Behind the booch
Plus: Pond dredging will mean some closures at Freedom Park; Holiday foot traffic drops at some area malls; Sycamore co-founder files for divorce; Panthers coach praises team's 'grit and belief'
Good morning! Today is Monday, January 12, 2026. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Hi Ledger readers, it’s Ashley — welcome to another workweek.
Since it’s January, many of you may either be eliminating alcohol or dialing back your booze intake. I’ve never participated in Dry January myself, but I’m trying to be more mindful overall about my booze consumption (Saturday’s Panthers game notwithstanding). Kombucha has become one of the popular low- to no-alcohol options folks have turned to in recent years, and today’s newsletter looks at the fascinating evolution of Charlotte’s kombucha scene.
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Kombucha may not be the next (or even current) big thing for Charlotte brewers, but it’s settled into its own gut-healthy niche.
by Greg Lacour
Townes Mozer leads me from the taproom to the back, where Head Brewer John Watkins and his team brew beer and Mozer and his team make kombucha. It’s important to keep the spaces separate.
“We don’t want the gluten in the beer to get into the naturally gluten-free kombucha,” he explains, “and we don’t want any of the wild yeast and bacterias that are in the kombucha to get into our beer.”
Reasonable enough. But it’s a boundary that, among Charlotte-area breweries, only Lenny Boy Brewing has to consider. It’s the only one that started as a kombucha brewery — Mozer founded it in late 2011 — and began brewing beer later, in 2013. National kombucha sales continue to rise.
So why, in a city where seemingly everyone and his hamster brews beer, aren’t more brewers brewing ’bucha?
Mozer thinks. “I really don’t know why,” he finally says. “It is still a very niche product.”
Not long ago, though, kombucha seemed poised to break through in the Charlotte market — not overtaking beer, necessarily, but establishing itself alongside hard seltzers and locally distilled liquor as a viable alternative.
Kombucha is sweetened black or green tea fermented for as long as 30 days with a “pancake” of symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, or SCOBY. The SCOBY rests atop the brew and gradually converts alcohol from the yeasts into organic acids. The result is a sour, fizzy beverage that contains probiotics and antioxidants believed to enhance gut health. Kombucha originated in ancient China; the name likely comes from a misapplication of “konbucha,” a kind of Japanese kelp tea.
Health-conscious West Coasters popularized kombucha in the early 2000s. It didn’t really catch on east of the Mississippi. But by 2021, kombucha outlets like Queen B Booch, SUM Bucha and Updog had opened in Charlotte, and Mozer theorized that the city could become an East Coast kombucha capital.
All three have since closed, and while other Charlotte-area beer breweries sell kombucha, none that I can find produce it. That leaves Lenny Boy as the only survivor, and Mozer’s kombucha team — he calls them the Booch Boys — soldier on in back.
“I think the consumer knowledge on kombucha is a lot less in Charlotte and the East Coast, really the South — just the consumer education on it, what it is, why it’s good for you,” Mozer says. “I think maybe the barrier now is inflation and the cost to actually start a company.”
The nature of the drink may impede growth, too, especially compared to beer. Though kombucha contains a small amount of alcohol from fermentation, it’s not enough to give anyone more than the mildest of buzzes. State law designates kombucha with more than 0.5% ABV as an alcoholic beverage, and hard kombuchas usually don’t taste good, Mozer says.
The sourness of standard kombucha isn’t unpleasant, but you’re probably not going to gather a group in a taproom and down eight in one sitting. After a couple, he says, “you’re kind of kombucha’d out.”
I did find one enterprising gentleman who’s willing to at least test the theory. Heriberto Renta, a native of Puerto Rico, founded Borinquen Kombucha in 2019. (“Borinquen” is the ancient Taino name for Puerto Rico.) Renta ferments in a small shopping center on Spring Street SW, in the heart of downtown Concord. He doesn’t brew beer, but he recently added a small taproom next to the fermentation tanks. It has four taps for kombucha; five for beer from Triple C, Divine Barrel, Primal and Royal Bliss, breweries that sell his kombucha; and an array of liquor bottles above the bar. Want a kombucha cocktail? He’ll set you up.
But you don’t have to get drunk, and, at 31, Renta derives hope from his generation’s well-documented tendency to drink less than their parents and older siblings.
“I’m a millennial, and I don’t drink like that. I drink bourbon, and if I do, I might have one or two, and that’s maybe once a month,” he says. “If you’re into alcohol, we can put liquor in. ... But 60% of what I sold yesterday was nonalcoholic.”
Renta began to ferment kombucha as a Central Piedmont Community College student when he discovered how much he preferred it to soda. (His first fermentation tank was a 5-gallon Duke’s Mayonnaise container.) Mozer, 38, double-majored in business administration and environmental science at UNC Wilmington and grew fascinated with the fermentation process, especially when he learned he could work regionally grown, organic products into the beverage. For example, the Strawberry Limeade, one of Lenny Boy’s best-sellers, contains North Carolina-grown strawberries.
Which leads to an obvious question for Mozer: How often do you drink Lenny Boy kombucha? “Every day,” he says with a grin. “Yeah, man.” He adds that the kombucha does seem to have improved his gut health, but drinking Lenny Boy beer has made his gut bigger.
Greg Lacour is a journalist in Charlotte.
Today’s secondary sponsor is Arts+:
Freedom Park pond cleaning to begin this month; Park Road Park pond dredging was a success
Early construction activity has begun at Freedom Park as Mecklenburg County moves forward with a long-planned effort to clean up the park’s cloudy (and unnaturally colorful) pond.
Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation told The Ledger that a contractor’s surveyor was scheduled to begin preliminary site work at Freedom Park last week. While a specific start date on the dredging process has not been shared with the county, the contractor expects to begin in mid-January, and the project will continue into the summer.
Dredging involves removing sediment, trash and debris that have built up at the bottom of the pond over decades, contributing to recurring blue-green algae blooms that can pose health risks to people and pets.
The park will remain open during construction, but officials say visitors should expect some temporary disruptions, according to the project’s website. Intermittent trail closures are also expected on the south and west sides of the pond, and the parking lot at Whittington Field will close from mid-January through Feb. 21.
The Freedom Park project follows dredging work at Park Road Park, where hydraulic dredging began in March 2025 and was completed in late 2025. That method allowed crews to remove sediment without fully draining the pond.
Freedom Park’s pond, built in 1948, had never been dredged before this project. Officials say removing the accumulated material should improve water clarity, reduce odors and create a healthier environment for fish, wildlife and park goers. —Lindsey Banks
Related Ledger articles:
“County to drain two ‘gross’ park ponds” (Sept. 11, 2024)
Some Charlotte-area malls had fewer shoppers during 2025 holiday season; below pre-Covid levels
Many of the Charlotte region’s major malls and retail centers had fewer shoppers during the crucial holiday shopping season in 2025 compared with recent years.
Between Black Friday (Nov. 28) and Christmas Eve, the average daily visitors at Northlake Mall, Carolina Place in Pineville and Belgate Shopping Center were down 18.6%, 4.9% and 2.5%, respectively, compared with the previous year, according to Placer.ai data requested by The Ledger.
But foot traffic was up 5.5% and 3%, respectively, at The Arboretum Shopping Center and Carolina Pavilion in that same year-over-year time period.
Data was not provided for SouthPark Mall, Concord Mills and Carolina Premium Outlets, three of the region’s most prominent shopping centers, which all happened to be owned by retail real estate giant Simon Property Group.
But between the pre-pandemic 2019 and 2025 holiday seasons, traffic was down at all five of the retail centers tracked by Placer.ai in the analysis:
53.5% at Northlake Mall
13.9% at Carolina Place
11.3% at Carolina Pavilion
6.7% at The Arboretum
6.4% at Belgate
Placer.ai tracks foot traffic by using location data on mobile devices. It caveats its data by saying changes in foot traffic can be tied to a variety of factors, including calendar shifts, decreased consumer confidence, economic and tariff uncertainty, and weather conditions.
The traditional holiday shopping season — between Black Friday and Christmas Eve — was also compressed last year, with Thanksgiving falling in late November. For several years now, a broader trend has been observed within the retail industry of holiday shopping occurring earlier than Thanksgiving, even pushing into October or late September.
Although foot traffic was more subdued at many local centers in 2025, shoppers were out in full force online. U.S. consumers spent $257.8B online between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, up 6.8% year-over-year and setting a new e-commerce record, according to a recent analysis by Adobe Analytics, which analyzed 1 trillion-plus transactions on U.S. retail sites. —Ashley Fahey
Sycamore co-founder files for divorce following husband’s arrest; cites ‘illicit sexual behavior,’ squandering or hiding of assets
Sycamore Brewing co-founder Sarah Taylor has filed for divorce from her husband, Justin Brigham, following his arrest last month on sex-crime charges that have imperiled the future of Charlotte’s largest brewery.
In a filing in Mecklenburg County District Court last week, Taylor says she “legally separated from Defendant immediately when she became aware of Defendant’s arrest and the horrific allegations against him.” The filing seeks an end to their 18-year marriage and asks for equitable distribution of marital property, post-separation support, alimony and child support, to provide for the couple’s 9-year-old daughter.
Rather than seeking a monthly payment for child support, Taylor says she wants a lump-sum payment since Brigham is “indefinitely incarcerated [and] indefinitely unemployed.” Brigham, who co-founded Sycamore Brewing with his wife, has been held in the Stanly County Jail since his Dec. 11 arrest. Since then, the company’s business has dried up after customers stayed away from its South End taproom, and grocers and convenience stores pulled Sycamore beer from shelves.
Taylor had previously said in public statements that she was taking steps to file for divorce. The filing confirms that. It also reiterates her statements that she has taken full control of the business and that Brigham plays no role in it.
The filing says the couple separated on Dec. 11, the day of Brigham’s arrest on charges of statutory rape, indecent liberties and related offenses involving a 13-year-old girl. Taylor’s filing also accuses Brigham, 44, of illicit sexual behavior, abandonment and “destruction, waste, diversion or concealment of assets,” without providing further details.
The court document provides no specifics on Sycamore’s or the couple’s finances. It says that during their marriage, Taylor, who is listed as a part-time Mecklenburg resident, was “substantially dependent” on Brigham for support, and that the couple “enjoyed and became accustomed to a high standard of living.”
Court documents say Taylor is being represented by Gena Morris of Charlotte law firm James, McElroy & Diehl.
Last week, the company filed documents with the state changing Sycamore’s name to Club West Brewing. —Tony Mecia
Related Ledger articles:
“The rapid fall of Sycamore Brewing” (Dec. 17)
“Data shows sharp Sycamore sales drop after co-founder’s arrest” (Jan. 5)
Quotable: Carolina Panthers’ coach on the team’s ‘straight-up grit and belief’
Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales, in a locker-room speech to his team on Saturday after a heartbreaking last-minute, season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Panthers’ first home playoff game in 10 years:
Guys, this is proof positive right here — it’s about belief.
It’s about believing in what we have right here, OK? Regardless of what happened in the course of the game, early on or whatever, we just kept battling, because that’s who we are. That’s our identity, OK?
Now, we know that we got some plays that we would love to have back. But listen to me, man: This season was about straight-up grit and belief and playing together.
You guys talk about family? You break down on family all the time? This is what family looks like. You just keep battling the whole way.
I’m so proud to be a part of this group.
Guys, I’m sick that it’s over. I’m sick we can’t go do it one more week. … I’m sick we didn’t get it done.
But I’m proud as hell to be your coach, and I’m proud of what we accomplished together.
Sign up for free webinar: ‘How to Recognize and Respond to Changes in Aging Adults’
Join The Charlotte Ledger and Caregiving Corner for a free virtual webinar from 12-1 p.m. on Wednesday. It’s for family members supporting aging parents, partners or relatives — and for adults planning for their own aging and long-term care.
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You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
TOMORROW: “Resolutions & Revolutions: CEC January Mixer,” 5:30-8 p.m., at The VUE Sky Lounge, 215 N. Pine St. Celebrate the New Year with the Charlotte Economics Club! Kick off 2026 with an evening of networking, music and celebration. This after-work gathering for professionals in business, economics, finance and other related fields will include holiday spirits, hors d’oeuvres and a live jazz performance. Guests must be 21 or older. Free for members. $20 for non-members.
WEDNESDAY: “PitchBreakfast,” 8:15-10 a.m., at CRTV Lab Coffee, 2400 Greenland Ave. Join Innovate Charlotte for a monthly startup pitch event highlighting local founders pitching their innovation-led businesses to a panel of investors for feedback and community support. Free.
JANUARY 24: “Freedom in the Air,” 6-7:15 p.m., at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 115 W. 7th St. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, 7th Street Concerts has woven together the voices and traditions that shaped the American story. Spirituals, folk songs and fiddle tunes meet the elegance of Baroque and colonial music, revealing a shared language of resilience and hope. Festivities begin at 5:30 with a complimentary pre-concert Happy Hour followed by the concert. $30-$54/ticket. Free parking.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief:
Homicides down in 2025: Although numbers are preliminary, it appears there were fewer homicides in the city of Charlotte last year compared to 2024. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, there were 97 killings in Charlotte in 2025, a drop of about 12% from the 110 recorded in 2024. (Charlotte Observer, subscriber-only)
CMS, Mecklenburg County prepare to tighten their belts: Early estimates suggest Mecklenburg County is staring at a budget gap of between $21M and $36M while CMS is facing uncertainty in its largest revenue source, the state, as no budget has passed, and the local school system is seeing a decline in student enrollment. But the boards struck a collaborative tone at a joint meeting last week. (WFAE)
Tepper execs depart unexpectedly: Tepper Sports & Entertainment’s chief venues officer and general counsel recently left the organization. A company spokesperson did not provide details on exact departure dates or the reason for the departures, but said Tepper Sports plans to fill both vacancies. Tepper Sports owns Bank of America Stadium, the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC. (Charlotte Business Journal, subscriber-only)
Sports betting tops $7B across NC in 2025: North Carolina bettors wagered more than $7B through legal online sportsbooks in 2025, the first full calendar year since sports betting launched in the state. The state collected more than $132M in taxes from licensed operators in 2025. (WRAL)
Tenants at Eastland Yards project: At its meeting tonight, the Charlotte City Council is set to vote on several retail subleases at the Eastland Yards project in east Charlotte. The subleases are with Rumbao Latin Dance Company LLC, Alvaranga Realty LLC (which is expected to open a salon suite business), and Artisen Gelato and Higher Grounds by Manolo (a gelato shop and coffee shop, respectively, both owned by Manolo Betancur of Manolo’s Bakery). The city has a master lease agreement with Crosland Southeast, the developer of Eastland Yards, and is subleasing individual retail spaces to businesses.
No, Xavier Legette did not arrive on horseback: A video that circulated widely over the weekend claiming that Carolina Panthers receiver Xavier Legette arrived at the team’s playoff game at Bank of America Stadium on horseback appears to be inaccurate. While Legette owns a horse and there were apparently men in cowboy hats riding horses by the stadium on Saturday, it was not Legette — though several social media accounts and Sports Illustrated reported it as fact. (Daily Mail)
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