Seaboard Brewing, Taproom & Wine Bar is offering curbside pickup. MMHW file photo
Taprooms may be empty, but the beer is still flowing as breweries across the region try to supplement the loss of revenue with curbside and delivery.
Sweet Union Brewing, located at 13717 E. Independence Blvd., Indian Trail, is offering 64 and 32-ounce growler fills from 1 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Customers can either come inside the taproom or call 704-628-5211 for curbside pickup.
“If they have a growler for us to fill, we will go grab it and we will clean it and fill it,” said Rachel Pound, Sweet Union’s front of house manager. “If they bring a Sweet Union growler, we’ll take it and exchange it for a new one. It only takes a few minutes.”
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Pound has been with the brewery since it opened in 2017. She said the loss of business stemming from the stay-at-home order was shocking at first, but they are hanging in there. As of now, she said Sweet Union is not in the position where any of its beer is going to waste.
“We’re on such a small scale that we brew the beer that we need. Even with this lower amount of business from having to only do growler fills, we can still just make as much as we need without having to throw any extra away,” Pound said. “We’re not doing as much business as before, but we’ve seen a lot of support, so it’s encouraging. We’ll make it through.”
Seaboard Brewing, Taproom & Wine Bar is filling growlers that customers bring in and offering wine delivery within a five-mile radius of the taproom, which is located at 213 N. Trade St., Matthews.
General manager Russ Conrad said he wishes he could offer beer delivery, but he doesn’t have the growlers on hand. Conrad said he’s hesitant to even order any because they would take several weeks to arrive and he’s not sure how long the stay-at-home order will continue.
“I wouldn’t want to spend what little capital we have on something like that,” he said. “We’ve got $40,000 in wine here, so we’re delivering that to people. That’s the bulk of our business.”
Beers at Seaboard are brewed on-site in a five-barrel brew house. Conrad said they were just about to ramp up production heading into the busy season when the stay-at-home order was put into effect. Now, they’re on the brink of struggling to get rid of what they have.
Conrad said Seaboard generally uses the amount of beer it brews by serving it in the taproom and offering it at places like Carolina Beer Temple. If they’re unable to sell the beer, they will have to dump it.
“We’re going to run into that soon,” Conrad said. “We’re OK right now, but if it keeps on like this, we will be losing a lot of money.”
The best way to help save Seaboard’s beer from going down the drain is to bring a growler for curbside pickup. Conrad said wine and beer can be ordered between noon and 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon and 6 p.m. Sunday. Call 704-246-6575 or email Info@seaboardbrewing.com.
“Every little bit helps,” he said.
Skyler Lachenmayr is the head brewer at The DreamChaser’s Brewery, located at 115 E. North Main St., Waxhaw. Lachenmayr said he slightly over-produced beer because he usually brews it for the taproom, which is temporarily closed. Still, he only makes small batches and hasn’t had to dump out any yet.
“Business has slowed down, but not a ton,” Lachenmayr said. “We have been canning a lot more because of this.”
DreamChaser’s is open from 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for to-go beer. Customers can call 704-843-7326 and place orders for 32-ounce crowlers, four-pack cans and bottles of wine. Employees will also sanitize and fill any growler.
For those staying at home, DreamChasers will deliver in Waxhaw within five miles of the brewery from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“There’s nothing that we can do to kind of help the situation, but we do really appreciate the support from the community because without that, we wouldn’t have anything,” Lachenmayr said. “We’re just chugging along I guess.”
South Charlotte:
The taproom at Legion Brewing SouthPark, located at 5610 Carnegie Blvd., Charlotte, is open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday for carryout and curbside pickup. Food and beer are available to-go. Order 25.4-ounce crowlers, bottles and cans of select beers online at www.legionbrewing.com or call 980-202-6808.
Legion’s Plaza Midwood taproom will be open 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday for carry-out. Beer is available to-go in the form of crowlers, growlers, bottles, sixtel kegs and half-barrel kegs. Call 844-467-5683 to place an order.
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