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Tap Handle #359: Natty Greene's - Old Town Brown Ale

Tap Size: 12.25"
Rarity:  readily available, hand-made
Mounting:  3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt


This beauty has a metal body, giving it a very solid and heavy feel. The topper is resin, and the difference between varieties is the label on the signage area just above the tank. At the very top of the tap is a likeness of Nathanael Greene. I had a difficult time photographing this tap due to the reflections of the light off the metal. The tap is fashioned to resemble the big tank that sat out in front of Natty Greene's brewery. The tap was made in large numbers so it is easy to find on the secondary market. The price fluctuates greatly, from a low of $10 to a high of $60 over the past few years. 


Natty Greene's was founded in 2004 in Greensboro, North Carolina by Chris Lester and Kayne Fisher. The two met as students at UNC Greensboro in the late 1980s through their fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and became roommates. They were both passionate about beer and the Revolutionary War. While working part-time at American Wholesale Beverage loading trucks after class, they developed their entrepreneurial dream of opening a bar. In 1996, Lester partnered with John Rudy to take over the Spring Garden Bar and Grill near the UNCG campus, turning it into a showcase for unique craft beers from Colorado and Oregon (North Carolina did not have readily available craft beer), and renaming it Old Town Draught House. Fisher and Lester later bought out Rudy and expanded, eventually operating three establishments: Old Town, First Street (in Winston-Salem), and The Taproom. These ventures exposed them to the emerging craft beer scene, and they began dreaming of brewing their own.

On August 1, 2004, the partners opened Natty Greene's Pub & Brewing Co. in a renovated three-story building at the corner of Elm and McGee Streets in downtown Greensboro. The brewery was named for Nathanael Greene, a Rhode Island native who served as one of George Washington's most trusted generals during the Revolutionary War. Greene commanded the Southern Campaign and fought the pivotal Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781, helping push British forces out of the Carolinas. Both Greensboro and Guilford County were named in his honor.

The brewpub was an immediate success - approximately 250 people were waiting outside before they opened, and they ran out of food by 4 p.m. that first day. In 2006, Fisher and Lester sold Old Town, First Street, and The Taproom to employees and used the proceeds to open a production facility on Gate City Boulevard, which came online in late 2006. This allowed Natty Greene's to begin bottling and distributing throughout North Carolina and beyond. In March 2010, Natty Greene's expanded with a second brewpub in Raleigh, located in the historic Raleigh Electric Company Power House building at 505 West Jones Street in Glenwood South. The 1900s-era powerhouse provided a distinctive setting with its massive interior and visible brewing tanks. Capacity increased from 6,000 barrels to over 20,000 barrels, and Natty Greene's became the 30th fastest-growing brewery in the country by 2013. Distribution has expanded outside of North Carolina to Virginia and Washington D.C., with plans to sell up the East Coast from Florida to New York.

However, the Raleigh location closed on August 1, 2015, after five years of operation. The building had been sold to new owners and the lease terms became untenable, forcing the partners to pull out. In 2016, Fisher and Lester embarked on a new venture at Revolution Mill in Greensboro, opening Natty Greene's Kitchen + Market in 2017. The 9,000-square-foot restaurant occupied a former carpentry shop featuring a mezzanine and outdoor bar overlooking a manmade pond. In 2018, after more than two decades of partnership, Fisher and Lester parted ways amicably. Fisher assumed sole ownership of the Revolution Mill restaurant (which he renamed Kau), while Lester retained Natty Greene's brewpub and the production brewery. At the time of the split, North Carolina had grown from 12-13 breweries when they started to over 300.

The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to the operation. In March 2020, Natty Greene's had opened a new taproom near the Greensboro Coliseum, hoping to draw event crowds—but the pandemic shut down live events. The Gate City Boulevard Brewhouse closed indefinitely in October 2020, and on October 16, 2020, Natty Greene's Brewing Company LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Unlike Chapter 11 reorganization, Chapter 7 meant liquidation of the brewing operation's assets. The company's liabilities totaled $6.49 million to 100-199 creditors.

The downtown Greensboro brewpub at 345 South Elm Street, however, remained open under Chris and Ashleah Lester's ownership. The restaurant has since pivoted to brewing small batches in-house (approximately 300 barrels annually) supplemented by contract brewing through SouthEnd Brewing Company. In 2023, the Lesters announced plans for Natty's Brewhouse Pavilion, a $2.5 million single-story brewery adjacent to their downtown location that would bring all production back in-house. The brewery celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024 and continues operating as a beloved downtown Greensboro gathering spot.

Old Town Brown Ale is an English-style brown ale named after the founders' first bar, Old Town Draught House. It is notably the only filtered brown ale brewed in North Carolina. At 4.7% ABV with just 10 IBU, this is a sessionable, malt-forward beer designed to be smooth and approachable. Composed of seven malts and only one hop (Progress), Old Town Brown is defined by its full malt structure. The grain bill includes Maris Otter, Cara Vienna, Cara Pils, Crisp Caramel 77, Chocolate Malt, Special DH3, Aromatic, and Biscuit malts. Fermented with London 1028 yeast, filtering removes the masking flavors of yeast and proteins to let the malt character shine through. The flavor profile features notes of sweet toasted malt and baker's chocolate, with a slightly sweet character from dark roast malt balanced by a bitter, dry finish from the chocolate addition.


BeerAdvocate: 83 out of 100 (very good)

Untappd: 3.5 out of 5


Natty Greene's Brewing Company

345 South Elm Street

Greensboro, NC 27401


Natty Greene's Brewing Official Website


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