Burial Beer Co. has snapped up a location in Plaza Midwood, with plans to invest roughly $2.2 million into a taproom and bottle shop.
The Asheville brewery expects to close on 1214 and 1216 Thomas Ave. — formerly home to Boris & Natasha and Stash Pad — later today, says Doug Reiser.
He co-founded the brewery with wife Jess and friend Tim Gormley.
There’s a two-step plan for how that project will progress, Doug Reiser says.
Burial plans a bottle shop; roughly 50% of business is currently to go, driven by strong bottle and can releases with four to five different offerings weekly.
“We want to bring that programming down to Charlotte as soon as possible,” he says.
The second phase will add a roughly 2,700-square-foot taproom with nooks and crannies to tuck into, a living studio wall, focus on music and rooftop deck. A 3,000-square-foot beer garden is planned as well.
“All indications we have are we can get it open by the end of this year,” Reiser says.
Burial already has a strong following in Charlotte. It has been looking to expand here for 18 months, narrowing in on spaces that would fit the brand’s vibe.
“We knew Charlotte needed to be the experience most people would expect out of us,” Reiser says. “We just never wanted to cut and paste. We wanted to do something for Charlotte.”
Burial got its start as a one-barrel system in 2013. It quickly expanded into a 10-barrel brewpub to keep up with demand.
By 2016, it had grown to two locations in Asheville, including a 20-barrel production brewery and its restaurant, Forestry Camp. It also has a taproom in Raleigh. The brewery currently distributes to North Carolina and Georgia.
“It’s been one incremental step at a time. We listened to the customers,” Reiser says.
The Charlotte taproom will offer new beer releases including hoppy ales, dessert stouts, barrel-aged sours, wild ales and lagers.
“I think people will come because they hear the beer is great. I think they will come because the vibe is great,” he says.
Plans call for a container kitchen on the property with menu to be determined.
Gais Construction has been tapped as the general contractor. D3 Studio is the architect. First Bank is handling financing for the project.
