‘Disgusting’ or ‘new day’: Crowds pack Club West after Sycamore owner charged with child rape
For months, the South End brewery once known as Sycamore sat empty, a conspicuously quiet building after the arrest and indictment of its co-founder, Justin Brigham, on child rape charges late last year. On the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day, the space was suddenly alive again.
Brad Bergman, Sycamore Brewing’s former director of brewery operations, purchased the brewery, now called Club West Brewing, from Sarah Taylor, Brigham’s wife. Taylor filed for divorce shortly after Brigham was arrested in January.
“I feel this is an exciting time to be launching a new brand in this market, and I’m looking forward to being more involved in the community,” Bergman told The Charlotte Observer on Friday. “With so much competition, we all make each other better.”
By Saturday afternoon, the brewery was drawing a steady stream of visitors, with many wearing green.
Club West opened its doors at 11 a.m., and by noon the crowd had begun to grow, though plenty of tables were still available for those curious about the new space.
Within the hour, the scene resembled the busiest days of the former Sycamore taproom. Patrons filled the two-story brewery, making it difficult to move through the crowd. Folk music from a live band mixed with conversations about dating apps and the occasional bark from dogs brought along by their owners.
The following day, the atmosphere was considerably quieter, with a smaller crowd filtering through the taproom.
‘The guy is in jail’
I wanted to know how people at Club West felt about what happened with Sycamore, and why they chose to come back. So I walked from table to table on Sunday asking patrons if they would be willing to talk with me for this story.
Most declined.
One of the few who did not was Michael Buchanan, a Charlotte resident who said the change in ownership had made the difference for him, along with the potential economic impact of keeping the brewery open.
“There’s a new owner now, and I’m pro jobs,” Buchanan said. “I don’t know how many people they employ, but I’d say it’s over 50. That’s a lot of jobs for the community.”
A similar sentiment appeared online after CharlotteFive posted a video of Saturday’s crowd at Club West. A few commenters argued that the brewery’s employees should not bear the consequences of its former owner.
“The guy is in jail,” one person commented, referring to Brigham. “These employees are trying to make a living and move on with their lives.”
“New day, new business, new owner, glad to see the community supporting,” another wrote.
But most commenters disagreed.
‘Disgusting’
Most of the comments on C5’s video were critical of people who chose to support Club West by eating and drinking there.
“There are so many other places to drink beer in this city,” one commenter wrote. “It’s so difficult to watch people blatantly not care about children.”
“Yeah this place can miss me,” another said, quickly followed by a one-word comment: “Disgusting.”
Some commenters suggested that many people in the crowd may have been new to Charlotte and unaware of the brewery’s past.
“You all have to remember there’s thousands if not millions of people moving in and out of this city,” one person said. “Everyone is not keeping up with what happened.”
“It was St. Paddy’s Day … a bunch of younger people who probably weren’t even here last year to know better.”
Others blamed the neighborhood itself. South End’s population skews young and white; according to the most recent U.S. Census data, the 28203 zip code is nearly 80% white, and nearly half of residents are between 20 and 29.
“The Brads didn’t care about this controversy,” one person said. “Nothing will stop them from enjoying their IPAs.”
“Frat bros not turning down some IPA beers,” another said.
Club West Brewing is open daily, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, until midnight Thursday through Saturday, and until 10 p.m. Sunday.
Editor’s note: Some quotes were edited for spelling and punctuation.
This story was originally published March 15, 2026 at 5:59 PM.
