Steel String Brewery to come to Carrboro in May

Carrboro resident and newly minted “Brew Czar” Will Isley can’t think of a place he’d rather call home.

Isley plans to open Steel String Brewery, located at 106A S. Greensboro St., in May.

Isley, a co-owner of the brewery, is responsible for the establishment’s brewing process.

“We are a pretty small brewery, only seven barrels,” he said. “But we’re focusing on our tap room.”

Isley said it was difficult to find an appropriate space for the brewery in Carrboro, but he and his fellow co-owners wanted to be in a place where people appreciate local craft beers.

“The community just supports everything local,” he said.

Isley and co-owners Cody Maltais and Andrew Scharfenberg are all from Carrboro.

“We love everything about Carrboro,” he said.

Isley said Steel String has already received a lot of support from the community.

“We’ve received such a huge success, and it’s all due to the people of Carrboro,” he said.

Upon its opening, Steel String will debut four craft beers — including Manzanita Black IPA and Maggie’s Farmhouse Ale — and Isley said the brewery will offer about 12 total beers.

And with each new season, Isley will debut a new brew.

“We’re going to go with what we’re feeling that season,” he said.

Along with the variety of craft beers, Isley said, Steel String will also serve a small selection of local food and host daily events.

Senior Jessie Franklin said he’s been disappointed by some of the other area breweries — but he looks forward to visiting Steel String.

He said he thinks the location — across from Open Eye Cafe in the heart of downtown Carrboro — will be great for the new brewery’s business.

“Hopefully they’ll get a lot of traffic,” he said.

Franklin said he is looking forward to Steel String’s opening so he can discover what makes the brewery stand out.

“(Breweries) always have a really different atmosphere depending on which one you’re going into,” he said.

“But they’re usually pretty friendly in there.”

Robert Poitras, owner of Carolina Brewery on West Franklin Street, said he is looking forward to seeing Steel String open.

“I’m excited about having another brewery in town,” he said.

Poitras said craft beer is growing in popularity in North Carolina.

“We’re quickly becoming a hotbed on the East Coast for craft beer,” he said.

And he said he thinks the state’s different regions and flavors contribute to the demand for unique craft beers.

“I think craft beer fits in well with North Carolina’s culinary scene,” Poitras said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.