Inside Sycamore: One employee shares his story
Staff at Sycamore Brewing have been caught in the middle of the high-profile arrest last month of one of its owners — and the fallout that's followed
The following article appeared in the Jan. 30, 2026, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Since one of its owners was charged with sex crimes last month, the 100+ people who work at Sycamore are in a period of uncertainty amid fierce backlash to Charlotte’s largest brewery.
by Ashley Fahey
Charlotte media outlets (The Ledger included) have covered nearly every aspect of the Sycamore Brewing story after the Dec. 11 arrest of co-owner Justin Brigham.
One important story that hasn’t been told: What’s been happening to Sycamore’s 120 or so employees? How are they feeling, caught in the middle of the saga?
In the seven weeks since Brigham’s arrest, I’ve reached out to more than a dozen Sycamore employees, hoping to understand their experience after hearing about the arrest and what it’s been like to be an employee as the brewery’s sales quickly dried up and word spread of the alleged crimes.
Most didn’t get back to me. One briefly considered talking but ultimately said he didn’t feel OK with it.
On Jan. 16, after some back-and-forth, I finally spoke on the phone with an employee.