Local brewery debuts new space in South End

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Protagonist isn’t letting Covid-19 stand in its way. On Wednesday, the brewery opened its second Charlotte location.

It is located at 227 Southside Drive. That makes it neighbors with The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and Sugar Creek Brewing Co.

That space was formerly occupied by Great Wagon Road Distillery.

“The place just matched everything we wanted to do,” says Mike Salzarulo, co-founder. “It’s great to be in a neighborhood where there are other options and it’s a destination.”

He teamed up with childhood friends Ryan McKillen and Ryan Owens on Protagonist. A love of craft beer kept the friends connected over the years and led them to launch Protagonist in May 2019.

They’re expanding that brand with a 15,000-square-foot brewery and taproom — eight times bigger than Protagonist’s first location in NoDa.

Read more about the venture and check out photos of the new space here.

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