CHARLOTTE — Free Range Brewing’s second location is now open as the first craft brewery on Camp North End’s 76-acre site, the major adaptive reuse project led by ATCO Properties & Management.
Since 2015, the sustainable and super-local craft brewery has been operating its flagship location on the edge of the NoDa neighborhood in Villa Heights. Five years later, the family-run business is expanding just 2.5 miles away at The Mount area on the Camp North End campus.
“Just like our mission and intentions, Camp North End is fostering community, creativity and connections in a purposeful and meaningful way,” says Free Range Brewing co-owner and Community Engagement Director Sarah Alexander. “While we initially thought we wanted our second location to be larger, this gem of a space in Camp North End was a natural fit for us.”
Free Range Brewing is owned and operated by family members and business partners Jason, Sarah, Jeff and Brittany Alexander. Voted “Best Brewery in Charlotte” by QC Nerve in 2019, Free Range Brewing is committed to sourcing local ingredients for their small-batch craft beers (every beer averages 95% locally sourced ingredients), while also fostering community through accessible events and local partnerships with farmers, artists and nonprofit organizations.
The brewery’s new 1,544-square-foot taproom, located in the refurbished 301 Camp Road building at Camp North End, features high ceilings with exposed steel, the original brick walls, and an outdoor patio with a skyline view. The design and decor of the brewery gives it the vibe and charm of the original location, including a 100-year-old handcrafted oak wood bar and a large industrial sliding door near the front entrance featuring a mural of bees designed by local illustrator Dustin Harbin and painted by the brewery family, paying homage to their beekeeping practice and passion for protecting bee communities. The side of the brewery also features a colorful mural by local artist Sharon Dowell.
Over the past several months, Free Range Brewing, like many businesses in the community, faced numerous challenges, including canceled events, closing the taproom and postponing the opening of the second location.
“Our original business model was created to bring people into our space to experience our beer and community events,” says Free Range Brewing co-owner Jeff Alexander. “Before COVID-19, we had only bottled a few special brews, but we adapted quickly and started canning. We are now able to offer a variety of our brews in 12-ounce cans as well as crowlers.”
Free Range Brewing’s Camp North End location will offer a variety of beers, including fan favorites like the You’re Everything I Knead sourdough IPA and the Cream of the Crop cream ale as well as an ever-changing lineup of locally inspired creations. The brewery will also serve an extensive wine list and a curated selection of beers from breweries they admire. A majority of the beverage menu will be available to-go to enjoy on the back patio or on the Camp North End campus.
An exciting feature at the new location is a pass-thru window to the kitchen of the neighboring Leah & Louise restaurant, owned and operated by James Beard-nominated chef Greg Collier and his wife/business partner Subrina Collier.
“The Colliers are longtime collaborators and friends of ours,” says Free Range Brewing co-owner Jason Alexander. “When we found out they would be next door to us, our brains got working on how we could collaborate together and build a stronger partnership. We’re working with them to create a special menu from Leah & Louise that will be available to our customers right at the bar.”
Free Range Brewing cultivates relationships with other culinary partners in the community as well, including Jamie Swofford (The Chef’s Farmer), Riverbend Malt House, Epiphany Malt, Farmhouse BBQ, Freshlist, Moonbox Bakery, Pure Intentions Coffee, HEX Coffee, Dukes Bread and many more and looks to expand its partnerships within the new space.
Free Range Brewing’s Camp North End location will initially be open Wednesday through Sunday from 4 to 11 p.m. Hours are subject to change.
About Free Range Brewing
Free Range Brewing is the dream made real of the Alexander family inviting you to “let your taste buds roam.” Brewed in small-batches and crafted with local ingredients to create one-of-a-kind creations, they took this same adventurous yet practical approach to brewing when they opened their brewery in 2015. Located in NoDa and Camp North End in Charlotte, North Carolina, most of the brewery’s furnishings and decor are reclaimed and repurposed goods from the post-industrial neighborhood and surrounding area farmsteads. What they’ve created is an environment that fosters community and collaboration. Learn more about Free Range Brewing at freerangebrewing.com and connect online on Facebook and Instagram.
About Camp North End
Camp North End is a state-of-the art creative development that is being designed and curated to cater to today’s most innovative and cutting-edge companies in Charlotte’s up-and-coming North End Smart District.
As one of the largest adaptive reuse projects currently underway in the U.S., the project is transforming a historic 76-acre site where people once manufactured Model T cars and assembled Hercules missiles into a catalytic hub of creativity and ideas.
With over 225,000 square feet of space already redeveloped for work, artistic expression, dining and hospitality, entertainment, recreation and community building, and another 2.75 million square feet of adaptive reuse and new construction on the way, Camp North End’s curated development will drive growth at the businesses that join its community. Developer ATCO Properties & Management has already renovated and leased 75,000 square feet in buildings facing The Boileryard and The Mount, two of the project’s districts.
For more information about Camp North End, visit the official Camp North End website at https://camp.nc/ or follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @campnorthend.
For More Information:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2cemjgdbo4p0hi1/CNE_FREE_RANGE.pdf?dl=0