Clouds Brewing

What Clouds Brewing does

Clouds Brewing is a privately held craft brewery and multi-location hospitality operator founded in 2014 and headquartered in North Carolina's Triangle region. The company produces German-inspired, American-made beers from a 15-barrel brewhouse at its Raleigh brewery taproom (1233 Front St), which generates the majority of its 1,000+ barrel annual production. It currently operates three venues: the Raleigh brewery taproom, the Durham Brewcade + Kitchen (a full-service restaurant with 50 taps, New American pub fare, and arcade games in Brightleaf Square), and the Storm Cellar Chapel Hill basement bar (opened 2024 on Franklin Street near UNC). The portfolio spans eight core year-round beers including Wolkenbräu Lager, Midnight Delight Milk Stout, Precipitation Pilsner, and Hop J.A.M. American IPA, plus a proprietary process that removes 99%+ of gluten from select SKUs, rotating seasonal releases, and the Silver Linings Series charity collaboration program launched in 2021.

Revenue is generated through three channels: on-premise sales at the three venues (taproom beer, food, and entertainment), statewide wholesale distribution to bars, restaurants, and retailers across North Carolina via a partnership with Empire Distributors, and ancillary retail (branded apparel, accessories, drinkware, pet products, and gift cards) through an online store. Pricing is transactional with draft pours priced from $6-$7, 4 oz tastes from $2.50-$2.80, growlers from $16-$28, and merchandise generally priced $10-$30. The company employs 51-100 staff and has been recognized as Raleigh's Best Brewery by the News & Observer in 2023, 2024, and 2025, alongside multiple regional and national brewing competition medals.

In April 2024, Clouds Brewing closed its Downtown Raleigh restaurant and consolidated physical operations to the surviving three Triangle venues; the company remains privately held with no disclosed institutional funding. Its primary customer segments are Triangle-area craft beer enthusiasts, casual diners and social groups seeking entertainment-led venues, and the UNC campus community in Chapel Hill, with all revenue derived from direct-to-consumer transactions rather than enterprise contracts.

Name

Clouds Brewing

Legal name

Clouds Brewing

Website

https://cloudsbrewing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Clouds Brewing is a privately held craft brewery founded in 2014 that operates three Triangle-region venues in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, producing German-inspired beers from a 15-barrel brewhouse and distributing statewide via Empire Distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewery

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA), Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewery
• Brewpub restaurant
• Craft beer distribution
• Taproom bar service
• Branded merchandise store

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Taproom and On-site Sales: Direct beer sales through the brewery taproom in Raleigh and full-service restaurants in Durham and Chapel Hill. Guests can purchase draft beer, canned products, and food.
2. Distribution to Retail: Distribution of canned and bottled beer to bars, restaurants, and retailers throughout North Carolina via partnership with Empire Distributors.
3. Merchandise Store: Online and in-store sales of branded merchandise including apparel, accessories, drinkware, and pet products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clouds Brewing is a multi-location craft brewery and hospitality brand that produces and serves German-inspired, American-made craft beer from a 15-barrel brewhouse in North Raleigh. It operates three hospitality venues (Raleigh Taproom, Durham Brewcade + Kitchen, and Chapel Hill Storm Cellar) selling draft and packaged beer, food, and entertainment, and distributes canned and bottled beer across North Carolina via Empire Distributors. The company also sells branded merchandise, gift cards, and runs the Silver Linings rotating charity beer series.

Product overview

Clouds Brewing is a multi-location craft brewery and hospitality brand founded in 2014, headquartered in North Carolina's Triangle region (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill). The company operates three distinct venues: the Raleigh Brewery Taproom (home base with a 15-barrel brewhouse producing over 1,000 barrels annually), Durham Brewcade + Kitchen (a full-service restaurant with arcade games and 50 taps in Brightleaf Square), and Storm Cellar Chapel Hill (a basement bar opened in 2024 with cocktails and 50+ beer taps). The core product portfolio consists of eight year-round core beers including Wolkenbräu Lager, Midnight Delight Milk Stout, Precipitation Pilsner, Hop J.A.M. IPA, and others, supplemented by seasonal special releases and the Silver Linings Series (rotating charity beers donating $1 per can to local nonprofits). Beer distribution spans all of North Carolina via Empire Distributors. The company also operates an online merchandise store selling branded apparel, drinkware, and pet accessories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Silver Linings Series: Rotating charitable beer series where proceeds benefit local non-profit organizations. Started in 2021, partnering every other month with Triangle-area charities.

Products and services

• Wolkenbräu Lager Flagship German-American Lager at 4.5% ABV with gluten-removed option available. Year-round core offering for craft beer enthusiasts.
• Midnight Delight Milk Stout Chocolate Milk Stout with 6.7% ABV; year-round core beer and 2019 Carolina Championship of Beers Gold Medal winner.
• Precipitation Pilsner German-style Pilsner at 5.2% ABV and 28 IBU with prominent hop bitterness and mellow malt sweetness; available with gluten removal (99%+).
• Blood Orange Hop J.A.M. IPA brewed with blood orange; part of the Hop J.A.M. family of IPAs in the core lineup.
• El Hefe Hefeweizen Hefeweizen at 4.9% ABV in the year-round core lineup; multiple medal winner in regional and national competitions.
• Accumulation Amber Lager Amber Lager at 5.5% ABV in the year-round core lineup; multi-time competition medalist.
• Hop J.A.M. American IPA Flagship dry-hopped American IPA at 6.3% ABV and 45 IBU; originally brewed with Jarrylo, Amarillo, and Mosaic hops.
• Clouds 9 Belgian Golden Belgian Golden Strong Ale at 9% ABV; high-ABV year-round offering in the core lineup.
• Mystic Midnight Root Beer Non-alcoholic root beer for guests of all ages; served as a special release at the Durham Brewcade + Kitchen location.
• Mean Girl Strawberry Lemonade Kettle Sour Kettle sour infused with strawberry and lemonade at 5.5% ABV; special seasonal/sour release.
• Silver Linings Series Rotating charity beer series launched in 2021 where every-other-month collaborations with Triangle-area non-profits donate $1 per can sold to local causes; raised over $100,000 to date.
• Raleigh Brewery Taproom Home base brewery taproom at 1233 Front St in North Raleigh with on-site 15-barrel brewhouse producing 1,000+ barrels annually, open Thursday-Sunday with rotating specials and experimental releases.
• Durham Brewcade + Kitchen Full-service restaurant at 905 W Main St #22 in Durham's Brightleaf Square with 50+ taps, craft cocktails, New American pub fare, arcade games, and weekend brunch.
• Storm Cellar (Chapel Hill) Underground bar opened in 2024 at 157 E Franklin St #100 in Chapel Hill's Amber Alley, with 50+ taps, cocktails, pool tables, darts, board games, and live entertainment near UNC campus.
• Clouds Merchandise Store Online and in-store merchandise shop selling branded apparel, hats, drinkware, accessories, and pet products.
• Clouds Brewing Gift Card Digital gift cards available in $25, $35, $50, $75, or $100 denominations via ToastTab for redemption at Clouds Brewing locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised over $100,000 for local charities through Silver Linings Series
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Empire DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEmpire Distributors is the statewide distribution partner for Clouds Brewing, enabling their beer to be available across all of North Carolina to bars, restaurants, and retailers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Stone Brewing: Stone Brewing is a large national craft brewer whose IPAs and lagers compete with Clouds on retail shelves and on-premise taps in NC, and serve as a scale benchmark for what a regional craft brand can achieve at scale.
• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Sierra Nevada is a large national craft brewer with an Asheville, NC footprint, competing for the same craft beer consumer and shelf space in NC distribution; far larger in scale but overlapping on product category and regional market.
• Dogfish Head Craft Brewery: Dogfish Head is a national craft brewer with comparable style diversity (IPAs, lagers, seasonals) and competes for the same craft drinker in NC retail and taproom channels.
• New Belgium Brewing: New Belgium is a large national craft brewer (Fat Tire, Voodoo Ranger) competing in the same packaged craft category on NC retail shelves and on-premise accounts where Clouds distributes.

Direct peers

• Fullsteam Brewery: Fullsteam is a Durham-based craft brewery and taproom with comparable production capacity, similar community-focused brand ethos, and direct overlap in the Triangle consumer base that Clouds Brewing serves.
• Ponysaurus Brewing: Ponysaurus is a Durham craft brewery with an on-site taproom and restaurant, comparable production scale and direct competition for the same Triangle craft drinker that Clouds targets.
• Trophy Brewing: Trophy Brewing is a Raleigh-based craft brewery and restaurant group operating multiple taproom/restaurant venues with a similar Triangle-region footprint, comparable production scale, and overlapping core/seasonal beer offerings.
• Bond Brothers Beer Company: Bond Brothers is a Cary-based craft brewery with an on-premise taproom and statewide NC distribution, overlapping directly with Clouds in beer styles, Triangle geography, and wholesale channels via similar distributors.
• Crank Arm Brewing: Crank Arm is a small Raleigh craft brewery and taproom with a comparable production footprint, sharing the same Triangle on-premise and wholesale customer base as Clouds Brewing.

Regional players

• Lynnwood Brewing Concern: Lynnwood Brewing is a North Carolina craft brewery based in Raleigh with taproom and distribution operations, sharing the Triangle wholesale market and competing for the same on-premise and retail placements as Clouds.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cloudsbrewingdurham
• Xx.com/CloudsBrewing
• Facebookfacebook.com/cloudsbrewingnc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cloudsbrewing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clouds Brewing