The Story behind the Name

Thomas Polk is arguably Charlotte’s first success story. Born in Pennsylvania, Polk moved to Anson County, NC in 1753 with only the clothes on his back. From this humble beginning, Polk became community leader, a Revolutionary War hero, and a distinguished elected official.

This is a map of Mecklenburg Country from the 1700’s. Created by Paige Kester in 1976 after a tremendous amount of research, the map highlights many of the critical locations existing around Mecklenburg County in its early years. On top of a hill in the center of the map, the home of Thomas Polk can be seen.

Two years after arriving in North Carolina, Polk married Susanna Spratt. They built a home at the intersection of two overgrown trading paths which is now the Trade-Tryon intersection in uptown Charlotte. Over the years, Charlotte Town grew up around his home with a courthouse, Queens College, and several taverns sharing the space.

Known for his intelligence and friendly personality, Polk became a leader in the fledgling town – serving as a leader in the Sugar Creek War of 1765, serving as Justice of the Peace for Mecklenburg, and later becoming the first Treasurer of Charlotte Town. As the colonies moved towards conflict with England, Polk played an even larger role. He was part of the group of Charlotteans that signed the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence to become the first town to declare independence from England on May 20th, 1775. Shortly thereafter, he participated in the creation of the Mecklenburg Resolves which set the framework for governing their newly independent town.

As war with England broke out, Polk was appointed Colonel of the Fourth North Carolina Continental Regiment. He participated in the Battle of the Brandywine and bivouacked with the Continental Army at Valley Forge. In 1778, he returned to Charlotte to gather recruits and supplies for his troops. Passed over for a promotion to Brigadier General, Polk resigned his commission. However, his time as a civilian was minimal. By 1780, Polk was commissary of supplies for the Continental Army under General Horatio Gates. In 1781, Polk was made a Brigadier General by General Nathanial Green. He eventually retired from military life and transitioned into politics – serving in the General Assembly and in 1786, as a delegate to the Continental Congress. When George Washington traversed the south in 1791, he stayed with Polk in his home. He died in 1794.

Interesting Facts

Town Brewing’s “Spratt Lager” was named after Thomas Spratt. Thomas Spratt was the Father-in-Law of Thomas Polk.
Buried in Settler’s Cemetery off Fifth Street in the center of Charlotte.
His grand-nephew, James K. Polk, was the 11th President of the United States.

The Translation to our Beer

Polk Hazy Double IPA is a collaboration brewed with our friends from Town Brewing in Charlotte, NC. A Double IPA is a hazy IPA with more malt and more hops to deliver more flavor and a higher ABV. Polk clocks in at a healthy ABV of 8.5%. The most distinguishing characteristic of this beer is the strong pineapple aroma and flavor. For this collaboration brew, we utilized local malt from Carolina Malt House in Cleveland, NC where they source all of their barley and wheat from within a 10-mile radius of their facility – making this a largely NC sourced brew.

ABV 8.5%, IBU 34

Malts: Carolina Gold 2 Row, Carolina Wheat, Flaked Oats, Maltodextrin

Hops: Flex, BRU-1 Lupomax, Sultana Lupulin

Introducing Polk Hazy DIPA: Brewed with Town Brewing and Steeped in a Shared Love of Charlotte History