201 South Boylan Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27603
919-803-8927
E-mail: info@boylanbridge.com
Website: http://boylanbridge.com
Hours: Monday–Wednesday, 11:30 A.M.–midnight; Thursday–Saturday, 11:30 A.M.–2 A.M.; Sunday, 11:30 A.M.–10 P.M.
Owner: Andrew Leager
Brewmaster: Andy Laco
Opened: 2009
Regular beer lineup: Gantlet Golden Ale, Bruno Bitter, Endless Summer Ale, We Support Public Transportation by Rail Pale Ale, Pullman Porter, Southbound Stout, Hopped Off the Tracks IPA
Seasonals: Trainspotter Scottish Ale, Polar Bear Winter Warmer
The corner of Hargett and Boylan streets features one of the most spectacular views of downtown Raleigh—a view best seen from the patio of Boylan Bridge Brewpub.
Boylan Bridge is the brainchild of architect and cabinetmaker Andrew Leager, owner of Special Projects, LLC, a custom woodworking and design firm in Raleigh. Leager was a homebrewer for just shy of a decade before opening the brewpub. Drawing a parallel between his beer and his cabinetry, he says he likes to take raw materials and have his way with them.
Appropriately, the brewpub is an architectural masterpiece. It resides in an old metal fabrication and welding shop but no longer bears any resemblance to it whatsoever. The pub is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows that allow natural light to flow into and illuminate the space. All the woodwork inside and outside was done by Leager and Special Projects. The brewpub’s notable features include a beautiful, sweeping bar, a friendly dining area, and an expansive patio crowned by a gorgeous post-and-beam structure dotted with tables overlooking Raleigh’s skyline.
The brewery, visible behind tall double doors in the bar area, is a small seven-barrel brewpub system that Leager bought used from Peckerhead Brewing Company in Douglasville, Georgia.
When Boylan Bridge Brewpub opened in 2009, it sold out of beer in two weeks, forcing it to double its capacity almost instantly. Since then, it has been a local stop for the Boylan Heights crowd and many others who look to enjoy their beer in the beautiful setting Leager has designed.
Boylan Bridge Brewpub looking toward its expansive patio