NC bars, grocers yank Sycamore Brewing after co-founder charged with child rape
Grocery stores and bars across Charlotte and North Carolina are pulling Sycamore Brewing beers the day after the brewery’s co-founder was charged with raping a 13-year-old girl and breaking into her home.
Bargarita, a neighborhood bar in NoDa, posted a photo on Instagram showing cans of Sycamore’s Mountain Candy beer being poured down the sink drain. “We are heartbroken and disgusted by the news that came out today. Effective immediately, we will no longer carry @sycamorebrewing beers,” Bargarita said late Thursday.
At least three major grocery chains are pulling Sycamore’s beer cans off the shelves.
Food Lion told The Charlotte Observer Friday it had decided to remove Sycamore products and is discontinuing all future orders. The Salisbury-based grocer has over 1,100 grocery stores in 10 Southeastern states.
Lowes Foods also removed Sycamore’s craft beer cans from its grocery store shelves, the Winston-Salem based grocer confirmed Friday. Lowes Foods has more than 80 stores in the Carolinas, including 10 in the Charlotte region.
Publix also is pulling Sycamore products from its shelves, spokesman Jared Glover confirmed Friday. The Florida-based grocery chain has been rapidly expanding in the Charlotte region since opening its first store in Ballantyne in 2014. Publix has nearly 30 stores in the Charlotte area and about 1,400 companywide.
Harris Teeter, based in Matthews, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday from The Charlotte Observer. As of Friday afternoon, Sycamore products were still available for pick-up, according to Harris Teeter’s website.
The swift reactions came in the aftermath of Justin Tawse Brigham, 44, being charged Thursday with statutory rape of a child, indecent liberties with a child and first-degree burglary.
He is accused of breaking into a Stanfield house and raping a 13-year-old girl on Wednesday, Dec. 10, according to police warrants. Brigham is being held in the Stanly County jail on $10 million bond. Stanfield is about 45 minutes east of Charlotte.
Following the arrest, Sycamore Brewing co-owner, Brigham’s wife Sarah Taylor, said on the brewery’s social media sites that Brigham had divested all of his interest in the business.
“I am devastated by the charges against Justin and the pain this has inflicted on our family and others. Effective immediately, I am assuming full leadership of the company,” she said.
Taylor and Sycamore Brewing officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
At the brewery’s Hawkins Street location around midday Friday, there were two or three customers at the South End site. The Charlotte Observer was told a manager and the owner were in a meeting and not available for comment.
More Charlotte businesses pull Sycamore beers
Public reaction to the criminal charges against Brigham was swift against him and the business.
On Friday, HandCraftedMarketCLT shared a statement, joining other businesses in severing ties with Sycamore. The vendor market said Sycamore was scheduled to be part of its monthly events next year, but no more.
“The severity of these allegations is deeply disturbing, and we stand firmly against abuse, violence, and exploitation,” the vendor event market said on Facebook.
204 North Kitchen & Cocktails in Charlotte shared a video on Instagram of Sycamore’s orange taps being tossed in a garbage can.
204 North shared the same message of being “heartbroken” and “disgusted” as Bargarita, and removing Syacmore products. Both businesses are owned by Charlotte-based Mason Jar Group. The company also owns Tilt on Trade and The Union in Charlotte, Grace O’Malley’s in Matthews, and a restaurant and coffee bar in High Point.
204 North’s post had over 1,615 likes and 90 comments by Friday morning, and many posts with hearts and applause emojis. “This is the ONLY response. Thank you for being clear, quick, and loud,” one person said.
Hoppin’ Charlotte, a self-serve taproom in South End, said late Thursday in its Instagram story, “We will no longer be serving Sycamore beer.”
On the other side of the state, Wilmington beer garden Freya’s Haus also said Thursday it was pulling all Sycamore Brewing products.
“Every dollar from remaining sales will be donated to our local rape crisis center, supporting survivors in our community,” Freya’s Haus said. “We believe accountability and care for people matter more than silence.”
Other peopled said it’s a personal decision. “Great decision!!! I personally won’t go to any local business still selling Sycamore beers,” one person commented on Bargarita’s post.
Concern for Sycamore employees, family
But not everyone thinks pulling Sycamore products is the right move. Several people noted the business is in a tough situation.
“I understand your response, but punishing an entire local company for one man’s heinous actions is a bit harsh,” one person said on 204 North’s post. Along with hurting Sycamore’s employees, it affects the former owner’s family, others said.
“I mean I hear you, for real, but now you’re just hurting his wife as well,” one person wrote.
Sycamore’s controversial holiday beer labels
For about six years, Sycamore also has come to be known around Charlotte for its naughty annual holiday beer can design.
Sycamore’s Christmas Cookie ale cans are wrapped in labels with provocative designs such as sex toys in the shape of snowflakes, gingerbread men in bondage and reindeer in sexual positions.
The annual holiday release has also sparked controversy, resulting in the cans being pulled in 2019 because of frisky reindeer, a design that the state liquor board had not approved at the time.
Some people collect the cans each year. “PSA: This year’s Christmas Cookie label is a ONE-TIME collectible,” Sycamore said on Facebook Dec. 5.
Following Brigham’s arrest, people on social media say the can labels aren’t so fun.
“The dirty Christmas beers sure seem weird now,” one person commented on a TikTok post by Pub 49 in Harrisburg. In the video, the pub shows five Sycamore taps being covered by a towel with R.I.P. written on it.
About Sycamore Brewery
Sarah Taylor and Justin Brigham just started brewing Sycamore beer in 2013, according to the company’s website. Sycamore has 24 distributor partners and sells beer to major retailers in seven states.
The information had been removed from the website by Friday afternoon.
In 2023, Sycamore closed its original location at 2161 Hawkins St., and moved to 2151 Hawkins St. The brewery anchors The Line, a 16-story office building. The 21,000-square-foot space includes a taproom, beer garden, Airstream food truck, and café coffee shop, according to Sycamore’s website.
Sycamore has a second location at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The tap house opened in 2022 on Concourse E.
Sycamore Brewing ‘had been killing it’
On Friday, Dave Beddingfield walked past Sycamore Brewing near his apartment to grab a cup of coffee during his lunch break. He would go to the brewery just about every other day, he said, to work remotely or just hang out with friends.
“This place was killing it,” Beddingfield said. “It was packed every single night. You always had something going on, whether it was trivia, music, business meetings.”
Now, in the aftermath of the charges against Brigham, he doesn’t plan to return. He thinks others will have the same reaction. “And I hope the rest of Charlotte can get around this and boycott their beer,” Beddingfield added.
This story was originally published December 12, 2025 at 12:51 PM with the headline "NC bars, grocers yank Sycamore Brewing after co-founder charged with child rape."
