SC brewery that shut off Sycamore beer tap will turn it back on. Here’s why
As many eateries and breweries are removing the Sycamore brand from its menu, one establishment says they plan to let beer from the troubled company flow for one more day.
Publico Kitchen and Tap, located in Five Points, announced it will serve the remainder of its Sycamore mountain candy kegs all day on New Year’s Eve only “at a pay what you can rate,” according to a post on X. The proceeds, the eatery says, will be donated to the nonprofit advocacy organization, Pathways to Healing.
Like many establishments across the Carolinas, Publico disconnected its Sycamore kegs and removed the brand from its menu after news broke last week that Justin Tawse Brigham, 44, co-owner of Sycamore Brewing, is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly breaking into a 13-year-old girl’s home and rapping her on Dec. 10.
But in the interest of “taking a stand for what’s right,” Publico said they would reconnect Sycamore kegs in benefit to Pathways, which advocates for rape victims.
Meanwhile, in protest to the brand, several major grocery chains, including Food Lion, Lowes Food and Publix have scraped all Sycamore products from its shelves, along with a long list of bars and restaurants, according to a report from WUNC in North Carolina.
Brigham, who started the North Carolina-based brewery with is wife — Sarah Taylor — in 2013, has stepped down from the company, leaving Taylor in-charge.
On Dec. 10, Brigham allegedly broke into the home of a 13-year-old girl he’d been communicating with on the social media platform, Snapchat, and sexually assaulted her, according to a report from The Charlotte Observer.
Following his arrest on Dec. 11, where he was charged with statutory rape of a child, indecent liberties with a child, and first-degree burglary, six additional charges were levied against him for allegedly grabbing and twisting a man’s genitals, The Observer reported.
