New Club West Brewing owner talks about Charlotte future after Sycamore collapse
After the sudden collapse of Sycamore Brewing sent shockwaves through Charlotte’s beer scene, the South End taproom is being reborn as Club West Brewing seeking a “completely fresh start” under a new name and new owner.
Former Sycamore co-founder Justin Tawse Brigham was arrested and indicted on child rape charges late last year, which led to the end of the popular South End brewery.
Brad Bergman, the former director of brewing operations at Sycamore, will be Club West Brewing’s new owner as Sycamore co-founder Sarah Taylor, who is Brigham’s estranged wife, announced Thursday she was selling the company to Bergman.
On Friday, The Charlotte Observer met with Bergman to talk about his plans for Club West and rebranding the brewery. It was once one of Charlotte’s biggest breweries, with two taproom locations, another planned and distribution in seven states.
Bergman was candid about the transition, calling the fall of Sycamore a “gut punch” to the team.
His motivation to purchase the business, he said, stemmed from a desire to support the staff and preserve what they had built. The company had over 100 employees and will reopen with 84 full- and part-time at the South End taphouse and brewery.
“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 said. “With so much competition, we all make each other better.”
Bergman and Taylor came up with the brand’s name, Club West. It reflects a “new frontier” mentality, reminiscent of Western pioneers heading into the unknown, he said.
A swift end to Sycamore Brewing after co-founder arrest
Sycamore’s downfall began in December.
Brigham, 44, was arrested Dec. 11 on child rape charges. The community backlash was swift as customers stopped going to the South End brewery and distributors yanked Sycamore products from shelves. Brigham was indicted on several felonies last week, including statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in Stanly County he met on Snapchat.
Taylor, who co-founded Sycamore with Brigham, closed the brewery less than a month later on Jan. 5. Three days later, Sycamore Brewing changed the name of its limited liability company to Club West Brewing with Taylor listed as the managing member. She initiated formal divorce proceedings immediately after Brigham’s arrest, filing on Jan. 8.
On Wednesday, Bergman was added as manager with Taylor listed as managing member. Then on Thursday, the company announced Taylor was selling Club West Brewing to Bergman.
“After great deal of consideration, I came to the conclusion that the best thing for my family and the team was for me to part ways with the company,” Taylor told the Observer in an email on Thursday. “Brad is an excellent leader and a person of integrity. I know he will do great things with Club West.”
On Friday, Bergman said he had been working with Taylor on rebranding the brewery and renovating the space at 2151 Hawkins St. since January.
Terms of the sale have not been disclosed. The brewery will reopen as Club West on at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Here are five things to know about Club West and its new owner:
Rebranding from Sycamore to Club West, and rebuilding trust
While ownership is in the process of transferring from Taylor, Bergman confirmed that once fully complete, the former principals will have “no involvement in business.”
Short-term goals are focused on stabilizing the new operation, with long-term aspirations eyeing a return to distribution.
“Throughout the re-branding process, my main concern has been in supporting our team,” Bergman said. “Making sure expectations are clear and that everyone has the information and tools to meet those expectations is critical in my eyes. I see keeping the team organized and connected as one of the main keys to success.”
A new website will launch Saturday with the opening.
A look at the transformed Club West space
Renovations of the taproom began in January, Bergman said.
The decor in the 21,000-square-foot space has shifted from its previous “airy, lighter” feel to a cozier, darker atmosphere inspired by a “mountain lodge” and “classic American West sort of vibe.”
- Vibe and Decor: Gone are floral wallpapered walls replaced with white shiplap and Western-themed art. There are 12 tables made from former Bourbon barrels used to age beer at the brewery, as well as a new rustic and antler chandeliers.
- Upstairs and outdoors: The upstairs area has new light fixtures and shiplap. A new outdoor seating area with turf has been added, envisioned as a more secluded “family area” featuring bean bags and TVs.
- Entertainment: More TVs have been added, totalling 19 screens. A shuffleboard table is in a secluded area near the new tequila bar lounge.
- Frozen tequila bar/lounge: The former café space has been transformed into a lounge area focusing on “drinks on the rocks, high-end bourbons and tequilas.” This area, which also will feature more TVs, is slated to open March 21.
Expanded Club West beverage program in South End
Club West is launching with an expanded focus on its cocktail program, Bergman said, as a key area for growth.
- Beer: The brewery is opening with 11 beers on tap. Distribution is expected to restart “within a couple of weeks,” initially focusing on core offerings including an IPA, Mexican Lager, Citrus Wheat, Light Lager and Peach Yuzu Cider.
- Cocktails: The bar will open with five draft cocktails, in addition to mixed drinks. A highlight is the new signature Nitro Old-Fashioned Carajillo. It’s described as an espresso-chocolatey, rich cocktail akin to an espresso martini, which is planned for launch with the new bar section in the former café space. Club West also is looking at eventually canning cocktails for distribution.
- Bourbon and Tequila Bar: This new lounge area will offer high-end liquor options, with an emphasis on tequilas and bourbons.
Club West’s new owner: a chemist and beermaker
Bergman has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Appalachian State, where the 39-year-old’s passion for brewing began.
“I was fortunate to take classes from an amazing professor who helped connect chemistry fundamentals to beer brewing,” Bergman said. He turned those brewing lessons into a degree with accredited brewing science courses, plus self-study and experimentation at home.
Bergman’s brewery career started in 2012 at Boston Beer, learning how to manage brewing operations at a large scale;. “Later, I left for a smaller brewery in the Midwest, helping them double their output using lessons learned at a large scale previously,” Bergman said.
In 2018, he moved to Charlotte to work at Sycamore, focusing on assembling a new brewery space and production team, creating countless new recipes and implementing a program to support expansion plans.
“Some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way — your company is only as good as the people in it, a quality business starts with quality operations and flexibility is important,” he said. “As trends change, we want to be poised to react, and we always want to be flexible to the needs of our customers.”
Let’s get personal with the new Club West owner
Bergman said he has moved a lot but considers Asheville his hometown.
Since moving to Charlotte eight years ago, he said the city is always filled with energy and excitement. “There’s a little bit of everything for everyone in Charlotte,” Bergman said. “I thrive off the buzz that this city produces.”
When he’s not working, Bergman enjoys cycling, home renovation and his two dogs, a Boston Terrier and mixed-breed.
Bergman’s hidden talent: “I’m very into music, of all genres, even dabbling in some digital music production myself.”
This story was originally published March 13, 2026 at 3:22 PM.
