Rock Hill’s first craft brewery closes as it undergoes remodeling, name change
York County’s first brewery is closed and won’t reopen for a few weeks. By then, it should be remodeled and have a new name.
Owners of Legal Remedy Brewing posted on their Facebook page the pub and restaurant would close Monday for two or three weeks. State alcohol licenses expired Monday and the company awaits new ones. The downtime gives Legal Remedy time to remodel, something the owners’ post stated was part of the plan since new owners came onboard last year.
“It is our intention to create a friendly neighborhood pub environment and to become part of the incredibly generous and supportive local community here in Rock Hill,” the owners stated.
The new pub name will be announced later, according to the post. The pub will continue to have locally made beer.
Legal Remedy started York County brewery scene
The Herald reported plans in 2014 for the area’s first brewery, then a “Legal Remedies” concept in the burgeoning Riverwalk area of Rock Hill. Later that year, plans emerged for an 8,000-square-foot Riverwalk restaurant and brewery known as Legal Remedy Brewing.
The Fort Mill home brewers behind the project then pivoted to open a production brewery on Oakland Avenue, holding off on Riverwalk plans.
Legal Remedy grew from five friends entering homebrew competitions in 2009 to a 17-barrel brewery and two smaller brewing systems capable of producing up to 10,000 barrels of beer annually. After converting a former auto dealership space on Oakland Avenue to the county’s first brewery in 2015, Legal Remedy added that Riverwalk site in 2019.
Legal Remedy grew with new production sites for canning, an expanded distribution network and property purchases for parking. The business also inspired other breweries in York County. By early 2017 there were four more breweries with eyes on Knowledge Park openings in Rock Hill.
Encouraged by Legal Remedy’s success, breweries vie for options in Rock Hill
In 2018 Visit York County started the YoCo Brew Trail.
The seven brewery, cider and bottle shops open then partnered to attract touring customers. Amor Artis in Fort Mill and Windy Hill Orchard and Cidery in York joined Rock Hill sites Main Street Bottle Shop, Rock Hill Brewing Co., Slow Play Brewing and the just-opened-at-the-time Dust Off Brewing Company.
Rock Hill and other area municipalities have tweaked rules in recent years to attract craft beer businesses. Fort Mill and Rock Hill each have several breweries. Tega Cay has one. So does Clover. Rock Hill has a distillery.
The current Brew Trail lineup includes 12 breweries, eight bottle shops, a distillery, cider mill and canteen spread countywide.
A brew pub near you? Rock Hill may make it easier to attract craft beer businesses
York County brewery changes
The craft beer industry continues to grow in York County, but Legal Remedy isn’t the only site changing.
Dust Off Brewing closed its taproom in October. After Lake Wylie Brewing opened a second location on Hands Mill Highway in Rock Hill, the original Fort Mill location closed and reopened as Crossroads Sports Bar & Grill early last year. The Legal Remedy site at Riverwalk changed concepts several times before closing. That building sold last March.
In Fort Mill, the 415 Tom Hall St. site where 1873 Brewing opened in 2021 is now Untamed Waters Brewing. That ownership change and re-brand was announced in November.
Fort Mill resident Aaron Gore is an editor and writer with sales, consulting, tech and software experience in the brewing industry. Ownership changes are common nationwide, though closure rates are still lower for breweries than for bars and restaurants, Gore said.
“The entire industry is going through a maturation phase,” Gore said.
There are more spirit, seltzer and other alcohol options in the market than ever, Gore said. Craft brewing in many areas is still relatively new. Many places that started as passion projects from home brewers now need to operate more like traditional businesses to keep afloat.
Other challenges include lingering effects from COVID, a drying out of emergency funds and loans coming due that were related to the pandemic. Still, there’s reason for optimism in the industry.
“We’re not seeing any mass collapse in demand,” Gore said.
More suburban breweries like many in York County have advantages compared to bigger city sites where rent often is higher and the customer base is more transient, Gore said. Breweries like the ones in Rock Hill, Fort Mill and surrounding areas tend to become local watering holes supporting by a consistent customer base.
“York County is somewhat insulated,” Gore said.
Still, as the industry grows and landscape further shifts the breweries that succeed and thrive will be the ones that operate as more business than hobby, Gore said.
“Now’s the time for the industry to grow up a little bit,” he said.
