About Us

The Glass Jug Beer Lab is a local craft brewery, focused on experimental beer, new processes, and high standards of quality.

Our RTP location is a retail craft beer store where our on-site brewery is located. The taproom features 24 rotating taps with an emphasis on seasonal brews, one-off special releases, and new collaborations with local breweries, in addition to all of your favorite craft beers, specialty wine, and cider. The outdoor beer garden hosts many weekly events, such as live music, food trucks, and trivia.

Our Downtown Durham taproom is where we can fully express our own brand. There is no retail shop, but our own beers are available on draft and to-go in cans and crowlers. Located adjacent to Durham Central Park, the taproom offers a convenient location to many other shops, bars, and restaurants, and comes complete with an excellent view of Durham Central Park.

How It Began

In 2013, the NC General Assembly passed a new law, loosening the strict regulations on the sale and filling of reusable growlers for beer. The passage of the new growler law opened the door for retail beer stores to take the lead with growlers, enabling more options for customers and more outlets for fresh draft beer to go. The Glass Jug was created at the forefront of this movement.  As a retail craft beer shop with an on-site bar, The Jug was built around a core principle - to serve great local and craft beer to our customers in the freshest way possible and let them take it home without sacrificing the quality of the beer.

Opening in the fall of 2014, The Glass Jug quickly became one of the premiere craft beer destinations in the Triangle area. The Glass Jug was voted the Best New Business in Durham County in 2014, and has been a finalist in the INDY Weekly reader's poll for best draft selection & retail beer selection every year since opening. In 2015, The Glass Jug was also named a North Carolina Retailer of the Year by the NC Retail Merchant's Association.

As a leading craft beer store, The Glass Jug boasts an unrivaled variety and selection of craft beer in bottles, cans, and on draft.

Growth and Expansion

In early 2018, The Glass Jug made a transformation, moving from its original storefront to a larger space in the same RTP-area shopping center, adding the on-site brewery and outdoor beer garden. The expanded space also features The Atrium, a separate seating area that can be rented for private parties and events.

The growth allowed The Glass Jug Beer Lab to continue leading the way in the craft beer movement, expanding beyond just the retail sale of beer and wine into a fully-functioning brewery and taproom. The expansion also saw the introduction of crowlers in addition to growlers. The Glass Jug has done all of this while continuing to serve the needs of the local community as an inclusive and welcoming gathering space that is safe, relaxed, and fun for all.

A Second Taproom & Increased Production

In the fall of 2020, The Glass Jug announced plans to open a new taproom located next to Durham Central Park in downtown Durham. The taproom opened on March 31, 2021 and features a casual and inviting space with a patio that opens up into Durham Central Park. While there is not a full bottle shop at this location, there is a small selection of to-go products, in addition to draft beer, wine, and cider.

To accommodate the demands of a second taproom location, The Glass Jug has also begun brewing in Rocky Mount, NC, through an Alternating Proprietorship agreement with the Rocky Mount Mills, home to breweries such as HopFly and Koi Pond. Several other breweries are also using this facility to grow their production, including Barrel Culture and Crystal Coast. The Glass Jug continues to brew at our South Durham home, but Rocky Mount allows us to increase production and put more beer in cans on a more frequent basis.