A seltzery taproom is opening in Charlotte’s Wesley Heights — and it’s woman-owned
Kristin Cagney quit her finance job to follow her thirst for adventure. Now, the trailblazer is opening the area’s first seltzery concept, Summit Seltzer — one of the few taprooms of its kind in the United States.
The Illinois native spent nearly 10 years in Colorado, where she attended undergrad, before making the move to Charlotte in 2016 to be closer to family. As a naturally high-energy and adventurous person, she discovered that seltzers were much lighter than beer and they allowed her to keep up her energy even after consuming a few.
Initially, drinking seltzer was something she enjoyed mostly with girlfriends, but she later found more of her male friends bringing cases to group outings, as well.
“I want to take it out of being just a drink that women are known to consume,” Cagney told CharlotteFive. “I want this to be something that everyone can enjoy.”
The fairly unique concept is slated to open Sept. 18 in the Wesley Heights neighborhood, close to Lucky Dog Bark & Brew. What started as just an idea of what to do next in her career will soon bring one of the city’s most anticipated businesses to date.
Summit Seltzer will require reservations Sept. 18-19 and Sept. 25-26 and will be open for walk-in guests Sunday through Thursday. Prepaid reservations are $15 per person, which includes two seltzers, a souvenir cup and koozie.
COVID-19 regulations include mask wearing for anyone who is not seated at a table, hand sanitizer, contactless menus and limiting capacity to 50 guests inside.
This new business venture puts Cagney among the less than 37% of women employed in the U.S. brewing industry, with even fewer taking on leadership roles. She credits her family, friends and the masters program she completed at UNC Charlotte for giving her the push and mental tenacity to get it done. According to Cagney, once the business plan was created, there was no turning back.
“I’ve always been a very strong-willed and determined person,” Cagney said. “Thanks to my support system, I had confidence in knowing that I could do anything that anyone else could do. But, it’s cool to be one of the few women in the industry, and I hope that I can inspire other women to get into the industry, too.”
Cagney chose the word “summit” for the name because of its ties to adventure and its representation of the peak, a place we all aim to get to — whether that be your couch or Mount Everest.
The seltzery will feature up to 14 house-fermented small-batch, handcrafted seltzers. She’s hired Ben Quinones to be the brewer.
Seltzers on draft will range from non-alcoholic to those with an up to 8% ABV. Initial flavors are Lime Cucumber, Blue Raspberry, Pineapple Jalapeño, Limeade, Dry Hop Pineapple and “Toast to Charlotte,” a Blueberry Raspberry Acai seltzer that will raise funds for Read Charlotte. Non-alcoholic options are Grapefruit and Lemon.
Cocktails made with the seltzer will include a cosmopolitan seltzer, strawberry seltzerita, mango seltzerita, jalapeño seltzerita, seltzer mule and seltzer mojito.
If seltzer isn’t your thing, there will be wine and local beer available.
The 3,800-square-foot space will be the perfect social hangout with games including foosball, badminton and shuffleboard, although those games won’t initially be open to limit contact with others . Once large group gatherings are allowed post-COVID-19, Cagney will open a 750-square foot event space that will host fitness classes, charity events and parties.
Summit Seltzer
2215 Thrift Road
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday, 1-11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Instagram: @summitseltzer
This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 1:22 PM.