Protagonist Announces Advanced Cicerone Hire

New nano-brewery and taproom for curious beer drinkers to open in NoDa, Charlotte in 2019

Protagonist, slated to open in early 2019, is proud to announce the hire of an Advanced Cicerone. Christopher Westgard has signed on to guide the future nano-brewery’s beverage program including programming of beer offerings, collaborations, and more.

Christopher Westgard, one of only two Advanced Cicerones in Charlotte, NC, has come onboard as Beverage and Education Director for the new nano-brewery and taproom, which will offer a unique brewery experience for the most curious drinkers in the city.

Advanced Cicerone® is the third level of certification in the Cicerone® Certification Program. It requires a solid understanding and distinctive expertise of beer as well as an excellent ability to detect and describe beer flavors using both consumer and brewer vocabulary.

Most recently a member of the Crafty Beer Guys team in Huntersville, NC, Westgard comes with more than 5 years of experience, having received his AC certification in Feb 2017.

Chris discovered craft beer while attending Appalachian State University. His interest quickly spiraled into an obsession, leading him to seek out new beer to taste and research at every opportunity. In an effort to further this knowledge Chris signed up for a Cicerone program and achieved the first level of Certified Beer Server in 2012.  Not soon after he decided to pursue a career in the beer industry, joining Crafty Beer Guys at its inception in 2013 and the next level of Certified Cicerone later that same year. The next five years brought hands on opportunities in beer purchasing, management, brewing, event execution and draft system design and maintenance, leading to successfully reaching level 3 Advanced Cicerone in 2017.

“I am pretty excited for this opportunity.  I’ll be able to incorporate what I’ve learned in a direct way with the brewing and culinary programs so we can make interesting things happen on every front.” said Westgard.

The brewery will open its doors in Charlotte early next year, and focus on contributing to the craft beer scene by offering a wide variety of rare and interesting brews, playing with carbonation and serving temps, and an engaging membership program.

About Protagonist Beer
Protagonist is a brewery centered around experimentation, belonging and public spirit. Created by childhood friends Ryan McKillen, Ryan Owens and Mike Salzarulo, the brand will come to life through a modern day Clubhouse—a nano-brewery and taproom in Charlotte, NC in early 2019. Curious? So are we. Website to come, follow Protagonist on Instagram @protagonistbeer.