Vecino Brewing Co.
Vecino Brewing Co. opened in early May in Carrboro. The venture is a rebranding of YesterYears Brewery by YesterYears co-founder, Dave Larsen.
Larsen said that the concept behind Vecino Brewing is in the meaning of its Spanish name - neighbor. In its rebranding, Vecino sought to become more of a community partner. Its slogan is “Brewing Neighbors."
“It’s not only our involvement alone, but to bring the different businesses in Chapel Hill and Carrboro together to just help the community, wherever we need help,” Larsen said.
This upcoming month, Vecino is partnering with Orange County Animal Services in Pints and Paws. The benefit will kick off June 9 with a shelter animal adoption event. Also, 10 percent of the proceeds from Vecino’s Cascadian Black IPA sales will go to Orange County Animal Services.
Larsen said patrons will find a lot of other differences between YesterYears and Vecino.
According to Larsen, the taproom and bar are about triple their previous sizes, and the venue features more live music and events, including an event space that can be rented out. The bar’s taps have also increased from 12 to 20.
“We’ve also put in a kitchen with not your typical bar food on the menu,” Larsen said.
The menu, in the absence of the usual fried foods, includes daily made-from-scratch pretzels, a locally-sourced cheese board and loaded grilled cheeses.