San Antonio-based Weathered Souls Brewing Company to open second location in Charlotte
In 2013, Sacramento native Marcus Baskerville moved to San Antonio for the same reason that so many people move to Charlotte — a job in banking. In 2022, he will move even further east to the Queen City for another reason — to open the second location of his Weathered Souls Brewing Company. The South End location — next door to Red Clay Ciderworks on Clanton Road — is targeting a late spring 2022 opening date.
When Baskerville arrived in Texas, he was already homebrewing. He continued this passion and began taking his beer to breweries, which led to hosting tap takeovers and eventually becoming an assistant brewer. While out drinking with colleague Mike Holt one day, Baskerville asked, “‘When are we going to start a brewery?’”.
“‘I’ve been waiting for you to ask,’” he said Holt responded — and the partnership between the now co-owners was formed.
Weathered Souls opened in 2016, with Holt largely overseeing the finance and business aspects and Baskerville serving as the head brewer. Since then, the brewery has won numerous accolades for its beers such as Hardwood Classic (Pilsner), Who’s Got the Juice Now? (New England IPA) and Dalè Shine (Blonde Ale). The tap room has received praise as well — “we don’t have one particular vibe, we’ve always been welcoming to all,” Baskerville told CharlotteFive.
‘I needed to do something.’
Four years after launching a successful brewing company, Baskerville was driving to Dallas listening to The Breakfast Club. On the radio show that morning, Breonna Taylor’s mom was discussing how she learned of her daughter’s murder. “I thought — I’m a father of daughters — I arrived to the point of deciding that I needed to do something,” Baskerville said.
Shortly after and one conversation with a friend later, Baskerville launched the Black is Beautiful initiative, “a collaborative effort to raise awareness for the injustices people of color face daily and raise funds for police brutality reform and legal defenses for those who have been wronged.” The result? More than 1,300 breweries have participated, raising more than $3 million.
Locally, Birdsong Brewing Company, Divine Barrel Brewing, Edge City Brewing, Goodroad Ciderworks, NoDa Brewing, Pilot Brewing Co., Protagonist Beer, Resident Culture Brewing, Salud Cerveceria, Sycamore Brewing, The Unknown Brewing Co., Triple C Brewing Company and Wooden Robot Brewery have brewed a special beer as part of the initiative.
In the same way that so many Charlotte breweries have supported this initiative, Weathered Souls plans to support the Charlotte community. The brewery will look to form partnerships with local suppliers. “Our goal is to always support the local scene and local market — to be wholeheartedly in this community,” Baskerville said.
Next steps for diversity
In addition to supplier partnerships, Weathered Souls has big plans to support the Charlotte community — the Harriet Baskerville Incubation Program. Named after Baskerville’s grandmother, this program will give aspiring brewers of color and female brewers the opportunity to spend a few weeks learning all about brewing and brewhouse operations at Weathered Souls’ Charlotte location.
The impetus for the incubator? “I was looking at the next steps for Black is Beautiful — wondering how our brewery could lead the next steps for diversity,” Baskerville said. “I was talking with someone about the gap between black (and women) brewers and the financial means needed to open a brick and mortar brewery.”
Baskerville contemplated this alongside his own experience breaking into the craft brewing scene. “I didn’t learn a lot from the brewery I previously worked for — luckily, I had friends in the industry and the financial backing needed to make it,” he said.
“This program will give participants resources to bridge the gap between what they don’t have and what they need,” Baskerville said. His energy is palpable when sharing about the program. “Participants will brew on the system, work on recipes and attend training — learning about grain sensory, fermentation health and beer styles while also networking with guest brewers from across the country.” .
The Harriet Baskerville Incubation Program will begin housed in Weathered Souls, with the goal of becoming a nonprofit.
So yes — another brewery is coming to South End — one with a vision to provide great beer and so much more to our community.
Weathered Souls Brewing Company
Location: 255 Clanton Rd, Charlotte, NC 28217
Neighborhood: South End
Instagram: @weatheredsoulsbrewing
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 6:30 AM.
