by Michelle Boudin

One of Charlotte’s OG breweries is going for the gold next month by going all-in supporting Olympic athletes who trained in Charlotte last year. Macy Tarleton is a U.S. bobsled team member, and while training in the Queen City last October, she approached Olde Mecklenburg Brewery about a potential collaboration.

“I absolutely love the community aspect of what OMB stands for,” Tarleton says. “It’s more than just a brewery — it’s truly a community builder. That aligns perfectly with my mission and what I’m trying to create both on and off the track.”

“She and the team had been training in town at UNCC, checking out some of the local places and they loved OMB,” says Amelia Herbert, OMB’s Marketing Manager.

“We sat down with her and learned a lot about what it means to be an athlete in the Olympics, the journey, how they get there, the expenses and all the work they put into it and we thought it would be a great opportunity,” Hebert says. “I didn’t know that the athletes come up with most of the funding themselves, so we thought what a great thing to help with. Who doesn’t love the Olympics?”

Olympic Haze is a 6% ABV hazy IPA that debuts Jan. 23 in both the LoSo and Ballantyne taprooms, with $1 from every pint sold going to Tarleton to support her in the Winter Olympics. 

Brewed with Strata and Sultana hops for a juicy, fruit-forward profile, the hazy IPA is packed with tropical notes of pineapple, mango, orange, and passion fruit. It has a smooth, creamy mouthfeel with a strong hop aroma. The flavor is slightly sweet at first, followed by a mild, balancing bitterness in the finish. 

Through the collaboration, Tarleton says the OMB staff has gained insight about what it takes to be an Olympic athlete.

“I’ve always watched the Olympics and it’s so cool getting to learn about what the athletes go through and to be able to hear directly from an athlete things that just as normal spectators we might not know about the journey and all that goes into it,” she says.

Olympic Haze is part of a special OMB series called The Brewers Reserve. The series  will run throughout 2026 with a new brew launching every few months, each one a collaboration with a local nonprofit or community organization with money raised going to the different Charlotte area nonprofits.

“Each one that comes out will be tied to a charity that’s near and dear to us,” Herbert says. The next release, in March, will raise money for Special Olympics athletes and CMPD’s Torch Run supporting those athletes.

Tarleton was at OMB in November when they started work on the beer and Herbert is regularly in touch with her. The Atlanta native is already in Europe with the team, competing at different qualifying events.

In addition to the fundraiser, Herbert says the brewery is hoping to be a gathering place for people to cheer on the Olympians, saying the taprooms televisions will be tuned in to all of the action.

“Obviously we’re always rooting for Team USA, but now even more so,” she says.

Tarleton is grateful for all of the support.

“Having people back home cheering me on is truly the backbone that keeps me going. Bobsled is such a demanding sport, and knowing there’s a community supporting the journey makes all the hard days worth it,” she says.