the Triangle, and Greensboro is the newest, extending the brand into the greater Triad’s largest city.

Beer offerings across the locations include Incendiary’s rotating draft selection of IPAs, stouts, lagers, and experimental releases — available in 16 oz, 10 oz, or 5 oz pours plus to-go 16 oz cans. The brewery describes its approach as a broad range of classic and experimental beers, drawing inspiration from everywhere, and the Winston-Salem taproom continues to serve as the flagship for the growing brand.

Good to Know

• Location: 486 North Patterson Avenue, Suite 105, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
• Building: Ground floor of the historic 1947 Bailey Power Plant, the former R.J. Reynolds coal-fired power plant now anchoring an adaptive-reuse district
• Hours: Check the Incendiary Brewing Company website for current hours
• Opened: Labor Day weekend, September 2018
• Founders: Brandon Branscome and John Bacon, both Winston-Salem natives
• Founder origin story: Brewed their first (unsuccessful) batch together in college in 1997; took a 15-year break; picked it up again as a hobby, won some awards and encouragement, then opened Incendiary
• Original brewmaster: John Priest (formerly of Bells Brewing and Gibb’s Hundred in Greensboro)
• Signature outdoor space: The Coal Pit — the concrete-lined former coal-feeding courtyard, with brick smokestacks overhead and picnic tables across the “Concrete Cave”; adjacent to Cugino Forno wood-fired pizza
• Signature artwork: A large flaming-eye painting by Triad artist Brian Lewis (JEKS) above the bar
• Summer programming: CoalPitLive — free biweekly concerts from the last Saturday of May through September; also hosts Park Hangs concerts for the NC Museum of Art – Winston-Salem at Bailey Park
• Family- and dog-friendly: All-ages outdoor space; dogs welcome
• Additional locations: Lewisville, Raleigh (Bloc 83), and Greensboro
• The beer: Rotating IPAs, stouts, lagers, and experimental releases; 16 oz, 10 oz, or 5 oz pours; to-go 16 oz cans
• Our favorite: Tangie Dream — a warmer-weather beer that anchors our summer rotation
• Best for: Craft beer drinkers, families (the Coal Pit is built for it), dog owners, live music fans, and anyone exploring the Innovation Quarter
• Pair with: Our guide to the top breweries to visit in Winston-Salem; the full Winston-Salem food and beverage cluster; the rest of the Bailey Power Plant tenants, including Cugino Forno wood-fired pizza; Bailey Park and Mast General Store in the Innovation Quarter; or Broad Branch Distillery and Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company over on North Trade Street

A Winston-Salem Highlight

Some breweries earn their identity from the beer alone. Others earn it from the space. Incendiary Brewing Company has both. The 1947 Bailey Power Plant that once fueled R.J. Reynolds’s Camel cigarette factory now holds one of the most enjoyable outdoor drinking spaces anywhere in the Piedmont Triad — towering brick smokestacks overhead, the concrete-lined Coal Pit spreading out from the taproom, and colorful picnic tables that turn every warm-weather visit into a community gathering.

The founder story adds real heart to the place. Brandon Branscome and John Bacon are Winston-Salem natives whose brewing journey began with a failed batch in college in 1997, went dormant for 15 years, and returned as a hobby for friends before entering commercial production at the Bailey Power Plant in 2018. That slow, patient path from homebrew to flagship taproom — and then to four locations across NC — reflects the founders’ community-rooted approach.

For summer visits, plan around the free CoalPitLive concert series (biweekly Saturdays from late May through September) and don’t miss the Tangie Dream — our warmer-weather go-to that reliably pairs with a Cugino Forno pizza on the Coal Pit picnic tables. Between the beer, the space, the outdoor programming, and the R.J. Reynolds industrial heritage preserved in every visible smokestack and concrete pier, Incendiary captures the spirit of the modern Innovation Quarter.

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Incendiary Brewing Company Website

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