PHILOSOPHY & FOUNDING
PRO·TAG·O·NIST
/prəˈtaɡənəst/ NOUN
The leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel.
Tthe main figure or one of the most prominent figures in a real situation.
An advocate or champion of a particular cause or idea.
We aren’t naïve- protagonists aren’t perfect people. But they try to do the right thing in every situation they’re put in, and that’s who we honor with our beers and try to be as a brewery. We hope our award-winning beers will inspire you wherever you are in your story, and we aim to create and curate experiences for you that allow you to refresh, relax, learn, grow, experience and enjoy life!
THE INTRODUCTION
Protagonist Beer’s story begins with Mike and the Ryans growing up as best friends in Cincinnati, OH. Once out of school, lives and jobs scattered them across the country, but the love of beer kept them bound together. They begin to brew, bottle, and mail each other beers from all across the country. This love of craft soon led to regular trips across the country to sit in garages together and brew- it was as much about the end result as it was the time together while brewing. After many (MANY) beers, the vision for Protagonist Beer began to arise…
RISING ACTION
Opening in May 2019 in the heart of the NoDa neighborhood in Charlotte, Protagonist’s story officially began. What started as a 2bbl brewhouse with a curated selection of guest taps quickly outgrew the original space and in November of 2020, Protagonist opened up their sprawling LoSo location complete with a 15bbl production facility that now makes up every beer served at both locations, and also houses Protagonist Pizza, a New-York style pizza kitchen that serves scratch-made pizzas (all the way up to our 28” pies), appetizers, salads, and occasionally a few other specialties. Our LoSo brewery also has allowed Protagonist to being to distribute throughout Charlotte, and is rapidly expanding out further and further.
JOIN THE STORY
And that’s where our story is currently! We’d love for you to join and be a part of our story as it continues to be written…