Imported Lagers

A beer fest at the Greenville Convention Center has proved to be about more than just tasting local brews, but raising awareness about them in the state.

The Jolly Skull Beer Festival put on by the Beer Army organization out of Jacksonville hopes to spur an increase interest in local craft beers.

Organizers say they want North Carolina to live up to its name of Best Beer State of the South.

They say the beer festival will give local breweries the chance to spread the word about their beers and history.

“We asked ourselves, ‘how do we educate people?  How do we bring them to the realization that there’s more then Bud, Miller, Coors?’  Not that we have anything against macros but, we said how do we do that and the best way to expose people was a beer festival,” said Dustin Canestorp, Beer Army Founder

Canestorp, an ex-marine, says he’ll give a portion of the festival’s profits to the Give to the Troops organization and the American Red Cross.

The Beer Army plans to hold another event in New Bern during the summer.