2229 North Davidson Street
Charlotte, NC 28205
704-451-1394
E-mail: info@nodabrewing.com
Website: http://www.nodabrewing.com
Hours: Tuesday–Friday, 4 P.M.–8 P.M.;
Saturday, 3 P.M.–8 P.M.; Sunday, noon–6 P.M.
Tours: Upon request
Owners: Todd and Suzie Ford
Brewmaster: Todd Ford
Opened:2011
Regular beer lineup: Hop Drop ’n Roll IPA, Pretty Girl Pale Ale, Coco Loco Porter, 26th Street Wit
NoDa, short for North Davidson, is Charlotte’s arts district—and the scene of the city’s latest wave of craft beer. NoDa Brewing Company, the first of three breweries to open in NoDa, is leading the charge.
Todd and Suzie Ford always enjoyed good craft beer but rarely had the time to enjoy it together. Suzie was a banker in Charlotte and Todd an airline pilot. He flew for Pan Am until the airline ceased operations and then started moving freight for Airborne Express. Todd had been homebrewing since 1995, so when the banking industry took a downturn and Suzie found herself out of work, a possibility arose that they had never considered.
NoDa Brewing Company
“I didn’t ever think about going pro,” says Todd about his brewing. “Like the airlines, it’s a difficult job to get into and make any money, so you obviously have to like what you’re doing. We both enjoyed this, and we’ve been looking forward to the opportunity to run a business together and spend more time with each other.” Todd finally resigned from flying in July 2011 to dedicate himself full-time to the brewery.
Their story is a familiar one. “We started having house parties every six months, and we would give away our beer, and more and more people would tell us, ‘You need to start selling this. You need to open a brewery,’ ” says Suzie. “For the first couple of years, we kind of laughed it off, and then we started thinking, Well, why not? So we took our retirement, jumped in with both feet, and haven’t looked back.”
Finding a place for the brewery ended up being a challenge they hadn’t anticipated. They searched for months for the right spot, looking at dozens of potential locations. They had a hard time finding a place that met the criteria set by the city of Charlotte regarding the proximity of churches, schools, and residences. They kept coming back to one site in particular for a variety of reasons: good location, nice feel, lots of room, and only one nearby residence that would alter how they laid out their taproom.
Their brewery is directly across the street from CenterStage@NoDa, a popular theater venue. It is also near Birdsong Brewery, which was just a few months behind NoDa Brewing Company in starting up. The Fords believe their brewery fits into NoDa perfectly. “We feel that brewing is an art,” says Suzie, noting that they couldn’t have found a more perfect community.
What’s more, they’re excited to be part of the Charlotte beer scene as it grows. “Charlotte’s palate had been expanding, thanks to John Marrino at Olde Meck and Jon Fulcher at Four Friends,” says Todd. “People are starting to embrace craft beer. I think Charlotte’s on the cusp of seeing the craft market take off.”
The Fords assembled a formidable team for their young brewery, hiring George Allen, formerly a brewer for Carolina Beer & Beverage and Red Oak in North Carolina and Bison in California, as their brewery manager, and two other brewers, Chad Henderson and Matt Virgil.
The brewhouse as seen through the windows behind the bar at NoDa Brewing Company
For now, they’re content with opening their brewery. But they’re already looking at the possibility of packaging down the road–“probably in cans,” says Suzie. “It’s the most environmentally friendly packaging, and it’s what’s best for the beer.”
“We’re not the youngest people to start a brewery,” says Todd. “Everybody gets involved in the industry for different reasons, but we really enjoy the craft beer industry culture—enough so that we basically dumped relatively well-established careers to do it. We both understand that it’s going to be a big challenge, and that we’re going to make less money at this than what we did before, but we’re both dedicated to doing this. It’s our passion, and—God willing—I think we’ll have some success. I think Charlotte’s ready, and all of North Carolina is ready, for some new, unique beers.”
Western Carolina barbecue bears a few distinctions from eastern Carolina barbecue. Eastern ’cue is made from a whole hog and has a vinegar-based sauce. Western Carolina barbecue is normally just the pork shoulder, which means it’s all dark meat—much moister and fattier. And the sauce—even for the coleslaw—includes ketchup. What this means is that western Carolina ’cue is a richer, sweeter experience than its eastern cousin.
A whole different slate of beers pairs with western Carolina barbecue. Try an English-style IPA like Highland’s Kashmir IPA or a pale ale like Carolina Brewing Company’s Carolina Pale Ale, Highland’s St. Therese’s Pale Ale, or Foothills’ Pilot Mountain Pale Ale. The caramel backbone of each of these beers pairs wonderfully with the pork, and the hop character combats the rich sweetness of the western Carolina meat-and-sauce combo. Be careful of anything that is too hoppy. Intense hop character runs the risk of overwhelming the delicate flavor of the pork (but would probably go great with the coleslaw!).