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Drinking Buddies: Pitt Street Brewing Company
We are so excited to be continuing our Drinking Buddies series and sharing our first distributor interview with Pitt Street Brewing Company! Located in the Dickinson Avenue Historic District of Greenville, North Carolina, the brewery is a renovated Coca-Cola bottling plant that’s full of character. Pitt Street Brewing Co.’s been serving up Greenville’s best beers for just over a year and they’ve already become a fun, family-friendly hotspot. From open mic nights supporting local musicians, to food truck rallies featuring the town’s best grub, and even fundraisers to help their coastal neighbors recover from hurricane damage, it’s clear to see that they don’t just exist in the community – they’re a living, breathing part of it. Check out our interview with Travis from Pitt Street Brewing Company below!
What’s the brewery’s story?
Our building started as a Coca-Cola bottling plant that was built in 1926, so we wanted to keep that character and history when we started to build the brewery. We didn’t want to just invest in a building, but in our entire area, and we really wanted to create a space that would help bring life to the community.
What does your typical customer look like?
On a retail side, it’s anyone who just wants good beer. We distribute to everyone from the local bottle shop to our area’s largest steakhouse. In the tasting room, we’ve really tried to keep everything family friendly and a little more mature. No one here is getting too raucous, it’s more common to see people hanging out with their friends and families while the kids throw corn hole.
What’s your favorite beer in your taproom right now?
Definitely the Dapple Dog Dry Stout – it’s got great flavors of chocolate and honey, even a little espresso. It’s been a two-time winner of the NC Brewers’ Cup Gold Medal.
What was the first beer you ever drank?
Oh goodness…probably something like PBR? It was a while ago, but I’m sure it was something like that. (Don’t worry Travis; we’re all in the same boat!)
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever been asked about beer?
I don’t know if I’ve ever been asked a particularly weird question, but people are always super shocked when they find out how long some of our beers take to brew. Our Lager can take anywhere from 3-6 weeks and that always surprises people.
Where do you see industry trends heading?
Right now, hazy IPAs are really making a big push, and over the summer we had a lot of interest in pineapple flavors, which I guess makes sense for the season. We try to get creative with our beer and follow our own trends, so we have something called #serverseries that we created as a chance for our staff to get involved with what we make. If they have an idea for a beer, and our brewers think it’s something that would be good, they’ll brew a small batch. Right now we have ‘It’s Always Saison’y In Philadelphia’, on tap, which is a honey and fig Saison (WHOA, delicious). Next year we’re starting up a membership club called the Bootlagers Club, which will be pretty awesome. We’re proud to sort of create our own trends.
What’s the best thing to do in Greenville?
Our local Pirate Radio has a saying that we’ve never lost a tailgate and they’re 100% right. That’s hands down the best thing to do, grab a few beers from the brewery and head over to tailgate an ECU Football game, it doesn’t get any better.
So for you, why Fintech?:
Fintech just makes sense. We self-distribute, so it saves us loads of time on deliveries and it makes it easier to plan our routes. So many retailers are moving to only paying through Fintech, so it’s nice to already have it set up and ready to go, and it helps sell to places that we might not be able to otherwise.
Next time you’re in Greenville be sure to stop by and visit our friend Travis, and tell him Fintech sent you! While you’re there, fill up a pint of the Dapple Dog Dry Stout and don’t forget to sign up for the Bootlagers Club!
