It’s not just Wilmington that’s welcoming new breweries to the area. Southport will be the home of Check 6 Brewing Company, slated to open later this fall. 

Owners are currently working on brewing as well as final inspections for the new facility, designed by Kersting Architecture of Wilmington. The owners said they anticipate a mid-October opening and a grand opening celebration in early to mid-November.

The Check 6 founders have a long history of brewing beer. Noah Goldman and Norm Weiss’ grandfather owned a brewery in the 1920s, and both cousins have spent many years home brewing. They won’t be following any of their grandfather’s recipes, however.

“Fortunately, the ingredients we have available to us today are so much better than what was available during Prohibition. A lot of the beer brewed at that time really wasn’t any good,” Goldman said.

Goldman and his friend Tim Hassel, an Air Force colonel and fighter pilot, have been brewing together since 2006, developing recipes and sharing their beer with family and friends, many of whom encouraged them to start their own brewery.

Over the years, while the number of recipes increased, Goldman's son Mike Goldman began to get involved and learned everything he could about brewing. Noah Goldman and his wife moved to Southport about four years ago, and he and Mike Goldman began scouting out potential sites for a brewery.

The name Check 6 comes from a phrase used by fighter pilots that means to look behind you for enemy aircraft. References from fighter pilot's position and the direction of the aircraft are given by the clock. 12 o'clock is straight ahead, 9 o'clock directly off to the left wing and 6 o'clock is directly behind.

Check 6 is short for “Check your six o'clock position.” The term has become synonymous with “watch your back” among those in the military who are looking out for each other on the ground as well as in the air. The Army, Navy and the Coast Guard also use the phrases “check your six” and “I’ve got your six.”

The name of each of the brewery’s beers is inspired by early military aircraft.

The taproom will feature 10 beers on draft that will be sold by the pint and in growlers. While Check 6 will not serve food on the premises, the brewery does consider itself “food friendly” and will have menus available from several local eateries so that patrons can have food delivered to the taproom.

Check 6 plans to have beer served on tap in as many local eateries as possible and hopes to move into bottling and canning for distribution in the second phase of development.

When asked what will set them apart from other breweries in the area, Noah Goldman stated that while the cousins take great pride in the quality of their beer as well as their customer service, they view the growing brewery business in the area as a collaborative effort rather than a competition.

“I’ve tried many of their beers, and really there’s a heck of a lot of good beer out there,” Goldman said. “But there’s also plenty of market to go around.”

Check 6 Brewing Company is located at 5130 Southport-Supply Road in Southport.

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