As Charlotte brewers face tough times, they do as they always do: lean on each other
Bold Missy Brewery closed its doors on Feb. 29, shortly before breweries shut down their taprooms because of the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and began selling all beer to-go.
But that didn’t mean the Charlotte brewery couldn’t help its neighbors when they needed it.
Like many other breweries, Divine Barrel Brewing was getting low on Crowlers, the 32-ounce cans used to package draft beer. So Carol Waggener, Bold Missy’s founder, visited her neighbor to drop off her remaining inventory.
It wasn’t a lot — around 35 or so — but it was much appreciated by the crew at Divine Barrel. That someone who had to shut her own doors would be willing to help a neighbor didn’t surprise Ben Dolphens, Divine Barrel’s co-owner and head brewer.
“It’s always just been what breweries do,” Dolphens said. “We’re just such a tight-knit group. Helping each other out just comes naturally, I guess.”
It would be easy to see breweries — especially those in close proximity — as competition, but the craft beer industry has long been one marked by its camaraderie. Charlotte’s brewers all face similar challenges right now: no taproom sales, increased sanitation requirements, scarcity of Crowlers and other packaging. And yet they are banding together now during the coronavirus pandemic, just as they always have.
When Divine Barrel received its own shipment of Crowlers, it was able to return the favor by sending some to Salud Beer Shop and The Hobbyist. It’s exactly the kind of thing area brewers talk about at Charlotte Independent Brewers Alliance meetings, said Triple C Brewing Co. founder Chris Harker.
“We get together once a month to talk about helping each other out and being inclusive, and I feel you need to practice what you preach,” Harker said. “When people reach out, it feels good to help.”
Since he had a whole pallet of Crowlers and “was sitting pretty,” Harker decided to share with Amor Artis Brewing, The Casual Pint, Percent Tap House, Pop the Top Craft Beer Shop, Resident Culture Brewing Co. and Town Brewing Co.
Triple C allowed Percent Tap House to use its Crowler machine to package its beers, and the brewery lent its bottling line to The Unknown Brewing Co. so that brewery could package its hand sanitizer. The establishments either paid for the Crowlers or swapped them when their own orders came in.
Plaza Midwood’s Pilot Brewing Co. had a similar experience. The nanobrewery had recently brewed Island Hopper IPA, and co-founder and head brewer Rachael Hudson wanted to make sure the beer was consumed as quickly as possible. Hudson reached out to NoDa Brewing Co., where she had worked before opening Pilot in 2018.
“I don’t think I would have felt comfortable asking this favor of any other brewery,” Hudson said. “I knew they had the equipment to make it work, and if anybody would be willing to help us out it would be them.”
And they were. Pilot kegged up the beer and took it over to NoDa Brewing Co., where four of NoDa’s employees came in (off the clock) and helped the brewery can its first beer.
“Within five days, we had it from a phone call to our bar selling cans,” Hudson said. “It’s a huge favor to ask of anyone.”
Packaging beer to-go or for outside accounts wasn’t originally in the cards, as Hudson had planned to sell the majority of Pilot’s beers on draft at the taproom. In the weeks since that initial canning run with NoDa, however, Pilot has started using a mobile canning company. They will continue to do so while the taproom is closed under COVID-19 restrictions, and will likely can the occasional beer after reopening.
By working together, Pilot was able to sell its first cans — and NoDa got something out of it as well.
“Right now, part of the thing I struggle with is that I’m feeling so helpless,” said Suzie Ford, president and co-owner of NoDa Brewing Co. “It’s such a helpless time that it feels good when you can help someone out.”
This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 11:53 AM.
