Best Homebrew Supply

Best Homebrew Supply Store

BY WILLIAM F. WEST

he old saying in business about wisely not putting all of the eggs in one basket can certainly apply to a brewery, homebrew supply store, bottle shop and tap room located along the beach route in the New Bern area. BrÜtopia opened for business in 2016 just off a busy stretch of U.S. 70 in James City, opposite the Neuse River from the picturesque Craven County seat. BrÜtopia began mainly by emphasizing homebrew supply, but quickly expanded. BrÜtopia Operations Manager Dawn Jones describes the location as a place offering a little bit of everything. “They can buy a beer, drink it here, get a box of bottle shop items, get their grain bills filled,” Jones said, noting she believes customers appreciate having everything in the same spot. And Jones is upbeat about the location’s future, saying, “New Bern is growing a lot in every direction. I’ve been here 25 years and it has grown up a lot since I’ve been here.” Technically, the BrÜtopia location is home to two separate businesses. One business is the BrÜtopia Homebrew Supply Store, which is in the front and sells the ingredients and kits needed for one to make beer at home. The front includes the bottle shop and the tap room. The other business is BrÜtopia Brewing Co. The brewery is in the back and provides beer to sell in the front on tap and also distributes beer to other establishments in the New Bern area and along the beach to sell on tap. BrÜtopia Homebrew Supply Store is the 2019 Readers Choice Award Winner in the category of Best Homebrew Supply Store. As for the ingredients supply part of the BrÜtopia operation, Jones said, "There are a lot of home brewers, not just in New Bern, but in the surrounding areas. There’s a local home brew clubs here in town. There’s one in Greenville. There’s one in Jacksonville. “And they all kind of converge and get their supplies, either from us or from Atlantic Brew Supply,” which is in Raleigh, Jones said. While Jones is excited about the honor, she also emphasized BrÜtopia is much more than a home brewing supply business. The BrÜtopia location was established by Tim Dryden and Bryan Conway in what had previously been a tattoo shop. “They (the previous occupants) needed less space,” Jones said. “We needed a lot of space. “So they had moved down two doors and that opened up this spot — and Tim and Bryan were able to secure it pretty quickly, which was awesome." Jones, Dryden and Conway had been in a home brew club together. “And we just got to know each other that way,” Jones said. As for the BrÜtopia name, she said that dates back years before the location became a reality. Specifically, she said she, her husband and Conway came up with the name one night while enjoying a campfire. “It just sat on the back burner until Bryan and him (Conway) were able to open this business,” she said. Jones said the history of the location can be traced back to

T BrÜtopia when the owners of the thennearby New Bern Homebrew Supply decided to bid farewell to the Tar Heel State and move to California. Jones said Dryden and Conway at the same time were looking to open a shop to provide for the needs for the many homebrewers in the New Bern area. The place, upon opening in 2016 in homebrew supply, includes the bottle shop offering containers of varieties of beers brewed elsewhere and the tap room. The location is open from noon to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, noon to 10 p.m. on Fridays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The location can be reached by phone at 252-631-5142 or online at http://www.brutopiabeer.com.

2nd -Wilmington Homebrew Supply (Wilmington, NC) 3rd - Atlantic Brew Supply (Raleigh, NC)

22