CARRBORO, N.C. – Steel String Brewery has announced plans to build Pluck Farms: a production brewery, working farm, festival site, culinary pop up venue and disc golf course seated on 57 acres of pasture and woodlands ten miles down HWY 54 from their current brewery. The Carrboro brewery has worked in conjunction with Orange County who will purchase a portion of the land for the North Carolina Mountain to Sea Trail.
“Working with the County really helped us crystalize our interest in pursuing the property,” explained, co-founder Eric Knight. “We will aim to be the ideal trail neighbor, a place to jump off, grab a beer and a bite from a food truck, or picnic with your friends and family. There is real value for us to further connect with people interested in nature, conservation and outdoor recreation.”
The farm portion of the property will center around providing native and fresh ingredients for beer production with an emphasis on sustainability.
“The farm allows us to achieve our original vision,” explained co-founder Will Isley. “It also lets us focus on creating the beers that inspire us, those that are made with foraged, forgotten and unique ingredients, while giving us enough space to meet demand for our clean beers. It allows us to consider the business more holistically because we will be on the land in a small ecosystem, and have to think more consciously about how the brewery interacts with the land.”
Slated for completion in winter 2019, the new 6,000 square foot production brewery will double the annual production of Steel String’s current capacity totaling 1,500 barrels in the first year of operation.The additional space will also allow for the expansion of the brewery’s mixed culture and barrel program.
Pluck Farms will focus heavily on destination events partnering with chefs, food trucks, musicians, artisans and Orange County to create community inclusive and collaborative occasions. In addition to a regular and active events calendar, the brewery hopes to revitalize a renamed and rebranded version of Sour Barn Bash, a regional and national beer festival hosted in previous years.
“The Barn Bash has been a celebration of the most exciting Sour Brewers in North Carolina, along with a few of our friends from around the country,” stated Isley. “It was a day to take in fantastic beer, food, and music in the serene setting of the Carolina Piedmont.”
While the new production brewery is slated for completion in winter 2019, Steel String hopes to host its first public tour in late spring 2019 for a beer release and announcement party. Details of the first Pluck Farm event will be announced in the coming months.
About Steel String Brewery
At Steel String we are connoisseurs of that unassuming bit of land between the North Carolina mountains and the ocean known as the piedmont. Inspired by the agriculture bounty of this region, and the funky, free-spirited vibes of Carrboro, Steel String adopts modern American brewing styles and techniques into something that is uniquely North Carolinian. If it’s been done right, inside our beer is a part of the character and culture of this local community.