Thirsty Nomad Brewing is closing in Charlotte — and it’s not because of COVID
Thirsty Nomad Brewing will close its doors for good May 28.
While the video announcement founder Brad Ledbetter posted to Facebook was short and matter of fact, he has since shared a few reasons that the brewery — which he founded in 2016 — would soon shut its doors. And he said it has nothing to do with COVID-19.
“I just want everybody to not make the same mistakes I did,” Ledbetter said.
Chief among the reasons Ledbetter gave for the brewery’s closure was its location. The office park where Thirsty Nomad is located isn’t far from The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Sugar Creek Brewing Co., GoodRoad CiderWorks, Queen Park Social and others in Lower South End.
Ledbetter said that location might have been fine in other cities, but he thinks Charlotteans prefer more walkable areas.
Eleven people make up the ownership group at Thirsty Nomad, however Ledbetter wishes he had someone with more business management experience on the team. He also notes that the brewery, like many others, was undercapitalized. He was told before opening that he would not have qualified for a loan from the Small Business Administration, which he now believes was not the case.
“We would have gone after some loan funding, and we would have started with probably a million dollars,” Ledbetter said. “We would have started a different brewery, right? Still probably a lot of the same atmosphere, but with a 10- to 15-barrel brewhouse and a better location.”
While there are things Ledbetter would have done differently, there is much he looks back on with pride. Namely, that the brewery appealed to a type of drinker he thinks some others in town overlook.
“It was to my mind the most homey, open, welcoming taproom that I’ve seen,” Ledbetter said. “And we provided what we call a geek-safe space, right? A lot of these breweries that are operating now are big and open and loud and full of dogs and families or, for lack of a better word, a meat market, right? A date place. And Thirsty Nomad was none of those things. It was small and intimate and quiet and nerdy and kitschy and weird, and that’s what I’m most proud of.”
The steampunk-inspired taproom was a welcome space for all things geek culture, playing host to tabletop game nights or trivia nights on everything from Star Wars and Star Trek to Doctor Who or Harry Potter.
Thirsty Nomad’s “geek-worthy beer” ran the gamut from the traditional (Sweeney, a true-to-style London porter) to the experimental (the popular Pickle Rick, a dill-infused gose). And while Ledbetter has no plans of starting another brewery, that doesn’t mean he will stop brewing.
“I’m going back to brewing in my garage,” Ledbetter said. “I started Thirsty Nomad hoping that I could get out of the computer programming game and instead brew beer, and that never materialized. I can brew beer in my garage and that makes me happy, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
If you want to pick up a few more bottles, cans or Crowlers — or get a growler filled — you can visit Thirsty Nomad on May 23 for to-go sales only. After that, the brewery will be closed until May 28, which will be its last day open.
On its last day, Thirsty Nomad will open for on-premise consumption following Gov. Roy Cooper’s most recent recommendations, with two specials: $3 for a pint of any beer, and if you have an empty five-gallon keg, the brewery will fill it for $60.
For hours and additional information, check the brewery’s Facebook page.
