Many styles bubbling away at Legion Brewing in Plaza Midwood

Want to know what Legion Brewing in Plaza Midwood is all about?

Before you belly up to the butcher block bar or step out onto the mezzanine overlooking the brewhouse, take a trip to the restroom. Covering sections of the wall are old toilet tank lids, most of them painted white save for the occasional blue, yellow, pink or gray.

The idea came courtesy of their interior designer, but finding vintage tank lids proved difficult for founders Phil Buchy and Newton Craver. Then Craver found the motherlode: a plumber had taken over his father’s shop, behind which were 50 old toilets woven beneath a thick blanket of kudzu, weeds and leaves. Craver could take them all, so long as he got rid of the old toilets, too.

So he grabbed a machete and got to work, taking care to dodge the many mounds of fire ants.

“That epitomizes the kind of work we personally have put into this project,” said Craver.

They have put in a lot of work into the taproom as well, transforming the space that previously held Brodt Music before it closed in 2013. The Brodt sign still sits atop the building, and a piano occupies a corner of the taproom. Almost anything made of wood – tap handles, sturdy booths and the back bar – was made from old lumber pulled from the building or from “dumpster diving” through scrap construction sites.

Phil Buchy’s background is in construction, but he’s been a homebrewer for many years, too. He’s kept close ties over the years with the local beer scene as a contractor for The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery’s new space, and he helped The Unknown Brewing Co. prior to its opening.

Like many homebrewers, Buchy purchased many of his ingredients at Alternative Beverage on South Boulevard. There he met Alexa Long, who would leave the homebrew shop to become a brewer at Heist Brewery. Now, she’ll join Buchy as Legion Brewing’s head brewer.

“All along, Alexa was going to be my number two,” said Buchy. “We immediately promoted her to our head brewer. We’re lucky to have her.”

To come up with the brewery’s initial offerings, both Buchy and Long put together their own recipes for a variety of styles and then came together to compare notes.

“I like a good blend of classic styles and experimental stuff, and seasonals, too,” said Long. “Between the two of us, we have a lot of styles covered.”

Buchy’s preferences usually fall into three camps: lagers, saisons and sours.

“We’re definitely going to do a lot of saisons and a lot of sours, but it will be an evolution that we build up our stock with,” he said.

He has already brewed two quick sour beers – a gose and a Berliner Weisse – and he’s got sour cultures going for a sour program that will include lambic-style ales and barrel-aged beers. It was one of Buchy’s sour beers that finally convinced Craver to go into business with him. The beer was a peach lambic called “Nectar of the Gods,” and for Craver it lived up to the name.

“I said, ‘I’ve got to try the beer eventually,’” recalled Craver. “I was sold.”

Legion Brewing, at 1906 Commonwealth Ave. is open from 2-11 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The brewery’s initial lineup includes more than 10 beers, including a pilsner, witbier, gose, oatmeal stout, a couple of pale ales and several others.

“I love hops, but most of our lineup is really quaffable, not palate breaking,” said Buchy.

That’s especially true of the Freedom Park Pale Ale, a well-balanced pale brewed exclusively with Cascade hops.

“We don’t know what’s going to be our best-seller, but that one’s going to be in contention I think,” said Craver.

In the weeks to come, look for Legion Brewing to fill out its 20 taps with additional styles and start serving a small food menu (think cheese, charcuterie and oysters).

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Many styles bubbling away at Legion Brewing in Plaza Midwood."