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Fifth season includes 39 local vendors.

Just as sure as St. Nicholas will make his annual rounds, Weihnachtsmarkt returns to Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (OMB) ready to spread the Christmas spirit. This is how Charlotte’s first craft brewery pays holiday homage to its German background while inviting all to sip, shop and be merry.

“Weihnachtsmarkt is one of our signature events that we celebrate throughout the month of December with great beer, an open air craft market and baked goods,” says John Marrino, founder of OMB, “Our Biergarten is transformed into a festive and social experience, true to German towns like Nüremburg, that attract people to their Christmas Markets from around the world.”

Festivities begin with a tree lighting ceremony on December 1st to usher in the holiday season. Winter seasonal beers will be served fresh, including Dunkel, Bauern Bock and Yule Bock, as well as Glühwein, a mulled red wine served hot and fresh. 39 local vendors set up shop as OMB’s Weihnachtsmark welcomes guests over three weekends: December 2-3; 9-10 and 16-17; on Fridays 4–9 pm and Saturdays 2-9 pm (Brewery closes at 11pm both nights).

“We love that Charlotteans have made our Christmas Market part of their holiday traditions,” says Jocelyn Ruark, OMB’s Marketing Manager. “It’s a time we can all gather in the Biergarten to celebrate the season, shop local and give back to our community.”

OMB is the number one craft beer in the Charlotte market according to IRI data, and offers free brewery tours every weekend at 2, 3 and 4 o’clock.

The Beers

BAUERN BOCK: This “country bock” is sure to instill the harvest spirit. With a deep amber hue to match the season, this German-style doppelbock lager is rich and malty. One of OMB’s “biggest” beers in terms of flavor and gravity.

DUNKEL: One of OMB’s most popular seasonals, Dunkel is a smooth Munich-style dark lager with caramel and roasted malt flavors courtesy of Dark Munich and Carafa malts. Dunkel offers an easy-drinking finish to even the coldest, darkest days of winter.

YULE BOCK: This holiday delight is an authentic “Weihnachtsbock” (Christmas Bock) — a really fantastic traditional German holiday beer style. Premium European barley malts and noble hops give this bock lager its rich amber color and smooth malty character; releasing Thursday, Dec. 1 during the tree lighting.

About Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Founded in 2009 in Charlotte, NC, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery is a privately held brewery founded on the basis of delivering fresh, local beer and adhering to Germany’s oldest beer purity guidelines, known as the “Reinheitsgebot”. Four beers are available year-round and at least 8 others make seasonal and holiday appearances — always delivered in refrigerated trucks to preserve freshness and meet the demands of ultra-premium beer consumers. OMB is one of only nine craft breweries included on the Inc. 5000 list, and the only one in North Carolina. The brewery has received numerous regional medals plus international medals in North America and Europe. OMB was also named best brewery tour in the country by the readers of USA Today, and receives many accolades for its multi-acre Munich-inspired Biergarten, which seats 1,000.