White Street Brewing Company

White Street Brewing Company is one of the longest-running and most genuinely historic craft breweries anywhere in Wake Forest, NC — founded in 2012 and set within a restored 1930s car dealership on the town’s namesake White Street downtown corridor. The historic building itself is nearly 90 years old, and the brewery’s decision to preserve the original architecture — exposed brick walls, high ceilings, and an open brewhouse layout — gives visitors a genuinely distinctive taproom experience anchored in Wake Forest’s downtown architectural heritage.

The brewery’s small-batch approach spans traditional ales and lagers, headlined by the award-winning Kölsch-Style Ale and the Hoptimist IPA, with rotating seasonals including the wonderfully named Koschei the Deathless Russian Imperial Stout — a nod to the immortal antagonist of Russian folklore. The taproom serves as a genuine community gathering spot with weekly programming, game options, and rotating food-truck partnerships.

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

The 1930s Car Dealership and Historic White Street Corridor

The restored 1930s car dealership is a genuine piece of Wake Forest’s downtown architectural heritage — a nearly 90-year-old commercial building that the brewery preserved rather than demolished when opening in 2012. The exposed brick walls, high ceilings, and industrial-era proportions of the original space give the taproom a genuinely distinctive character that newer purpose-built breweries can’t replicate.

The open brewhouse layout puts the brewing process directly in the taproom’s line of sight — visitors can see the fermentation tanks, brewing equipment, and active production while enjoying pints. That kind of visible working-brewery experience is genuinely rare in the Triangle craft beer scene, where most breweries entirely separate production from the taproom.

The brewery’s White Street naming ties it directly to the downtown corridor that anchors Wake Forest’s historic district — the same White Street that runs through the Wake Forest Farmers Market and the town’s central shopping and dining cluster. That name-place connection makes White Street Brewing Company one of the most rooted expressions of Wake Forest’s downtown identity in the town’s craft beer scene.

The Beer Program — Kölsch-Style Ale, Hoptimist IPA, and Koschei the Deathless

The award-winning Kölsch-Style Ale anchors the brewery’s flagship lineup. Kölsch is a traditional light German-style ale from the city of Cologne — technically demanding to brew properly because it combines top-fermenting ale yeast with cold lager-style conditioning — and White Street’s award-winning version reflects the brewery’s technical craft in a style that most American craft breweries don’t attempt at all.

Alongside the Kölsch, the Hoptimist IPA brings the classic American hop-forward approach to the flagship lineup, giving IPA fans a familiar reference point alongside the more traditional Kölsch style. Seasonal releases stretch the beer program’s creative range further — with the Koschei the Deathless Russian Imperial Stout among the more memorable rotating offerings. Koschei is the immortal antagonist from traditional Slavic folklore who cannot be killed by conventional means, and the Russian Imperial Stout style — dark, rich, and high-alcohol — is fittingly named for the folklore character.

The festive winter beer program is worth planning a specific visit around. White Street has built a reputation for its holiday seasonal releases — rich, warming, spice-forward brews that arrive as the weather cools and give downtown Wake Forest craft beer regulars a genuine seasonal calendar to build traditions around. Between the Christmas ale traditions, spiced holiday offerings, and rotating winter warmers, the winter season at White Street is genuinely a distinct beer program worth planning around.

Weekly Programming, Games, and Food Truck Partnerships

The taproom’s role as a Wake Forest community gathering spot shapes the day-to-day experience. Weekly events include live music nights, trivia, and Bingo — anchoring the venue as a genuine weekday and weekend destination rather than a beer-only stop. Regulars use the taproom’s darts and shuffleboard setups to build long visits around game sessions.

The food arrangement is distinctive: rather than maintaining an in-house kitchen, White Street partners with nearby downtown Wake Forest restaurants for delivery and hosts rotating food trucks on-site. That arrangement gives visitors a broad range of food options while letting the brewery focus fully on the beer program — and reinforces White Street’s role as a genuine anchor within the broader downtown Wake Forest F&B ecosystem.

Good to Know

Location: Historic White Street downtown corridor, Wake Forest, NC
Founded: 2012 (one of the longest-running Wake Forest craft breweries)
Building: Restored 1930s car dealership — nearly 90 years old, with exposed brick walls, high ceilings, and preserved industrial-era architecture
Brewing setup: Open brewhouse layout with fermentation tanks and brewing equipment visible from the taproom
Signature beers: Award-winning Kölsch-Style Ale (a technically demanding traditional German light ale); Hoptimist IPA (hop-forward American IPA style)
Notable seasonal: Koschei the Deathless Russian Imperial Stout (named after the immortal antagonist of Slavic folklore)
Winter beer program: White Street is known for its festive winter beer releases — rich, warming, spice-forward holiday brews that anchor the brewery’s seasonal calendar and give downtown Wake Forest regulars a genuine winter craft beer tradition
Amenities: Darts; shuffleboard; open brewhouse viewing
Programming: Weekly live music, trivia, Bingo, and rotating community events
Food: Rotating food truck partnerships and delivery from nearby downtown Wake Forest restaurants (no in-house kitchen)
Hours: Check the White Street Brewing Company website for current hours
Best for: Craft beer enthusiasts (especially fans of authentic German-style Kölsch, dark seasonal stouts, and festive winter beer programs), downtown Wake Forest regulars building weekly traditions, games players, live music fans, and visitors curious about the town’s historic White Street architectural heritage
Pair with: A broader Wake Forest food and beverage day exploring the town’s concentrated craft brewery scene, plus outdoor recreation at E. Carroll Joyner Park with its wonderful Great Depression-era pecan grove, or the sprawling Falls Lake State Recreation Area just north of town

A Wake Forest Highlight

White Street Brewing Company is the kind of stop that stays with you for the sheer historic depth of the setting. The 1930s restored car dealership building puts the brewery in a genuinely rare category of American craft breweries — those that preserve a specific piece of local architectural heritage rather than build in a generic industrial space. Combined with the White Street corridor namesake and the exposed brick and high ceilings, the taproom feels genuinely rooted in Wake Forest’s downtown identity in a way most newer Triangle breweries don’t attempt.

The beer program rounds out the appeal. Between the award-winning Kölsch-Style Ale (a technically demanding German-style ale), the Hoptimist IPA, the wonderfully named Koschei the Deathless Russian Imperial Stout, and the celebrated festive winter beer program that has built a distinct seasonal following, White Street has become one of the most consistently rewarding stops on Wake Forest’s concentrated craft brewery cluster — and a genuine long-term anchor of the town’s downtown craft beverage scene since 2012.