g Breweries

Noblebrau Brewing.

DAVID SIMCHOCK PHOTO

Refining their craft

START-UPS KEEP BEER SCENE LIVELY

With around 75 independent establishments in Asheville and Western North Carolina, the craft beer industry is booming in these parts. Now known a “Beer City,” Asheville has become the epicenter for a beverage movement unseen in not only the industry, but also the nation as a whole.

It all started for Asheville in 1994 when Oscar Wong started Highland Brewing — the city’s first legal brewery since Prohibition — and tapped into the region’s craft beer potential.

Fast forward 20 years to 2014, and craft beer pioneer and industry leader Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, California) opened its $200 million, 217-acre East Coast production facility in Mills River, right outside Asheville.

“The community around Asheville attracts such an artistic and eclectic mix of people, a very similar mix of people like Chico,” said Ken Grossman, founder/owner of Sierra Nevada. “The outdoors is something I try to do on a regular basis — get outside and hike. We’re near mountains, streams, and places to recreate in Chico, and Asheville is just like that.”

An embracing, all-are-welcome attitude is perhaps one of the reasons Asheville’s brew scene has exploded. Competing brewers exhibit camaraderie toward each other, with seasoned big-hitters lending help to upstart companies.

Alongside Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, industry giants New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, Colorado) and Oskar Blues Brewery both opened East Coast headquarters in Western North Carolina.

In recent years, Oskar Blues opened an enormous nine-acre $10 million east coast facility in Brevard and New Belgium fired up its $140 million facility in the River Arts District of Asheville, a property that has become a beacon of economic and cultural significance for the city.

New Belgium and Oskar Blues have since been bought out by

The big list | WNC BREWERIES

ASHEVILLE

•12 Bones •All Sevens Brewing •Archetype Brewing •Asheville Brewing •Bhramari Brewing •Burial Beer Co. •Catawba Brewing •Cellarest Beer Project •Cursus Keme •DSSOLVR •Eurisko Beer Co. •Fahrenheit Pizza & Brewhouse •French Broad Brewing •Ginger’s Revenge •Green Man Brewery •Hi-Wire Brewing •Highland Brewing •Hillman Beer •New Belgium Brewing •New Origin Brewing •One World Brewing •Oyster House Brewing •Rye Knot Brewery •Sweeten Creek Brewing •Thirsty Monk Brewery •Twin Leaf Brewery •UpCountry Brewing •Wedge Brewing •White Labs Kitchen & Tap •Wicked Weed Brewing •Wicked Weed Funkatorium

ELSEWHERE

•7 Clans (Waynesville) •Appalachian Grail Brewing (Hayesville) •Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) •BearWaters Brewing (Canton/Maggie Valley) •Big Pillow Brewing (Hot Springs) •Black Mountain Brewing (Black Mountain) •Blue Ghost Brewing (Fletcher) •Blue Mountain Brew Pub (Weaverville) •Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) •Brevard Brewing (Brevard) •Burning Blush (Mills River) •Catawba Brewing (Morganton) •Currahee Brewing (Franklin) •D9 Brewing (Hendersonville) •Dry Falls Brewing (Hendersonville) •Ecusta Brewing (Pisgah Forest) •Eluvium Brewing (Weaverville) •Fonta Flora Brewery (Morganton) •Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) •Guidon Brewing (Hendersonville) •Hayesville Brewing (Hayesville) •Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery (Chimney Rock/Mars Hill) •Hillman Beer (Old Fort) •Homeplace Beer Co. (Burnsville) •Hoppy Trout Brewing (Andrews) •Innovation Brewing (Sylva/Dillsboro/Cullowhee) •Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin/Sylva) •Lookout Brewing (Black Mountain) •Mad Co. Brew House (Marshall) •Mica Town Brewing (Marion) •Mill Town Brewing (Spindale) •Mills River Brewery (Mills River) •Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) •Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City/Sylva) •Native Brews (Cherokee) •Newgrass Brewing (Shelby) •Noblebrau Brewing (Brevard) •Nocturnal Brewing (Hayesville) •Oskar Blues Brewing (Brevard) •Pisgah Brewing (Black Mountain) •Riverside Rhapsody Beer Co. (Woodfin) •Oklawaha Brewing (Hendersonville) •Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) •Sidetracked Brewery (Morganton) •Sideways Farm & Brewery (Etowah) •Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Mills River) •Snowbird Mountains Brewery (Andrews) •Southern Appalachian Brewery (Hendersonville) •Testament Brewery (Murphy) •Triskelion Brewing (Hendersonville) •Turgua Brewing (Fairview) •Valley River Brewing (Murphy) •Whistle Hop Brewing (Fairview) •Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) •Zebulon Artisan Ales (Weaverville) •Zillicoah Beer Co. (Woodfin)

CIDERIES & MEADERIES

•Appalachian Ridge Artisan Cidery (Hendersonville) •Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) •Barn Door Ciderworks (Fletcher) •Black Mountain Ciderworks +

Meadery (Black Mountain) •Bold Rock Cider (Mills River) •Flat Rock Ciderworks (Hendersonville) •Noble Cider (Asheville) •Urban Orchard Cider (Asheville) • Wehrloom Meadery (Asheville)

Olkawaha Brewing.

larger beverage companies, as was local start-up brewer Wicked Weed a couple of years ago. Those buyouts are evidence of the ever-growing, somewhat topsy turvy nature of the craft beer scene as these newer, unique brews continue to grab a larger share of the national and international beverage market.

Since its opening in Asheville’s South Slope in 2013, Burial Beer Co. has become one of the most sought-after craft brands in Southern Appalachia and the greater Southeast. “Back then, it was just [head brewer] Tim [Gormley], [my husband] Doug, and myself,” said Jess Reiser, co-owner of Burial. “And I reflect on that often, knowing now we have about 75 employees and three locations. Those early days of hard work and figuring out our brand really set the foundation for who we are as a company.”

Focusing on concocting very unique and intricate ales, the brewery remains a beacon of quality and innovation in the renowned Western North Carolina craft beer industry.

“The ethos of Burial and what we celebrate is the cyclical nature of life and death, whether that be a person in your life or craft beer, food, older music, and art forms,” Jess said.

When Kelly and Andy Cubbins opened Southern Appalachian Brewing in Hendersonville in 2011, it was an up-and-coming town with no brewery at the time. But, the Cubbins felt the city had the same potential that Asheville held (and ultimately became) a decade or so earlier.

“Since we moved in there have been so many changes on Seventh Avenue. All of these incredible small businesses have

come in, and on Main Street, too,” Kelly said. “The whole downtown area has been transformed into such a beautiful and welcoming space. And we also have a progressive town government that really tries to bring the community together, especially with things like the ‘Rhythm & Blue Festival,’ which has become such a huge event for downtown.” “You get to live in this great town, with a lot of new families moving in,” Andy added. “And yet, within a 10-minute drive from downtown, you can be hiking on the side of a mountain where nobody around.” Home to four breweries, Haywood County has become a scene in its own right. Boojum Brewing, 7 Clans, and Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville and BearWaters Brewing in Canton are each serving up a wide array of selections that perfectly compliment the innumerable varieties brewed in Asheville. In one of the great success stories of regional craft beer, BearWaters Brewing has grown from humble beginnings in a Waynesville storage garage to a highly popular destination in a large warehouse along the Pigeon River in Canton. MORE AT And with its Canton location (aka: BearWaters BrewingBEVERLY-HANKS.COM Riverside) running on all cylinders, Sandefur and BearWaters Want to learn more about the craft beer movement in co-owner Art O’Neil decided it was time to expand. This ultimately led to the discovery and acquisition of its new Maggie Valley WNC? Discover the best beer location, aptly named BearWaters Brewing-Creekside. tours in and around Asheville “With this brewery, it’s kind of like watching your kids grow up, at beverly-hanks.com/blog/ best-beer- tours-aroundasheville. seeing how things develop and take shape,” Sandefur said. “For us, we like watching people enjoy the spaces we’ve created, things we’ve put together where there was nothing before. It feels great to be able to make a positive impact on these communities.” Heading south towards Brevard you come across the intersection of U.S. 64/276. Sitting at that intersection is Ecusta Brewing. Coming to fruition in August 2016, the brewery has emerged as one of the finest craft beer operations in Western North Carolina. “We’re about traditional beers. The flavor is meant to crisp, clean, and well-balanced,” said Josh Chambers, brewmaster at Ecusta. “It’s all about balance, and we like to taste the malts with the hops. It’s all about variety, too, where we brew a lot of different styles.” “What I am consistently amazed at is the complexity of craft beer,” added Bill Zimmer, co-owner of Ecusta Brewing. “You think wine is complex? Dive into all different areas and styles of craft beer and you’ll see that the possibilities are as endless as there are different palates of what people want or want to experiment with.” n

AGENT’S CHOICE: “I recommend Bold Rock Hard Cider in Mills River. Bold Rock is the purrrrrfect place to take your furbaby. The drinks are yummy and cold, and the atmosphere is always fabulously fun. The outdoor areas are cozy and oh-so pet friendly. #henniehuffman loves it!”

— Brandie Huffman, Biltmore Park office

Welcome | FOOD & DRINK

Tapping into community | OKLAWAHA BREWING

Joe Dinan.

With the large garage door pulled all the way up, the bright afternoon sunshine streams into the taproom of Oklawaha Brewing in downtown Hendersonville. There are locals and visitors enjoying a craft beverage at the counter or on the patio along First Avenue.

“It’s been one wild ride to where we are right now,” said Joe Dinan, owner/head brewer at Oklawaha. “We have an amazing team here that makes it all happen. We all work together and have built this from the ground up.”

Hailing from New England, Dinan eventually found himself in Chicago, Illinois, where he ended up bartending at Goose Island Beer Company. Dinan found a real kinship and passion for the craft beer industry and, in 2011, relocated to Asheville and began working for Thirsty Monk downtown. In time, he soon landed a brewing internship at Wicked Weed.

“I think a lot of craft beer has to do with community. It brings a lot of people together and people are super excited about this industry and the businesses that are part of it,” Dinan said. “We all go on craft beer vacations and try new breweries. I’ve always been in search of the newest, hottest, and most delicious craft beers out there, always scribbling down recipe ideas we want to brew.”

All of these craft beer experiences soon parlayed into Dinan entering the brewing program at nearby Blue Ridge Community College, the final step in a longtime love of home-brewing. Also at this time, Dinan moved to Hendersonville.

“I would drive through downtown and kept thinking, ‘Why are we waiting for someone else to put a brewery in Hendersonville?’ Let’s put together a business plan and find a location,” Dinan said.

In August 2015, Oklawaha Brewing opened its doors. For Dinan, it was the ideal place to launch his business. It was in a community with its own unique identity and culture, but also still part of the world-renowned Asheville craft beer scene.

“This town is really tight — everybody knows everybody,” Dinan said. “There’s something to do all year here. So many great street festivals and events happening all the time. The downtown is beautiful and we’re surrounded by this outdoor recreation playground of mountains and rivers.”

Pushing into the seventh year of this ever-growing endeavor, Oklawaha is currently transitioning from a threebarrel system to a 15-barrel setup. The expansion is not only a testament to the quality and popularity of the ales created here, but also the notion that once your dream is in motion, the possibilities are endless.

“It’s all gone by so fast, but there’s also been so much hard work and passion put into the brewery,” Dinan said. “I mean, I was a cubicle desk person with a dream to brew who just left the office world and went for it — and here we are.” n