USA, NC: Protagonist Beer forges ahead on construction of new Charlotte location

One of Charlotte’s brewing newcomers, Protagonist Beer, is excited to forge ahead on construction at its new location in the city’s Lower South End neighborhood. Despite the economic downturn related to COVID-19 which has put a damper on the hospitality business, Protagonist Beer’s owners feel that this new location, situated in the former Broken Spoke space, will offer many solutions toward a safe and enjoyable environment for its beer-loving guests. The team is hopeful for an October 2020 opening, Brewbound reported on August 13.

Protagonist Beer’s first physical location (1,700 sq. ft.) in NoDa opened in May of 2019. After a successful year of brewing their own beers as led by head brewer Jeremy Claeys (formerly of Wicked Weed), collaborating with other local breweries, and pouring excellent regional, national and international beers from their rare Flux Capacitor draft system, Protagonist Beer is excited to move forward with the new location with plans to offer more space, food options, and fun.

Protagonist Beer’s new location, at the corner of Southside and Yancey, will sprawl 15,000 sq. ft. of interior gathering space with a mezzanine, customer-facing barrel-aging room, full kitchen centered around the provision of whole pizza pies and slices available for on-site consumption or delivery, a 15-barrel brewing system with plans to package product, and 3 separate bars. The exterior space includes a 6,000 sq. ft. patio which will be partially covered to enjoy all months of the year.

With so many jobs affected in the hospitality industry during this time, Protagonist Beer is excited to create 30+ jobs including front and back of house, brewery and management positions in the Charlotte area.

“It’s at our core that we’ve wanted to do more for the community: raise more funds for local nonprofits, serve more guests, brew more beer — with this new location, we will be able to foster and reach more of our goals. We will be able to host events from a few people to over a 1000+ (in the future), donate time and space to local organizations, and continue to innovate our brewing processes and recipes. The opening of the Lower South End brewery is timely, as people are looking for more space and safe opportunities to enjoy the brewery scene,” said Mike Salzarulo, Co-Founder at Protagonist Beer.

14 August, 2020