East Charlotte’s First Brewery Opening Fall 2019!
Edge City Brewery
The Queen City is ever growing in ways the city hasn’t seen before. With that, businesses are booming especially in the brewery business. Which makes sense as to why Brew Master, Jared Thomas and Director of Operations, John Thomas decided to open one up here. With 1,600 square feet, a large patio, and a tree in the middle inside they’ll definitely set themselves apart. Jared and John didn’t forget the food either and will partner with local restaurants to feed everyone’s appetite. Along with that, some collaborations with everyone’s favorite breweries. Get ready for more tasty brews! Located in East Charlotte they plan to open up the brewery in late fall.
Elevate Lifestyle: How did the two of you come to wanting to open up a brewery?
Edge City Brewery: We have always wanted to go into business with one another. Jared has always had a passion for craft beer and I have always had a passion for entrepreneurship. We have worked for many years to gain the knowledge and experience needed to start our own venture and are ecstatic that the day has finally come.
EL: How big will the operation be?
ECB: The brewery and taproom square footage will be approximately 1,600 square feet. We will have additional space on our patio as well.
EL: When is the anticipated opening date?
ECB: We are shooting for late fall.
EL: How many people do you plan to employ?
ECB: We plan to employ around 4-5 employees starting out.
EL: What will be your brewing capacity? Barrels per year / Gallons per batch.
ECB: We will be operating on a 3-barrel brewhouse system. We plan to brew around 800-900 barrels our first year (24,800 – 27,900 gallons)
EL: What is the theme of the interior?
ECB: The term we are using to describe the interior is an ‘industrial utopia’. Our goal is to bring together aspects of nature and city into one space. We want the place to feel inviting while also giving it some ‘edge’.
EL: What kind of atmosphere can we expect?
ECB: We would like the atmosphere of our brewery to be inviting yet offer a unique space to enjoy a pint. When you walk into the space you will be greeted by a two-story brewhouse and a tree in the middle of the taproom. Greenery will start inside and continue onto our covered patio. There will be ample seating and space to enjoy the outdoors.
EL: Being the first brewery in this area, how do you feel the new brewery and tap room will strengthen the beer culture in Charlotte?
ECB: We are hoping our presence in the area will bring more excitement to an already thriving community. We believe supporting other breweries and looking for ways to collaborate will not only strengthen the beer culture in Charlotte but bring more value to our customers. We are looking forward to not only serving the surrounding neighborhoods in the area but Charlotte as a whole.
EL: With so many breweries and taproom opening in the Charlotte area, how will Edge City look to stand apart?
ECB: Our goal is to stay true to ourselves. We have adopted three values which are to explore, create, and be inspired. We will look for ways to incorporate these into the brewery while being unique and offering our customers a different experience. The atmosphere alone will be unique with a two-story brewhouse, a live tree in the taproom, and ample greenery and outdoor space. We plan on bringing a collaborative approach by collaborating with other breweries, businesses, local vendors and entrepreneurs, local causes and charities, as well as local farmers.
EL: Have any area breweries inspired the Edge City Brewery?
ECB: I think over the years of working in breweries, drinking craft beers, and growing up around the beer scene in North Carolina, you definitely have admiration for a lot of these breweries. We have drawn our inspiration from looking for ways to explore and create while also being inspired by people who have a passion for what they do.
EL: What kind of crafts beers can we expect?
ECB: I am planning on brewing an array of beer styles from sessionable beers, sours, experimental IPA’s, pilsners, Hellas lagers, high gravity beers, and cocktail inspired beers. We would like to offer many traditional style beers while also experimenting with different styles and ingredients. – Jared
EL: What are your favorite beers to brew? Specialties?
ECB: My favorite beers to brew are definitely IPA’s and fruited kettle sours. “I believe those are my specialties as well” – Jared
EL: What is your favorite music to listen to while brewing?
ECB: “Hmm, I do have a brewing playlist full of my favorite artists and songs from Elton John, Luke Combs, and a little bit of Biggie and Tupac. Hands down though, I’m a big country listener.” – Jared
EL: What’s your funniest beer related story?
ECB: “Well, when I first started homebrewing I would always get these stuck mashes that would just ruin my batch. So after about the third brew session of getting a stuck mash, I threw all of my homebrew equipment in the woods and quit homebrewing. A couple of days later I had to go down in the woods and fish my equipment out to brew again. Thankfully, I stuck with it and here we are.” – Jared
EL: What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone who thinks they want to get into the craft beer industry?
ECB: I think you first have to have a passion for brewing beer and for craft beer in general. From there, have an understanding of what you are trying to accomplish, plan for every detail, and look for outside help and resources to fill in the missing pieces.
EL: What are you looking forward to entering the Charlotte beer scene?
ECB: We are most excited about creating lasting relationships with our customers as well as people in the industry, local vendors, entrepreneurs and farmers. We feel Charlotte is the city of opportunity and look forward to becoming a part of it!
EL: Will you have guest taps, for local breweries and cideries?
ECB: We will be looking to collaborate with local breweries in the area as well as charities and causes. We also want to offer different drink options for our customers such as wine, cider, and non-alcoholic drinks like a cold brew nitro coffee tap or local kombucha.
EL: Will you be serving food?
ECB: While we will not have an in-house restaurant, we will partner with neighboring restaurants, like Hawthorne’s New York Pizza, as well as a variety of local food trucks to help give our customers many food options while enjoying a pint.
6209 Old Post Road Charlotte, NC 28212
Follow their social media for more updates! www.facebook.com/edgecitybrewery/ www.instagram.com/edgecitybrewery/
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