MORGANTON, N.C. — Officials with family-owned Catawba Valley Brewing Company say they are expanding their services to North Carolina’s coast by opening their newest location at the beach in Wilmington.
Catawba Valley Brewing Company purchased Wilmington, N.C.’s Skytown Beer Company location after having conservations with restaurant owners Hayley and Stephen from Beer Barrio.
“We’ve been actively evaluating locations for some time and have come to love the beer scene and lifestyle in Wilmington. We felt we could really integrate and contribute there,” said Billy Pyatt, Catawba’s CEO and co-owner. “We knew Hayley and Stephen from Beer Barrio, their Front Street restaurant, and a few very cooperative conversations with them resulted in us buying their brewery location.
Pyatt says they closed the purchase on February 10th, and hope to start making new, coastal-inspired beverages at their newest location located on New Centre Drive in Wilmington by late February.
Family restauranteurs, Hayley Jensen, Stephen Durley, Carol Jensen, and Michael Jensen opened Skytown Beer Company in 2018 following the success of Beer Barrio, and the concept featured Jensen and Durley’s National Award-winning homebrew recipes paired with BBQ.
Skytown Beer Company officials say “When the opportunity presented itself to pass the torch to a great company like Catawba, we were excited to see them take the concept to the next level. We have worked together for years to establish a great relationship, and we look forward to welcoming the Pyatts and their family business to Wilmington.”
Jetta Pyatt, CFO, Retail Ops Leader, and co-owner of Catawba Brewing says the new location will undergo many changes in the coming months.
“The facility is beautiful, and we have some exciting ideas to quickly turn it into a Catawba Brewing showcase,” said Jetta Pyatt. “Think indoor/outdoor space, 30 taps
serving favorites like White Zombie White Aleâ and Huger Street IPA, and a large selection of the hundred-plus draft and limited release canned beers our brewers create annually. The wonderful on-site kitchen will provide delicious, brewery-inspired food offerings.”
The Pyatt brothers say taking over this Wilmington location is nostalgic for them.
Scott Pyatt, COO and co-owner, said, “This is so much like the original brewing system that got us into craft brewing in 1999. We cut our teeth making classic styles 5 barrels at a time. We can’t wait to revisit our roots and brew something special together again. Plus, it’s the perfect system to host collaborative projects with Wilmington’s beer community.”
Catawba Brewing officials say they expect the facility to remain open as the ownership transition takes place.
“The building and equipment are in great shape to immediately introduce our Catawba culture and operate 7-days a week,” said Mary Mayo, General Manager of Catawba-Wilmington. “Of course, we will celebrate with proper grand opening festivities to be announced as soon as possible. As a bonus, our company’s biggest event of the year, Catawba’s annual Peanut Butter Jelly Time release party, will now include Wilmington this April 2nd weekend.”
