A new combo coffeeshop, restaurant, brewery and fermentation lab will open near the Blue Line’s New Bern Station next week.
Sister concepts The Suffolk Punch, the consumer-facing dining and drinking arm of the operation, and Hyde Brewing, the behind-the-scenes brewery production space, have announced a Monday, July 31 opening date.
If the dual branding is a bit confusing, think of it like this: The Suffolk Punch is a destination and Hyde Brewing is a product. You go to The Suffolk Punch, and you drink Hyde beer.
The gorgeous 8,000-square-foot facility that houses both concepts is located across the street from Triple C Brewing just steps from the Rail Trail.
An expansive trailside patio features rows of picnic tables and retractable awnings to keep the space usable in both heat and rain.
They’ve got an outdoor bar to service the patio, which will also function as a grab-and-go coffee counter in the mornings for light rail commuters on the run.
Additional high-top seating and roll-up windows around the side of the building create a breezy indoor-outdoor environment (for, you know, when it’s not a million degrees anymore).
Retractable awnings for insufferably hot days
Outdoor patio bar along the Rail Trail
Inside, the main dining room is industrial but inviting, warmed up with lush greenery, custom wooden tables and leather seats.
They’ve got a huge central bar with 48 taps and an army of leather stools, as well as booths around the perimeter.
A small stage in the back will accommodate regular live music performances.
The food menu accommodates an array of dietary restrictions with soy-, dairy- and gluten-free options.
Industry pro Dan Davis, who also owns Craft Growler Shop and Tasting Room, joined the founding members of Hyde to create a restaurant and bar concept that would complement the brewery — thus, The Suffolk Punch was born. Davis has led the conceptualization, sourcing and staffing for the space.
Executive Chef Robert “RJ” Corley, a Johnson & Wales graduate, will run the kitchen along with sous chefs Nick “Noodles” Connell and Zach Rubin.
Charlotte magazine has a nice write up on the menu and photos of the food here.
via Instagram
Around one side of the bar will be a coffee counter operating as early as 6:30 a.m. to accommodate morning commuters.
Lindsey Pitman, owner of Trade and Lore Coffee with locations in Asheville and Charlotte, is managing the coffee program.
Pitman, who also ran the popular Daily Press pop-up cafe in NoDa prior to opening Trade and Lore, is well known in the Charlotte coffee scene. She says a focus on local ingredients and ethical sourcing ties all of her projects together but that each has its own unique menu.
Here, her beverage program will utilize local ingredients like hops from Soulshine Organics, dairy from a farm in nearby Hamptonville, Dobra Teas and Jamie Swofford’s Old North Shrubs. Pitman sources the coffee itself from small producers around the world and aims to spotlight their work.
She’s creating simple drinks and streamlined training to ensure baristas can turn tickets quickly and on pace with the light rail’s schedule.
As for splitting her time across all her different projects, Pitman says the key is hiring the right people. “The goal is to make the machine run without me,” she said. “I’m not a micromanager. I hire people I trust.”
Along with the coffee and tea, they’ll be serving local Whisk and Wood pastries.
The coffee side of the bar
An as-of-yet unnamed drink with hops and brown sugar syrup, draft coffee and seltzer
In the afternoons and evenings, the bar’s focus shifts from coffee to beer and cocktails.
Yes, even cocktails.
Although the heart of the combined operation is certainly its own on-site beer production at Hyde, the bar at Suffolk Punch will also feature other breweries as well as spirits.
Non-beer drinkers in our beer-obsessed town *sheepishly raises hand* will rejoice in this more inclusive bar menu. (You’ll also have the option to spike certain coffee and tea drinks, hello.)
But if you’re here for local craft beer, it’s certainly the star of the show with a wide open viewing area displaying the back-of-the-house brewery operation.
Hyde Brewing
The genesis of the Hyde Brewery program started, as so many breweries do, as one man’s hobby.
Co-owner Collin Ricks says his father-in-law Dan Hyde’s home brewing operation piqued the interest of the family, turning group vacations into craft beer tours. Whenever they traveled together, they made sure to sample the best local beers in the area.
After about 8-10 years of getting immersed in the industry, the family felt like Dan’s home brews were on par with nationally recognized brands and started exploring ways to get his beer out in volume. They got the space in 2015 and the doors will finally open next week.
Dan Hyde will run the brewery with the assistance of Daniel McIlmoyle, who is straight out of brewing school in Germany, and Allison Carr, a recent University of North Carolina graduate with a degree in chemistry and brewery experience at Durty Bull in Durham.
The Suffolk Punch / Hyde Brewing is unlike anything else I’ve seen in Charlotte.
Partners Collin Ricks, Ryland Pond, Seth Stidham and Glen Cherry have assembled an all-star lineup of Charlotte beer, coffee and food pros all firing full throttle straight out of the gate. That trifecta of talent merged with the property’s location on the highly foot-trafficked Rail Trail make it a really unique offering in the city.
The Suffolk Punch / Hyde Brewing will open at 6:30 a.m. on Monday, July 31. Find it at 2911 Griffith Street.
Charlotte-based architecture firm Cluck Design designed the space. Custom handmade furniture was created by Charlotte-based Fine Grit and Greensboro-based Kerf and Burled. And local design agency The Plaid Penguin is behind the branding and strategy.
