Wake Forest's Blackbird Brewery expands to Durham
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Ian and Harmony VanGundy (pictured with their son) founded Blackbird Brewery, which is expanding in the Triangle. Photos: Courtesy of Blackbird
Wake Forest's Blackbird Brewery is opening a taproom in downtown Durham's Unscripted hotel, taking over the space formerly occupied by Pour.
Why it matters: The move introduces a new local spot for drinks and food downtown looking out onto CCB Plaza.
State of play: Blackbird plans to begin selling beer this month in the Corcoran Street space.
- "A rolling opening is what we're calling it," Blackbird co-founder Harmony VanGundy says, laughing as she adds: "We still have no money. We need to sell some beer to make things happen."
- Because what they do have is product — a wide selection of beers brewed in Wake Forest — as well as permits, furniture and taps on the wall.
- Hours are not set, but Blackbird in Durham will "for sure" be open for the downtown tree-lighting on Nov. 21 and for other holiday events in December.
What they're saying: "I just hope Durham likes us as much as we like them. They're tough, man. Tough crowd there. They kicked out Dampf BBQ real quick," she says with a laugh.
- Durham's beer drinkers have advanced palates, she tells Axios.
- "We're excited to have a space that when we make a smoked doppelbock, people are really excited about it. And one thing that [her husband and co-founder] Ian started brewing for Durham specifically is a little more more of our fruited sours."
Flashback: The VanGundy couple founded Blackbird Brewery in 2022 after spending over a decade working in North Carolina's beer industry.
- She recalls selling Raleigh brewer Lonerider's beers to Durham's now-closed Sam's Quik Shop. Lonerider's famous Sweet Josie Brown, she says, was her husband's recipe.
- The beer, with its cowboy-hat logo, was a tough sell initially, she recalls. "Because it was from Raleigh, and Durham hated Raleigh in 2009 and 2010. It was the quality of [Lonerider's beers] that got us in."
Zoom in: Blackbird's owners had been discussing the Durham space for about a year. They were skeptical they could afford to expand because opening in Wake Forest had already required taking out a sizable Small Business Administration loan.
- "We are not wealthy people. We are one of the few brewer-owned breweries," VanGundy says. "It's just us, and we have a couple of partners, and they're very small and very silent."
One of those partners is Josh Wittman, who's involved with Durham restaurant The Federal and venues Motorco and Stanczyks.
- VanGundy says Wittman is helping them add a kitchen component in Durham, something the Wake Forest tavern doesn't have. That location is in a strip with multiple restaurants, so Blackbird lets visitors bring in their own food.
- The Durham location has a kitchen, VanGundy says, but Pour hadn't used it in years.
What to expect: In addition to food in the Durham taproom, Blackbird will sell beer, wine and ciders, plus some batch-made cocktails and THC sodas (so long as they're legal).
- The interior will be comfy, warm and full of plants once they're done renovating.
- To-go drinks will be allowed with social district rules.
If you go: Check social media first for details on pop-up hours. Renovations will continue into 2027.
