Belmont’s newest brewery and restaurant boasts a unique menu and tasty beers to go along with it.
A little more than a week has passed since Huntersville-based Primal Brewery opened its second location at 52 Ervin St. in Belmont — where patrons of Rivermen Brewing Co. had dined just a year ago.
Primal Brewery owners David Hoy and Ray Steimel revamped the space with a new bar, new tables and chairs in the central dining room and fresh paint around the brewhouse. They also replaced the children’s play area in the back of the dining room with a second bar to be used for private events.
Zeke Butterfield gets a carryout order ready for John Searby at Primal Brewery in Belmont, North Carolina
Zeke Butterfield takes a carryout order over the phone at Primal Brewery in Belmont, North Carolina
Tim “The Brew Chef” Schafer prepares a grilled marinated chicken breast in the kitchen at Primal Brewery which is now open and offering to-go food and beer at their new location in Belmont, North Carolina
A grilled chicken sandwich plate from Primal Brewery which is now open and offering to-go food and beer at their location in Belmont, North Carolina
Inside the brewpub at Primal Brewery in Belmont, North Carolina
The beer menu posted inside the brewpub at Primal Brewery in Belmont, North Carolina
A row of tap handles inside the brewpub at Primal Brewery in Belmont, North Carolina
Lori Sommerville checks a tap before filling a growler of beer to be picked up at Primal Brewery in Belmont, North Carolina
Customers get carryout orders at Primal Brewery in Belmont, North Carolina
Hoy and Steimel also brought in a 40-year food industry veteran Tim Schafer to create a unique dining experience for customers of Primal Brewery. Schafer, a caterer and freelance food and beer writer better known in Lake Norman and Charlotte as “the Brew Chef,” specializes in designing beer-infused and beer-centric menus.
Schafer said he uses Primal beer in about 80 percent of the brewery’s entrees, which he expects will entice new customers.
“I think that’s important in a brewery, when we go to places and brewpubs and you see beer in the menu. You see beer getting paired with dishes,” he said. “Just like with wine, if you’re able to compliment or contrast beer and food, it just makes the dining experience a little better.”
Opening during the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t ideal, focusing on takeout will go a long way, Schafer said.
“We would’ve takeout from the beginning anyway, so it’s good that we’re able to establish that foundation now because I think that’s going to continue for a while,” he said.
Hoy agreed.
“The silver lining in all of this is it’s allowed us to phase into the opening and make sure everything’s right,” Hoy said.
Once the brewers receive their brewing permit sometime this summer, they plan to make the Ervin Street mill their primary production facility. Hoy said the space underneath the brewhouse and dining room will used for kegging and canning beers, like their Lemon Haze Pale Ale and Lawn Boy American Lager.
“The previous tenant never permitted the downstairs, so we’re doing a renovation. It was never actually used,” Hoy said.
Steimel noted since the pandemic, Belmont’s officials have made considerable efforts to support its businesses.
“Just the experience all the way around has been refreshing,” he said.
Primal Brewery is currently selling to-go beer and food Wednesday through Sunday from 3 PM to 8 PM.
About Primal Brewery
Primal Brewery can trace its’ roots to the sidelines of a Huntersville soccer field that Co-founders, Ray Steimel and David Hoy first met on… We were home brewers, who not only enjoyed the process of brewing but also the overall experience. Our home brewing sessions were always a gathering of friends, family, and neighbors. For us, it’s always been about the experience of bringing people together and having a good time with great beer and good food. At our core this is the underlying belief that influences every decision we make at Primal Brewery. Read More
