Replacing Sycamore, new website has reopening plans for Charlotte brewery

A Charlotte brewery quietly launched a website that gives the first clues for what’s next after its previous operation, Sycamore Brewing, collapsed in the wake of its co-founder’s arrest on child rape charges last month.

On Jan. 8, Sycamore Brewing changed the name of its limited liability company to Club West Brewing with brewery co-founder Sarah Louise Taylor listed as managing member.

That’s the same day the Club West Brewing website was registered, according to whois.com. The website lets anyone look up details about a domain name, like who owns it, when it was registered and when it expires.

As of Thursday, Jan. 29, the Club West Brewing website displays: “Beer. Redefined. | Coming Spring 2026.” It shows a rendering of a packed brewery with stream lights similar to Sycamore’s and the Charlotte skyline in the background.

Sycamore’s high-profile problems began with the Dec. 11 arrest of Taylor’s estranged husband, former business partner and former Sycamore co-owner Justin Tawse Brigham.

The 44-year-old was charged with statutory rape of a child under 15, first-degree burglary and indecent liberties with a child. Brigham also is facing several other felony charges. Brigham is being held in Stanly County jail on $11.25 million bond.

He co-founded the brewery with Taylor in 2013 and helped build it into one of North Carolina’s largest craft beer brands. The criminal allegations against Brigham led to the collapse of Sycamore’s operations.

Fallout from Sycamore Brewery co-founder arrest

Sycamore Brewing, which sold beer in seven states, had relocated in 2023 from its original space at 2161 Hawkins St. to a larger, 21,000-square-foot facility at 2151 Hawkins St.

Since Brigham’s arrest:

• Backlash from customers and vendors was immediate, with Sycamore’s craft beers pulled from restaurant and store shelves, as well as being dropped from distributors.
• The Sycamore Brewery taproom in South End closed indefinitely on Jan. 5. In a letter to the community posted on the brewery’s website, Taylor said the closing would “allow space for processing, healing and beginning the work of reimagining this community space.”
• The brewery was ousted from its location at the Charlotte airport.
• Plans to open a family-friendly location in Cotswold Village Shopping Center were abandoned.

Divorce filing followed child rape charges

Taylor’s separation from Brigham was also immediate. She filed for divorce on Jan. 8 — the same day that the brewery’s name was changed and the domain name for Club West Brewing was filed.

According to the divorce filing, the couple married on Sept. 20, 2008, and separated on Dec. 11 after Taylor learned of the “horrific allegations against him.” Brigham is accused of breaking into a Stanfield house and raping a 13-year-old girl he met online. Stanfield is 27 miles east of Charlotte.

Taylor is re-starting the brewery operations alone following Brigham’s arrest. The Club West Brewing website does not include any other information about upcoming plans.

Taylor did not respond to a request for comment Thursday about the new website. No one answered calls to Sycamore Brewing’s former office.

Observer data reporter Caitlin McGlade contributed to this report.

Catherine Muccigrosso

The Charlotte Observer

Catherine Muccigrosso covers retail, banking and other business news for The Charlotte Observer. An award-winning journalist, she has worked for multiple newspapers in the Carolinas, Missouri and New York.