Asheville brewer Burial Beer Co. brings taproom, bottle shop to popular Charlotte spot
Asheville’s Burial Beer Co., has announced plans to open a taproom and bottle shop in Plaza Midwood. The taproom will be located in the space that formerly held Boris + Natasha, plus the Stash Pad, and will feature an indoor bar area, an outdoor beer garden and a rooftop deck.
“Charlotte’s been on the radar for a very long time,” said Doug Reiser, who co-founded the brewery with his wife, Jess Reiser, and Tim Gormley. “I’d say that Charlotte’s probably our second largest demographic of customers, followers, fans, whatever you want to call them.”
Many Charlotteans regularly make the drive up to Asheville for the brewery’s beer releases, Reiser said, and they are also among the brewery’s most outspoken supporters on social media. “The passion, excitement, commitment and storytelling that happens in the Charlotte community about Burial is so humbling and so rewarding at the same time,” Reiser said. “Most of our closest, best customers who have just committed to our brand and shown up for us at our releases are from that area. We knew Charlotte had to be right.”
Boris + Natasha had already relocated to 2910 The Plaza. The Stash Pad plans to move to 2708 Monroe Road and reopen toward the end of June, owner Corrie Throckmorton said. Watch the vintage shop’s social media for announcements on timing.
NoDa, South End and Wesley Heights were considered
Before COVID-19, the team at Burial looked at a variety of Charlotte locations including NoDa, South End and Wesley Heights. While almost all of the other potential locations were larger than the Midwood space, Reiser said that none of them felt right. “We were looking for a cool, funky building that we could take on ourselves,” Reiser said. “Something that had history to it, that had a story with the tenants that were there before and what they did, something we could breathe new life into without eradicating what was there before.”
The building has 2,600 square feet inside, as well as another 2,600 square feet of rooftop space. There’s 3,000 square feet out back that will be used for the beer garden, which will feature a covered deck, heated patio and an outdoor kitchen similar to the one at Burial’s Asheville brewery.
While there won’t be a brewery at this location, there will be plenty of Burial beer on draft and in bottles and cans. Charlotte drinkers will now have greater access to more limited beers and releases they might have previously had to drive to Asheville for.
The brewery doesn’t yet have a date in mind for the taproom’s opening, but wants to take the time to ensure the space provides the same experience drinkers have come to expect in Asheville.“Burial is, like it or not, defined by our Asheville presence and the experience you get at the taproom,” Reiser said. “We don’t want to copy and paste that, but we certainly want whatever we do in Charlotte to resonate with the people who fell in love with that place, the same way that we did.”
Starting this summer, customers will be able to drop by the taproom to pick up weekly releases and to see the brewery’s progress in real time, Reiser said. The brewery’s bottle shop will focus primarily on beers from Burial and wine, ciders and aperitifs from the brewery’s new VISUALS brand, but Burial also hopes to welcome in breweries that don’t distribute to the area, as they have in Asheville and in Raleigh (the brewery opened a concept called The Exhibit in the capital city in 2019).
Lagers, ales, IPAs and stouts — and food
The new taproom will feature a range of styles, from lagers and wild ales to the brewery’s popular IPAs and stouts. The taproom’s food menu will include sandwiches, charcuterie and other goods from local vendors. While Burial Beer is regarded by many as one of North Carolina’s best breweries, Reiser said beer represents just one part of the brewery’s core vision, which is to provide immersive experiences that people won’t forget.
“It’s not even about beer,” Reiser said. “But immersive experiences require you to make really good beer, with a great story with amazing imagery and a really good vibe and aura to the space, with good people. All those things are required, and we feel this space gives us the best opportunity to do that.”
Burial Beer Co.
1214 and 1216 Thomas Ave.
Instagram: @burialbeer
This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 12:40 PM.
