VICTORY IN CHARLOTTE
Chester County craft beer brewer opening first location outside Pennsylvania
Downingtown-based Victory Brewing is working with its partner to open a new taproom and craft brewery in Charlotte, N.C.
Artisanal Brewing Ventures — formed last year when Victory and Southern Tier joined forces — plans to open the new venture in March, said Victory’s co-founder Bill Covaleski.
The company has leased 28,000 square feet in a former industrial area called Bowers that is being redeveloped into a nightlife destination.
The facility was purchased earlier this year by developer White Point Partners for $7.9 million and is now undergoing a major renovation, the Charlotte Observer recently reported.
It is the first out-of-state location for Victory, which was started in Downingtown in 1996 by Covaleski and Ron Barchet. Victory has since opened two more locations in Chester County — in Kennett Square and Parkesburg.
“This checked all the boxes,” Covaleski said of the Charlotte project.
In the same neighborhood are other beer brewers, a cider making facility and a distillery.
“It’s a place that’s already happening, we just want to add to it,” Covaleski explained.
Victory’s parent company, Artisanal, is headquartered in Charlotte. It will move to the new location when it’s completed; the corporate staff there has grown from three to eight employees.
“Charlotte is a perfect fit for ABV’s corporate offices because its central location
perfectly matches our mission to build brands and brew world-class beers here on the East Coast,” John Coleman, Artisanal Brewing Venture’s CEO, told the Observer. “Charlotte offers a lot when it comes to quality of life, entertainment and, of course, its growing craft beer community.”
Victory, which employs around 400, remains committed to staying in Chester County, Covaleski said. The new venture marks the first
time Victory and Southern Tier of Lakewood, N.Y., are working together in a shared project.
The new brewpub will have seating for around 700 and will employ about 100 people. It will include a custom-built brewhouse, fermentation cellar and packaging lines. Southern Tier and Victory will brew new brands and regional releases at the facility. Beer made in Chester County will be served there as well.
“Kennett Square would be a good analogy” for how the new location will operate, Covaleski said.
While the first, Charlotte probably will not be the last out-of-state location for the brewing partners.
“There are discussions about where else we can do this,” Covaleski said. “But nothing has been decided. We want to walk before we run. We need to see how this works out.”
Collaborations like Victory’s
and Southern Tier’s will be the wave of the future in the craft brewing business, Covaleski predicted. The challenge for successful craft brewers is to stay independent while getting big enough to make the business model work.
“We see the future as these kinds of partnerships,” he said.
Victory, whose brands such as Golden Monkey and Hop Devil IPA have solidified the brewer’s reputation among peers and beer drinkers alike, is now distributed in 37 sates.
“The challenge is to be relevant the further away from home you get,” said Covaleski. “Charlotte, being a day’s drive away from home, is a great place to test it out.”