The German brewing company Gilde, based in Hannover, Germany is planning a large, 500,000 bbl brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina. The brewery, which has been in business in Germany since 1546 is planning on introducing the German-style beer in phases, beginning with importing the brand from Germany this summer.
Gilde will open the first phase of the project by the end of this year according to a story in the Charlotte Observer. That location will be around 5,000 square feet with an approximate capacity of 2,000 bbls. This phase will employ up to 30 people and will be draft production only. The company is then planning on expanding in two to three years to a larger facility, including a bottling line, a beer garden and restaurant.