CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Weathered Souls, a Black-owned brewery in Charlotte's Lower South End that closed its doors last month, is now involved in a lawsuit.
In December 2023, the 10,300-square-foot brewery announced it was closing its kitchen but that the taproom would stay open until further notice. Then, Weathered Souls then announced April 6 would be its taproom's last day.
Now, the landlord of the taproom location, Gateway Investments Inc., is accusing the brewery of breach of contract in regards to allegedly breaking its lease.
The lawsuit was filed on May 13 against the co-owner Michael Holt and the Texas-based brewery itself. Holt is listed as the guarantor on the lease.
The San Antonio-based brewery opened its Charlotte taproom in November 2022 and was, at the time, Charlotte's only Black-owned brewery. The brewery worked to change that with the goal of creating diversity in beer.
It's estimated that African Americans own less than 1% of craft breweries in the United States, according to a Brewers Association survey.
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