Crank Arm Brewing bowing new Durham bike/brewing hub.
Photography by Steffen Gonzalez
Holy spokes! Ahead of its 10th anniversary celebration July 23, Crank Arm Brewing Company has officially signed the dotted line for its second cycling/sip outpost in Durham—and the beer/bike lovin’ biz’s gearing up to open by the end of the year (!).
The new hoppy digs will be situated in the ground floor of luxe Beckon Apartments (also in Durham’s social district—dubbed “The Bullpen”), taking up 3,000+ square feet, boasting rollup doors, an indoor/outdoor space and a mere ~20-step commute from the highly anticipated Downtown Durham greenway trail. To boot, the Bull City location will tout 24 brews on tap (plus, seltzers, wine and ciders—and liquor, thanks to the updated ABC licensing laws!).
At the helm of the buzzy new locale, find the same four partners behind Raleigh’s Crank Arm Brewing—Adam Eckhardt, Michael Morris, Dylan Selinger and Bob High.
Wondering what drew the bikers and brewmasters to the Bull City? “It’s a burgeoning city,” says Eckhardt. “There’s a lot of folks moving here. It’s our sister city, and there’s an active cycling culture here.”
For those with a case of the, er, spins—Durham patrons can expect pop-ups, collabs with the local cycling community, weekly rides and run clubs that echo the MO of the OG Raleigh location. Yet, due to its prime positioning at the bottom level of Beckon Apartments, the team hopes to situate itself as an integral watering hole for residents and those around the area.
“As opposed to a Downtown neighborhood bar, we are literally the bottom of the neighborhood,” says Morris. “We want to be a neighborhood establishment here.”
Echoes Eckhardt: “We’re very excited to become part of the community in Durham the way we have in Raleigh. We are going to start doing pop-up events ASAP, start working with local cycling organizations and just introduce ourselves if folks aren’t familiar—and to meet them as well.” … Ready to wheel up for some brews and pedal up a buzz, Bull City? crankarmbrewing.com
