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New Majority Owner for Railhouse Brewery

Railhouse Brewery has a new majority owner at the throttle as of January 1. Chris Weber, who bought his stake from Scott Birdsell, is gearing up to lay tracks for the brewery’s future growth.

Weber’s investment is shared by existing co-owners Mark Perry, also part owner of Red Dragon Brewery in Virginia, Jeremy Reynolds, Mark Wathen, Dan Fifield and the current brewer, Jason Hull, who was gifted a percentage last year.

Established in 2010 by military veterans Mike Ratkowski and Brian Evitts, the brewery is the oldest in the area. Weber will continue the brewery’s tradition of veteran-owners as marks the third generation of ownership.

“ This has been a great business,” said Weber. “And it still has a lot of potential. Hopefully with renewed energy, we can help it reach that potential.”

That potential includes plans for both internal and external growth, but he expects that the overall atmosphere and nightlife in the taproom isn’t going to change. They’ll still have live music every Saturday night. But he said part of the internal growth strategy includes hosting more events and creating an environment that serves more young parents.

“ I want someplace that’s family friendly,” he said. “We don’t mind having little kids that are running around screaming, because that is what makes me feel comfortable as a parent.”

They’ve already begun that effort this Winter, turning their Sunday specials into family meals, serving things like meatloaf, mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts.

The other aspect of that growth centers around expanding the physical footprint of the taproom, though he concedes that is contingent on the owners of the building, who run Carolina Barbell Strength & Performance in the adjacent space.

Weber said that his aim with the expansion is to add the capacity to rent out space for private parties and retain their ability to keep the bar open for regular traffic.

“ The party usually makes up the difference in revenue,” he said. “But it’s hard to tell a customer that they can’t come into someplace where they want to be.”

Externally, Weber wants to see brand presence grow in the community and for the brewery to claim a larger market-share statewide. He believes they’re positioned to do both since transitioning their product from glass to aluminum.

“ We had been bottling before, which is a really difficult package to put out into the marketplace,” he said. “But we have started canning now, and I would love to see us in all of the golf courses in Moore County.”

They’ve recently begun producing a light lager that Weber thinks would be a good fit in beverage carts. He said Railhouse has already begun that trend. Local sales rep, Jimmy Dickenson, has tripled sales in the past year.

“ We’d like to see that growth be sustained in our local area,” said Weber. “And we’d also like to see an influence both in box stores and in restaurants outside of Moore County.”

The brewery’s current distribution partner is Johnson Brothers Mutual Distributing of NC, which is headquartered in Raleigh, and Weber hopes to see increased shelf space in places like Total Wine, groceries stores and other retailers.

Much as he would like to see more events at the brewery, Weber said the increased community involvement requires more engagement with events, whether that means a Railhouse keg at a wedding or a setup at a local event. Primarily, he’s looking for unique opportunities.

“ I there’s some way that we can meet a need in our community, we’re happy to look at that and see where we can fit in,” he said.

That reveals the main reason Weber made the investment. Weber enlisted in the Army in 2003 and served in a number of roles, including explosive ordinance disposal and logistics, before becoming an officer. He’ll retire in May at the rank of Major. When he and his wife, Amberly, got their permanent change of station to the area, they planned on making this their final stop and raising children in Aberdeen. As of May, they’ll both be out of military service, so Weber was looking for his next step.

“ We found a place to stay,” he said. “So being able to have that and have a business where I can make a mark and have longevity. That’s what we were looking for.”

Weber wants Railhouse to reflect the commitment he feels to the community, but ultimately he wants to perpetuate the Railhouse community, first and foremost.

“ We are a family friendly place, but we still have the same nightlife that we’ve had,” said Weber. “I want to show that we are going to continue that.”

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