Compass Rose Brewery

I went this place for the first time a few weeks ago, and I was quite impressed. It’s really spacious, so even with a lot of people there, it’s not really shoulder to shoulder. there is a good amount of seating, great beers, and it’s even dog friendly.
The place was very clean, with minimal décor. The beer wasn’t anything I would consider an absolute favorite, but I enjoyed the ones that I tried. I’m not sure if the tap was serving my beer at the correct temperature, or maybe I was getting the end of a keg or something… Something didn’t seem quite right. Maybe worth looking into.
We will definite be back!

Over priced underwhelming beer in an industrial park. No food other than food trucks and an empty popcorn machine. Too many better options in Wake Co to ever visit this place again.

Great, local brewery. I sadly, have not had the beer that they make on-​site as I’ve been going for a while before they had the permit to do so and found other favorites that I’ve just stuck to. But what I’ve tried so far has been delicious and the staff is great.
I’ve come for several date nights, mom’s night outs, and even afternoon hangouts with friends with kids. The atmosphere is great with lots of seating and games at every table. You can swap out games, bring your own, or play corn hole, giant jenga, or just drink your beer and chat. You can bring in outside food so when we’ve had MNOs here, we’ve often each brought a dish. We’ve also seen people have pizza delivered in. On Thurs, Fri, Sat nights they have a food truck that you can also grab your food from. Sometimes we do a little of both as they’ll post the food truck calendar so you can see what’s in store. If you want a main dish from the food truck but they don’t have dessert then we bring our own in, etc.
The walls are covered in chalkboard material so kids can doodle if you come in the afternoons. It’s really a great spot for just hanging out with friends and drinking delicious, local brews.

Compass Rose is a great local dive spot. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgable. The bar and restrooms are clean and the local beers are usually very good.
My favorite aspect of the brewery is the atmosphere. They have long wooden tables that hold around 20 people and have board games, darts, and cornhole to play while you are there. This makes it great for meeting new people and for going as a group.
They have live music a few days a week and have food trucks outside almost every day as well. I have been to compass rose many times and plan on going back many more!

This is my favorite new brewery and the only bad thing I can say is that it’s not close enough to where I live!
I was introduced to Compass Rose by some lucky friends who can walk there. The space is huge, with long tables where you can sit with a big group or just join in with some other of the great folks who hang out there. It’s beautifully designed down the the hardwood and the bathrooms. They also have a nice outdoor area.
Of course they have a large selection of local beer on tap, as well as cider and some bottled and can options.
They often have food trucks on site or you can order food in or bring it with you. They have board and card games and often have live music. Compass Rose is also kid and dog friendly!
One small caveat — there isn’t a ton of parking, especially when it’s busy. But overall, Compass Rose is a great hangout and totally worth the drive!

Compass Rose seems like a cool brewery but the night we went, the band was terribly loud. This was a huge drawback. The brewery is large so it is great for a huge group but there was no outdoor seating so there was no escaping the music. The band played the whole time so we were unable to have a conversation with our friends the entire night. However, the night was not at a total loss. The beer selection was great and we were able to entertain ourselves with minimal talking playing games the brewery had available: jenga (from mini to jumbo), mini shuffle board, and cards against humanity. My friend did mention that in her last experience, the band was different and not as loud. On another note, at least the band playing this night was good.
Having a band at the brewery is a wonderful attribute and I am hoping the extreme loudness was a one-​off. I look forward to my next visit to see what this place really has to offer.

Great vibe and atmosphere and relatively easy to get to. We were just finishing off the night here so I had an Agave Cream ale. Good, but the sweetness got to me after a while.
There was a solid blues band playing, which I hope is a regular Saturday occurence. Look forward to coming back down and trying some more of their offerings.

Although compass rose is a little out of the way, the venue is awesome with lots of games and seating and they have popcorn too. Beer wise they only had 3 of their own on tap, I got the ipa and it was excellent. Quality of beer is comparable to raleigh brewing I would say. In addition they have a bunch of other breweries bottles and they had other breweries taps too. Prices were reasonable.
Be careful when hammered and playing giant jenga!

We decided to visit Compass Rose after a soccer game so we could watch the Panthers vs Colts game, Go Panthers.
Likes:
Huge Space
Tap Handles, they spin!
TV’s are everywhere
Tons of games, Jenga is available in a small, medium and large size
Good selection
Dislikes:
Location
Compass Rose beer was mediocre (I did enjoy the IPA though)
Summed up: beautiful! Why can’t you be closer?! Next time that I am around the area, I will be back!

This was a bizarre experience! I have been to over 20 of the NC Breweries, so I have some perspective. This new establishment like many are in undesirable real estate, like industrial parks, etc. I get it, but this one is really off the beaten path with gravel roads surrounded by large trucking terminals. The Parking is insane! Anything goes! When I pulled up I heard a Couple complaining that they were blocked in. Basically, you just park anywhere and anyway you can all around their Bldg. Good thing the other business’ don’t Tow; maybe they do?
I walked into the brightly lit Taste Room and the atmosphere was like a Day Care Center! I swear you would have thought the same thing as me. I would estimate that about 80 people were there and out of that number was about 30 Infants and Children under age 10. With a very crowded market of new Breweries on the Raleigh scene since 2013, Compass Rose needed a theme/​indentity. They went for the «Family Fun /​Church Picnic» one. Honestly, I hope this Review is taken not to be nasty, as this style might appeal to young couples who want to enjoy a Beer and some family time together and for that Kudo to them. However, this is not for me and I am sure for the major majority seeking out new places. I want to drink some craft beer in peace or even with live music, but this was like a Chuck-​e-​Cheese vibe.
The worst part of the experience is that I never got to taste a drop of beer. I walked up to the bar and waited patiently. I noticed the Bartendress suddenly moved to a new line forming, so I went from next to sixth. I wish the story ended there, but a group of «Moms» just walked up with empty glasses and cut the line. This kept happening! Believe me, I am not shy, but I am not the type to make a scene with a buzzed young lady holding a Pilsner glass in one hand and a Baby Carrier in the other! I am sure I made eye contact with the Bartendress and she even made a gesture like «sorry, but thanks for your patience». In the meantime, her friends kept walking up and as well as others and my spot in line remained indefinite up until I walked out. It took a while to actually leave because cars were all back up as the parking got worse. Literally, a stand still, no one could move traffic jam.
I am sorry to Compass Rose. I hate to slam a new business, but we have way too many Breweries and Bars to enjoy a Beer with an inviting environment. This is just wrong on so many levels (bedlam parking, poor picnic seating and terrible bar service). I sacrificed going out for many years when my Kids were young or we just coughed up the extra money to pay a Babysitter. A Bar/​Brewery is for drinking alcohol. The Board Games, Jenga and Corhhole is folksy and works for some places and I get it, but this vibe was too much. I hope they stay in business long enough to get Lego sets for the Tables.

Came in once not long after they opened and liked the space, but wanted to wait until I’d tried their beer before reviewing.
First impression before even having the beer was that this place would be great. They hit the ground running with a fun, relaxing tap room. They have non-​beer options such as wine, juice, and of course water. There are snacks available as well as food trucks on a regular basis. They have darts, cornhole, and super size Jenga. There is even a small bottle shop area if you want to take something home. Maybe my one issue is the parking is a little sparse given the office strip setup, but that isn’t exactly their fault and easy to overlook.
Onto the beer. They have about 16 taps. They had two of their own the day I came in and a good selection of others. I had their Rue De American Saison and the Mocktoberfest. I enjoyed both and look forward to trying more of their stuff in the future.
If you live in north Raleigh you need to check out Compass Rose. Hopefully they set the precedent for future breweries in that area.

This place is great, everything a brewery should be: great atmosphere, good beer selection /​variety; family and pet friendly; great staff and owners. Fun events, food trucks, bar games and board games for kids and adults (or just bigger kids). I’ve been there a couple times and I will definitely be back. I think my rating will go up each time I return.
Can’t wait to see the outside area once it is completed.

Any place that has free popcorn is the place for me. This new brewery won’t be a secret for long. Head to the north side for some of NC’s best brews. Compass Rose was working toward getting their own beers on tap when I visited 2 weeks ago. It’s still so fresh and so clean clean and the bathroom was remarkable. The food trucks roll in around 5 or 6 and you are also encouraged to order local fare from some menus they have up front.
I like the open space and am willing to overlook the fact that because they are dog-​friendly and cannot have a kitchen. The unruly pups, however, made my visit 4 stars instead of 5. It’s a great place for large groups. There was a huge birthday party but no wait because the staff was efficient as can be. Compass Rose will join the ranks in my Raleigh brewery rotation.

I love this newly opened brewery (mostly because it’s right across the street from my gym) for a variety of reasons. First, the bartenders are incredibly sweet and helpful if you aren’t familiar with many of the beers they carry. However, a lot of the beers are local so don’t worry about not finding a good North Carolina beer you will like. They have plenty of tasty beers to fall in love with. Second, the spot is nearly perfect with it being right off of Capital Blvd. and pretty close to downtown Raleigh. I like it being off the beaten path since it keeps me from having to drive downtown. Third, they’re always coming up with cool things to keep patrons coming in such as trivia night, pizza night and yummy food truck rotations. Fourth, the inside of the place is so pretty to look at. You can tell a lot of care has been taken to select the perfect compliments to their beer. I would have to say this place has one of the swankiest bathrooms I’ve ever seen in a brewery in Raleigh.
So, if you’re looking for good, affordable beer and a nice place to lay your hat, this place has it. Someone start a run club here! Or better yet, just get over there and drink ;)

This brewery is way up there in north Raleigh, but definitely worth checking out. The brewery is fairly new, so it has bright and shiny look with lots of open space and seats. We went on a Sunday afternoon and it wasn’t crowded at all. Also very family friendly. You can bring your kiddos and have a couple of drinks. They also had plenty of games for you to play, a chalkboard that goes along 2 walls, and an indoor cornhole setup. As for beer, they didn’t have any of their own beer on tap yet because they were waiting for government approval when we came, so we just had whatever they had on tap from other local breweries, etc. This was back on July 5. Hopefully this has changed now as of August 19. They don’t serve food here except for popcorn. You can bring your own or have food delivered. I did notice that some days that a food truck comes by.
Anyways, great new brewery and looking forward to my next visit!

We went as a group of 6 on a Friday night and had a really fun time. Compass Rose is currently not serving any of their beer yet (I think they are waiting on some permits). All of the beers served are from other local NC breweries or other national ones like DuClaw, Sierra Nevada, etc. The hall is very open with Medieval light fixtures and you can see the stainless steel tanks through the glass windows. The bar is long with high chairs and then all the beer names and ABV content is written on a chalkboard. The tables are communal made of really sturdy wood and remind of deluxe German beer garden tables and chairs. There were lots of parents with kids and also people that brought their dogs so the brewery is very dog and kid friendly. We were a group of adults and had so much fun playing Uno, Connect Four and Jenga. Every once in a while you will hear the crash of wooden Jenga blocks as people try to build their towers. There was also corn hole and a musician playing music. It was very lively and really fun for all ages.
We had our food from Valentino’s food truck. All in all that was a lot of fried food to go along with beer and I will review them separately. I want to go back to Compass Rose when they start serving their own beer but for now it was really a cool place.

I stopped in here a few weeks ago and this place was one of the nicest brew pubs I’ve been in. Loads of seating and open space so it feels really comfortable in here. It’s even open enough that they had some indoor corn hole boards set up where you could play a game. They had a lot of other games laying around too which can be fun to goof around with as well. At the time we went the beer selection was unfortunately all from other breweries as they had yet to receive their permits to brew their own but it was ok. They probably have at least a dozen taps running so when they do get up and going it will be interesting to see what they start brewing for themselves. Also, place is super kid friendly. One entire large wall is painted with chalkboard paint so the kiddos can draw to their hearts content. They are obviously «outside food» friendly since they have several local pizza place menus laying around so you could order in if you didn’t fill yourself up on their free popcorn. I think one of the things that kinda set this place apart from other operations that are moved into old warehouses is that they did up the inside very nicely. It is clean clean clean. The décor is also very modern but simple. Can’t wait to go back here again sometime soon.

The other reviews are pretty spot on. Great spot to chill and socialize.
Great games to play. Darts, cornhole, jenga…
Will be excited once their beer is flowing. The owner is super nice and goes around greeting people.

The Compass Rose taproom is a gorgeous space with a glass wall looking into the brewery. Once they start brewing, it will be fun to hangout and watch the process. Currently Compass Rose is pouring a wide variety of beers. They don’t serve food, but do have food trucks scheduled and a pile of menus of places that will deliver there. We brought take-​out with us and hoped to watch Wimbledon. Unfortunately, the two TVs behind the bar are small and we couldn’t really hear, so we left after one beer realizing it is not a sports bar.

This is what we’ve been waiting for in Northeast Raleigh! And may I just say, they’ve done it right?!
Thanks to Lisa W. from Durham, who posted a link for this new Brewery here on a Now Open Thread, I learned about this place that is almost exactly between my house and the gym. Hah! So we did contemplate going to the gym tonight, I swear it was Husband’s suggestion to do this instead when he heard about it. Fortunately, the other two otherwise-​gym-​goers in our party agreed that this was a better idea for a Tuesday night.
So, you do have to be looking for it! It’s on a side street off Gresham Lake Road, very close to Capital Blvd, and very close to 540 and Triangle Town Center.
We were very impressed with the set-​up that’s wide open with long tables topped with a variety of games. (we chose Uno and had fun! Well, most of us… one did get a lot of draw 4’s) There’s a wall of chalkboard and chalk if you’re feeling artistic. The bar is a good length also, with super cool compass pulls that were specially designed for them. (sorry didn’t get a pic, but should have) Do note that they are still waiting for everything that needs to happen for their own brews to appear, but are serving a nice variety of other draft in the meantime. We heard a cream ale will be one of the first of the new ones. Each of the four of us got to sample what sounded good and all of us liked what we tried and had a couple each.
As for food, they said they are doing food trucks on the weekends, but had menus from a few nearby venues to order from that would deliver. We had Asian and Pizza choices. We chose to order from Sergios Pizza, while others at the bar did Asian from Kings. They got theirs really fast and ours took awhile. I’m sure it depends on circumstances.
Service was super nice and prices in the $ 4.50 range. Heck, even the bathrooms are nice. Can’t remember the last time a bathroom was even discussed by the four of us, but the topic came up.
What a great addition to North Raleigh!