North Carolina Craft beer followers already pour into our state because of its reputation as the South’s premier beer destination, with more breweries than any state south of Pennsylvania (73 and counting). In April, there’s another reason to imbibe: the state’s inaugural North Carolina Beer Month. Destinations across North Carolina are creating special month-long craft beer promotions for April 2013. Lodging packages, gourmet prix fixe menus, special pairings, classes and chef dinners will be part of this first-time promotion created by the North Carolina Division of Tourism and NC Brewer’s Guild.Among the highlights is the Hickory Hops festival on April 20, with 40-plus breweries, music and the Carolinas Championship of Beers.

Our Charlotte ad agency has been bubbling about this fact for a while – that North Carolina’s craft beer scene is thriving and has become a leading destination for beer travelers. To celebrate this fact and to deepen our state’s passion for fermented beverages, NC Beer Month will celebrate ales, lagers, porters and stouts (and possibly ciders) with specialty brewery tours, tastings and travel packages, from coastal villages to urban metropolises to plow-to-pint mountain towns.

Also, some of our local brewers like NoDa Brewing and Birdsong Brewery are participating in this historic event, so make sure you come out and sample the goods in April.