Local

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery prepared for global stage

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte's beer industry is about to take the international stage and economic leaders gathered Wednesday morning at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery to announce the opportunity.

The Charlotte Chamber of Commerce announced that Olde Meck is providing beer for the opening ceremony of the Hannover Fair in two weeks.

It's the world's largest industrial trade fair with more than 200,000 people and 6,500 exhibitors.

When President Obama and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel attend the fair, they'll be handed a beer from the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery.

The Charlotte office of Kuehne and Nagel also made a significant contribution to ship the beer to Germany. In total, more than 13,000 bottles of beer will be provided for the fair, and the Chamber said the sponsorship goes a long in marketing Charlotte as a global city.

“It is a conversation starter,” said Chamber President and CEO Bob Morgan. “They may or may not be aware of Charlotte but when you talk to them about the beer you can use that to talk to them about our airport, our attraction cost of doing business and the growing workforce we have that is skilled and young and diverse.”

The beer has already made its way to Germany where it is being kept in a large cooler set at 37 degrees.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: