Forgotten Road Ales, a small craft brewery sits in the heart of North Carolina in Graham. Like every great brewery it has a backstory of how it came to be.
The brewery started with more than just a passion to make great beer but a desire to create a place for people to connect. Our head brewer and co-founder Ben is a Marine Vet who was deployed 3 times within his 10 years of service. During his second deployment the idea of a brewery was birthed in a bar over a few drinks with his fellow Marine. “Forgotten Road” references the path that each vet takes after their service. The brewery’s name and theme were created with a subtle focus around veterans. It can be found in the brewery’s logo, beer names, and its monthly Veterans Night. The idea was a place where vets felt free to connect and reach out. At the same time FRA looks to embrace the whole community often referring to patrons as FRAMily.
Pursuing this dream Ben became a serious homebrewer. Family and friends cheered him on, he took classes to hone his craft, and investors seeing the potential stepped up to back this dream called a brewery. Then a night of cocktails in Graham led our two beer geeks co-founders to the corner of Harden and Marshall where an old rundown service station pushed the dream into reality.
After 10 months of hard work and sweat equity Forgotten Road Ales opened its doors with 8 taps and poured its first beer on May 11th, 2019. Its cozy taproom expands out into a spacious beer garden. The beer garden is home to a Tiki Disc Golf course, picnic tables and seating, along with hops and berry beds used to make a few of our beers. In October of 2022, Forgotten Road Ales opened a second taproom in Greensboro.
Forgotten Road Ales specializes in barrel aged beers, NE IPAs, sour, and wild ales. The brewery runs on a Bridgetown Brew System 5 bbl brewhouse. This great American-made system feeds multiple tanks ranging from 3.5bbl to 10bbl. The brewery also has a custom- made coolship used to make its spontaneous and wild ales. These along with barrel aged beers require time to mature. You see the promise of future beers in our taproom barrel wall. Not only is it functional but provides a unique ambience.
Whatever road you’re traveling, we hope it leads you to our door. Cheers!