Lesser-Known Beer Company

Lesser-Known Beer Company is a lager-focused microbrewery and taphouse in a Historic District just down the block from Old Salem in Winston-Salem, NC. Opened in late June 2022 by college friends Will Loring and Ryan Gramlich, the brewery specializes in Czech and German-style lagers — a deliberately less-common focus in a craft market dominated by IPAs and stouts, and the source of the “Lesser-Known” name.

The taphouse occupies the restored Yates Service Station, a historic building the owners renovated with a nod to its service-station architecture. The lager focus carries a fitting bit of local history: the Moravians who founded Salem in 1766 originated in what is now the Czech Republic, tying Lesser-Known’s Central European brewing tradition back to the city’s roots.

Be sure to check out the pictures below to get a feel for Lesser-Known Beer Company before you go — or to relive the visit after.

The Founders and the Lager Focus

Lesser-Known was founded in 2022 by Will Loring and Ryan Gramlich, college friends who both originally hail from Virginia. Gramlich cut his teeth as a head brewer in Richmond, and when the two reconnected and started planning a brewery together, they landed on Winston-Salem — an already-established Triad brewing market where they believed their specific approach would set them apart.

That approach is the lager. Rather than chase the hop-forward IPAs and imperial stouts that dominate most taplists, Lesser-Known committed to Czech and German-style lagers and other traditional Central European styles — beers that take longer to make and get less attention, but reward the brewer’s patience with clean, precise, sessionable results. It’s a focused, unpretentious program built around getting a handful of classic styles exactly right rather than turning out novelty after novelty.

The location ties the whole concept together. The brewery sits in a Historic District just down the block from Old Salem, not far from the site of the first known commercial brewery in the area — and the Single Brothers’ Brewery & Distillery that the Moravians operated in Salem beginning in 1774. For a brewery built on Central European lager tradition, opening steps from where Czech-descended Moravians first brewed in Winston-Salem is a genuinely fitting piece of continuity.

The Taphouse and the Beer

Despite the “Lesser-Known” name and the expectation of a quiet taproom full of beer nerds hunched over lagering tanks, the reality is livelier — a diverse, busy crowd inside and an attractive outdoor space that fills up even on a chilly evening. What might have started out low-key has broken through into a genuinely popular spot across Winston-Salem.

The beer is the reason. The rotating draft list centers on Czech and German-style lagers — brewed seasonally and served fresh — alongside other traditional European styles, all made with the kind of attention to detail that the lager format demands. The staff know the lineup and are happy to steer newcomers toward the right pour. The vibe is relaxed and unpretentious, and the restored Yates Service Station lends the room a character that a generic taproom build-out couldn’t replicate.

As with most Winston-Salem taprooms, food is handled by rotating trucks and the space works for families, groups, and solo drinkers alike. Between the lager focus, the historic building, and the Old Salem proximity, Lesser-Known has become a genuine destination rather than the under-the-radar spot its name suggests.

Good to Know

• Location: 901 South Broad Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 (Historic District, near Old Salem)
• Hours: Check the Lesser-Known Beer Company website for current hours
• Opened: Late June 2022
• Founders: Will Loring and Ryan Gramlich, college friends originally from Virginia; Gramlich was previously a head brewer in Richmond
• The building: The restored historic Yates Service Station
• Beer focus: Czech and German-style lagers and other traditional Central European styles, brewed seasonally and served fresh
• The name: A nod to the brewery’s focus on less-common, under-represented beer styles
• Moravian connection: The lager focus echoes the Central European roots of the Moravians who founded Salem in 1766, near the site of the area’s first commercial brewing
• The space: Indoor taphouse plus an outdoor area; food trucks rotate through
• Best for: Lager drinkers, fans of Czech and German styles, anyone tired of the IPA-and-stout default, and visitors pairing a brewery stop with Old Salem
• Pair with: Our guide to the top breweries to visit in Winston-Salem; the full Winston-Salem food and beverage cluster; Old Salem Museums & Gardens just down the block; or Broad Branch Distillery and Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company on North Trade Street

A Winston-Salem Highlight

There’s a quiet confidence in opening a brewery that specializes in lagers. Lagers take longer to make, they’re less forgiving of mistakes, and they don’t come with the built-in hype of a hazy double IPA or a pastry stout. Will Loring and Ryan Gramlich built Lesser-Known Beer Company on exactly that bet — Czech and German-style lagers, made carefully, served fresh — and the crowd that packs the place proves the bet paid off.

The building helps. A restored Yates Service Station in a Historic District steps from Old Salem gives the taphouse a sense of place, and the outdoor area stays busy even when the weather doesn’t cooperate. For a brewery whose name suggests you’d have to search to find it, Lesser-Known has become one of the more genuinely popular stops in the city’s beer scene.

There’s a nice bit of history in the geography, too. The Moravians who founded Salem in 1766 came from Central Europe — the present-day Czech Republic — and brewed some of the area’s first beer just up the block. Two and a half centuries later, a Czech-and-German lager house opening on the same ground closes a loop most drinkers never notice. Order a pilsner, take it out to the patio, and enjoy a style that doesn’t get nearly enough attention.

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Resources

Lesser-Known Beer Company Website

Lesser-Known Beer Company Instagram

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