Atlanta brewery expanding to Charlotte after all. But first Another Brewery debuts

Atlanta-based Hippin’ Hops Brewery is expanding to Charlotte after all. But first, the owner, a former Charlotte resident and businessman, will open Another Brewery.

Hippin’ Hops Brewery & Distillery will open at 650 E. Brooklyn Village Ave. on the ground floor of Savoy Apartments, owner Clarence Boston told The Charlotte Observer in an exclusive interview Monday. Hippin’ Hops, in the former D9 Brewery uptown location, is expected to open in December.

“It’s a great space and location with two buildings near (Interstate) 277,” Boston said. “lt’s already set up for a brewery, even with water infiltration. We just have to paint.”

Boston originally planned to open Hippin’ Hops Brewery about three miles away in NoDa. Instead, he teamed up with Charlotte bar owner Orlando Botero to debut Another Brewery at Bainbridge NoDa at 2509 N. Davidson St. Another Brewery is expected to open next month before Thanksgiving Day, Boston said.

Hippin’ Hops will be the first Black-owned distillery in Charlotte and the second Black-owned brewery in Charlotte. Weathered Souls Brewing Co. opened last year in lower South End.

“North Carolina is our biggest customer,” Boston said of Hippin’ Hops craft beers and liquor.

About Hippin’ Hops Brewery & Distillery

Boston said he had eyes on the Brooklyn Village spot for over a year because of the two buildings — one for a taproom and the other for brewing and distilling — and an outdoor amphitheater.

The taproom is about 900 square feet, and the 3,000 square feet outside area will include space for live music shows.

The other building will be used for making beer and liquor.

Hippin’ Hops will have a five-barrel system with 10-barrel fermenters that can produce about 1,800 barrels of beer a year, Boston said.

Hippin’ Hops Charlotte also will have a 500-gallon still for making everything from vodka and rum to gin and moonshine.

Some of Hippin’ Hops spirits, like Boston Thomas Whiskey and Noire Cognac, are available at ABC stores in North Carolina, including the Charlotte region.

Each Hippin’ Hops location is different. In Atlanta, one focuses on the oyster bar and the other the distillery. In Charlotte, the focus will be live music, and making good beer and spirits,” Boston said.

Hippin’ Hops will hire about 15 full- and part-time employees.

Unlike Another Brewery, Hippin’ Hops will not have a kitchen but plans to bring in food trucks, Boston said.

About Another Brewery

Another Brewery is being touted as “a neighborhood dive that brews its own beer.”

The name plays off the growing number of Charlotte breweries, now totaling over 75.

Boston said he and Botero have known each other for over 20 years and decided to partner with the brewery to offer “affordable drinks and food.”

Another Brewery has nearly 4,000-square-feet and a 500-square-feet patio.

Production for Another Brewery started last month with a peach sour, tropical double IPA and stout. Boston said expect more such as hefeweizen, banana pudding sour, peach seltzer and Vienna lager.

Brewing is underway in Atlanta but will eventually be moved to Charlotte. The seven-barrel system with 15-barrel fermenters will be able to produce about 3,000 barrels of beer a year, Boston said.

Boston said Another Brewery will be a full-service bar, with brews price about $4-$6 and well drinks starting at $6.

The food menu will include oysters, shrimp and salmon, as well as baked wings, burgers and sandwiches.

Another Brewery will hire about 30 full- and part-time employees.

Minority-owned breweries

Less than 1% of the nearly 8,500 craft breweries in America are Black-owned, according to a 2019 Brewers Association survey. Just 2.2% are “Hispanic, Latina -o, or of Spanish Origin,” according to the survey.

Texas-based Weathered Souls Brewing Co. at 255 Clanton Road is owned by Marcus Baskerville, who is Black and head brewer, and co-owner Mike Holt, who is white and largely oversees the finances.

Charlotte’s first-ever Black-owned brewery Three Spirits Brewery closed in 2019 without explanation.

Behind Hippin’ Hops and Another Brewery

Boston and Botero have been owners of different nightclubs and other businesses in Charlotte for many years.

Boston started his first business, Boston Tech Services cleaning labs, at age 28. In 2020, he sold Boston’s Mortuary on Statesville Road for $4.8 million to pursue other business interests.

In 2021, Boston sold his ownership interests in Charlotte bars Firehouse Bar & Lounge in uptown and Recess in Plaza Midwood.

That year, he opened the first Black-owned brewery in Georgia — Hippin’ Hops Brewery & Oyster Bar in Atlanta. Hippin’ Hops has since expanded with two more breweries in Atlanta and a brewing facility in Stone Mountain.

The 46-year-old has since opened the funeral home Boston’s Funeral & Cremation Services in Stone Mountain. He also has ownership in about 13 companies, he said, including real estate companies in North Carolina and Georgia.

Botero is owner of two South End bars — Lost & Found, which opened in 2019, and Broken Promises, which opened last year —as well as other ventures.