A couple of friends and I spent a Saturday night visiting this Holly Springs brewery and a good time was had by all.

Bombshell Beer Company is located in a small business park in Holly Springs not far from Apex, Cary and Raleigh.

But this is more than a neighborhood taproom–it is a destination brewery that is well worth the trip. Opened a little over a year ago, this brewery has wasted no time before hitting its stride. Bombshell Beer is a partnership of three ladies who are proving that breweries are no longer just a boys’ club.

The Taproom is not work in progress but instead it is a comfortable space where friends can gather over a pint, watch the game on one of the many televisions on the walls, listen to live music on Saturday night (like we did) or play bar games like Music Bingo on Wednesday from 7-9. The logo for this brewery is one of my favorite NC beer logos, and it can be found everywhere in this place. The bar area has windows that give the patrons a good view of the brew house where the brew masters are creating the latest selections of craft beers.

The Brewery also has an outdoor space (the beer garden) where both amateurs and wannabe professionals (serious amateurs!) play corn hole and horseshoes. Bombshell doesn’t serve food, but food trucks frequent the taproom Wednesdays through Saturdays. (And I love a food truck food.)

On the Saturday we visited the Taproom was about a third to half full, and the Beer garden only had a few folks hanging out.  Only one bartender was serving, and while he was friendly and helpful it took me and my friends awhile for us to get our flights. The bartender was on only his third day of work so unfortunately he was not knowledgeable enough to answer my questions about the beer I was sampling. He was kind enough to ask one of the owners (Jackie) to stop by our table. (By the way… the bartender helping us was doing great for his third day on the job. I think he could have used a little help that day!) The owner we spoke with was generous with her time and passionate about the beers being produced at Bombshell.

Bombshell had ten beers on tap the day of our visit. There was a fairly wide variety of beer varieties offered–something for everybody’s taste. Some of the beers we sampled that are of note are…

• Polished Pilsner – Bombshell’s best selling beer. This would be a great introduction beer for those who are new to the craft beer world. It is light and crisp and clean.
• Lemongrass Pale Ale – This was a neat summer beer. It has a citrus hint with hoppy notes in the finish. An unusual beer and one I think will continue to grow in popularity as the temps rise.
• Dirty Secret Russian Stout – My favorite. This is a well-balanced stout combination of chocolate, vanilla and bourbon. Don’t let the bourbon scare you; these flavors are subtle, and the beer has a great finish. I see a growler of this beer in my future.
• Abund N.C. Double IPA– I was “shell shocked” after sampling this beer. One of the most exciting beers I’ve sampled in a long time. This is a beer with a very high ABV and enough hops for those who believe it’s not craft unless it’s bitter as hell. (O.K. this next part is for the beer geeks) Abund N.C. contains a Blend of 7 hops (Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Citra®, Cluster, Columbus and Crysta) but to balance this beer the brewer used 5 malts. The result is a complex beer with a relatively clean finish.

In summary the taproom space is great, the service was a bit understaffed but enthusiastic and not bad, the experience (with music, games, brewery tours, food trucks and outdoor area) was a blast, and the beer was diverse and top-notch. I am already looking forward to my next visit to Bombshell Beer. Please visit for yourself and let us know about your experience.

Michael Cole lives in Sanford, NC, and loves great food and beer. His taste tends to favor malts over hops so he’s an avid fan of ambers and dark beers.