I’ve waited way too long to post about this place — but you can’t blame me considering it’s still a hidden gem in the city.

Radar Brewing bookends the pandemic for me: I went just before quarantine began, and it popped my pandemic cherry once quarantine ended.

But Radar & I go back even further. I remember standing on its roof with two of the owners I’d just interviewed, admiring the view of Innovation Quarter and the newly named Industry Hill. I scooped the story on IH and Radar for Winston-Salem Monthly magazine in 2019 — my proudest moment as a freelance writer.

Radar consistently has a variety of styles — at least a couple IPAs, to be sure, but I’ve loved the Belgian triple, the porter, the brown ale, and more. My husband loves their Italian pilsner, and he’s usually an IPA guy. Their wines are also delicious and well-curated, something you don’t expect at a brewery.

I come mostly for the IPAs, particularly the hazies. In my mind, they’re second only to Incendiary. (Nothing can beat the Shift series, amiright?)

If you patronize Radar, be sure to check out the closed-system fermentation room, viewable through a glass window. It may not look like much, but beer brewed in this isolated vat can soak up yeast from the air in a controlled environment, creating brews like farmhouse ales. At the time of its construction, this system was the only one in this part of the state, the closest being at powerhouse Sierra Nevada in Asheville.

Considering Radar’s close proximity to Wise Man and Fiddlin’ Fish, I’m still surprised it doesn’t get more patrons on weeknights, but I’m not complaining. My absolute favorite spot in the city is the last picnic table on Radar’s generous patio, with views of Innovation Quarter, IH, and the nearby water towers. From this vantage point, nothing is better.