Wilmington brewery responds to allegations that led some businesses to drop its products

A Wilmington brewery is responding to allegations of misconduct by its owner that have led a number of area bars and restaurants to stop carrying its products.

The response comes in the midst of a social media firestorm that erupted Dec. 29.

That's when a Brunswick County-based musician who has performed in the Wilmington area for more than a decade made a Facebook post accusing Gary Sholar, owner of Wilmington's Edward Teach Brewing on North Fourth Street, of misconduct toward a family member who is also a musician and who was performing at Edward Teach in November when the alleged incident occurred.

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Reaction was swift to the post, which has garnered more than 800 comments, almost all of them in support of the musician and their family, and been shared more than 1,000 times.

The fallout was swift as well, with many commenters saying they would no longer patronize Edward Teach, and well over a dozen area bars and restaurants pledging not to carry the brewery's products. The brewery's beer, particularly its Teach's Peaches brew, are near-ubiquitous in area establishments.

The person behind the Facebook post declined to answer questions about it, and the musician who was performing at Edward Teach when the alleged incident occurred did not respond to an email seeking comment.

According to the Wilmington Police Department, no charges have been filed against Sholar. Because the allegations have not been verified, the StarNews has chosen not to publish specifics about the allegations, or to identify the alleged victim.

Sholar did not respond to a request for an interview. But Edward Teach Brewery taproom manager Amy Cavasos did respond to emailed questions from the StarNews and issued a statement that referenced "the brief and unfortunately misconstrued incident two months ago … As we are sure you can appreciate, not everything you read online is accurate."

"We don’t believe it is productive or fair (for) either party to litigate this misunderstanding in public," Cavasos said. "We are saddened by how (the musician) felt leaving our brewery in November. Gary did not threaten anyone. Not verbally or physically. He did nothing even remotely illegal. This is an unfortunate misunderstanding, and we do not take this widely misconstrued event lightly."

Asked about reports of multiple area establishments — including Jimmy's and King Neptune in Wrightsville Beach and Mad Katz in Wilmington — saying they will no longer carry Edward Teach products, Cavasos said, "While this misunderstanding happened months ago, this interpretation of the events was only made public in the past week. We are reaching out directly to our partners, and we believe they will come to understand this was an unfortunate misunderstanding."

Contrary to what appear to be widespread rumors, Cavasos said, Edward Teach Brewing has not closed, but rather is only closed on Mondays through March 4, something she said was announced Nov. 6.

"This is a great example of how hysterical all of this has become," she said. "We are closed on Mondays as part of our seasonal hours."

Whether the situation blows over or represents an existential threat to Edward Teach, which opened in 2017, remains to be seen.

Jimmy Gilleece, owner of Jimmy's and King Neptune in Wrightsville Beach, two establishments that have stopped carrying Edward Teach products, had the musician play at Jimmy's on Wednesday night.

"I will say that the employees of Edward Teach are amazing and have been great to work with," Gilleece said. "But this just crossed a line."

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington's Edward Teach Brewing responds to viral allegations