USA, NC: Cotton House Craft Brewers coming to downtown Cary soon

The house part of Cotton House Craft Brewers, a new brewery coming to downtown Cary, is no joke, the News & Observer reported on July 13.

If a house has a name, it’s likely an old one, and the Pasmore House at 307 S. Academy St. has been around for more than a century, first as a residence and later as a boarding home for students of Cary High School.

Soon the historic home next door to the Mayton Inn will house the flowing taplines of the Triangle’s newest brewery, plus barrels of aging beer.

Cotton House is the brewing project of Brent Webb and his family, named for the family’s history of cotton farmers that he shares with his wife, Caryl. The brewery itself will have a farming connection, working with a local hops farm and using four new hops varieties developed by N.C. State’s agriculture program.

“We hope they taste good; it’s rolling the dice,” Webb said. “We want to help promote hops as a viable agricultural product in this region.”

Cotton House’s brewer will be Jamie McMillan, who has worked at Aviator Brewing Co. in Fuquay-Varina and Raleigh Brewing Co.

Core beers will include a New England IPA, an American pale ale, a Belgian pale ale, a stout and a pilsner. Cotton House is buying the brewing system from Fayetteville’s Dirtbag Ales, which recently expanded to a larger set up. Its beer will be brewed in Fayetteville initially and then will eventually move to Cary, though unlikely on the Cotton House property.

Webb emphasized the hominess of his plans for Cotton House, opting for something other than the industrial and warehouse spaces many of the area’s breweries have revived.

“I knew I did not want to do the industrial chic thing,” Webb said. “I knew I wanted to do something unique.”

Cotton House will be more of a taproom for the brand’s beers, but also will serve wine and local sours, Webb said. The old wood floors will remain, and inside an old Western-style bar will be built, complete with saloon-style doors.

“It will be a mix of speakeasy and saloon, with some modern touches,” said Webb, noting that photos of Cary’s history will hang on the wall. “It’s a house, but it’s not going to be Grandma’s house.”

Downtown Cary is already home to one of the Triangle’s most popular breweries — Bond Brothers Beer Co. off East Chatham Street, along with Jordan Lake Brewing Co. Fortnight Brewing Co., not far from downtown, is a Cary staple.

Webb sees Cotton House as part of Cary’s development as a destination instead of a suburb.

“There’s not a real good social hub (downtown) other than the park,” Webb said. “We’re right in the heart of town. We have a great backyard. People walk by us every day. We want to be a social hub for downtown Cary. We’re not a bar, we don’t want to be a bar. We want to be a place where people can come and hang out and relax.”

Cotton House is awaiting permitting approval from the Town of Cary, but Webb said construction plans are minimal and they hope to be open by late September.

09 July, 2018